Do Coloring Books Make Senior Citizens Brainier?

Sheri Fresonke Harper, Yahoo! Contributor Network
Apr 15, 2008 "Share your voice on Yahoo! websites. Start Here."

Want to learn but not work very hard? Love color? I loved coloring as a child. Now that I'm older and retired, I took up this activity again. A return to scribbling with crayons may sound boring, but on the contrary, coloring can open doors you never expected. Coloring uses hand and eye coordination, requires concentration, planning and creativity, provides new information, can be calming and provides a way to connect to younger generations.

My first adult coloring book I purchased was titled "Mandalas of the World-A Meditating and Painting Guide" by Rudiger Dahlke. This book provided history, several copies of designs, and a good variety of opportunities to play with color contrasts and blends. Because of the nature of the book, I found myself relaxing under the spell of meditative designs. I also learned a great deal about the various shades of colors and can use a good variety of color names when referring to objects. Names like mustard, lemon, cream can add visual appeal and variety to your vocabulary.

Later, I found "The Biology Coloring Book" by Robert D. Griffin, who walks you through various topics in Biology including genetics, telescopes, how body parts work based on cell chemistry, and the plant-animal kingdoms. In the "Microbiology Coloring Book" by I. Edward Alcamo and Lawrence M. Elson, topics that are covering include microorganisms and their affect on humans, disease, disease treatment and the various means of working with microorganisms include genetic engineering and water waste treatment. In the "Marine Biology Coloring Book" by Thomas M. Niesen, you learn about the various ecosystems in the ocean and learn about many of the animals that populate these ecosystems, the role of bioluminescence, reproduction methods symbiosis and competition and feeding as well as many of the species that interact with the oceans. Written by professors of these sciences, they contain a great deal of information. They also provide illustrations that show what goes on during processes so you can visualize results without having to own a microscope. Coloring the pages of these books are a great way to remember the lessons you've learned. Many of us learned to highlight text in college as a way to remember important ideas and these texts make use of that same technique to highlight important points to remember..

A good place to find adult coloring books is Mindgames.com. It sells coloring books with a variety of information, styles, and costs are reasonable-mazes, shells, and the bible. Audubon also sells coloring book field guides that can teach many of the birds. They make great gifts and are useful to have when children visit. In fact, coloring with a grandchild or neighbor's child can provide a great way to stay in contact with the younger generations and in turn, teach them about a subject that interests you.

Published by Sheri Fresonke Harper

Sheri works as a freelance writer, novelist and poet. She worked in the aviation industry at the Port of Seattle and Boeing Company for 20 years as a systems analyst/architect where she edited and wrote over... View profile

Do Coloring Books Make Senior Citizens Brainier?

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