Contrast:
degree of difference between the lightest and darkest parts of a picture
The BUZZ Box word is CONTRAST.
When we are born, our eyes and sense of sight take time to develop. During this time of development, the images that are easiest for our vision to see are high CONTRAST images, or images that are black or white. When our eyes don’t have to work so hard, there can be a calming effect to viewing things that are high CONTRAST.
At Buzzword, we know that our friends of all ages can have fun exploring the values of black and white, light and dark, bright and shadow.
Where else do you find things that CONTRAST?
CONTRAST Activity Book
Buzzword designed this activity book to inspire families to keep learning together. Buzzword chose activities that build on your child’s natural curiosity, encouraging a growing vocabulary and a deeper engagement with books. First, read through Hello, World!, written by Amelia Hepworth, with your child. Then, go through the different activities, experiments, and ideas together, taking time to explain the meaning of the words and connecting them to your child’s real-life experiences.
CONTRAST Book Lists
Personalized recommendations just for you from Buzzword and Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh!
The Buzzword collaborative develops a supporting list of books that captures the feeling and meaning of that box’s Buzzword. With so many fun, educational books out there, it’s hard to include them all in one box.
Here are a few books on CONTRAST that you can find online or at your local library:
Hello World!
by Amelia Hepworth
Night Owl
by Toni Yuly
Apple
by Nikki McClure
Up Cat, Down Cat
by Steve Light
One Sky
by Aaron Becker
Flashlight
by Lizi Boyd
High CONTRAST board books provide images that have a high degree of difference between the lightest and darkest objects, such as a black silhouette of a cat on a white page. This makes it easier for a baby to focus on a shape or pattern, so that they can become familiar with the image. By the time a child is one year of age, their vision is typically fully developed.
Here are some CLP “CONTRAST favorites” to help support this important learning.
CONTRAST BUZZ Box Video
Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre’s Dance the Story: Hello World!, led by Kerra Alexander and accompanied by Dave O’Brien!
There is CONTRAST all around us. From the difference between light and dark colors to exploring our own shadows at night, there are many opportunities for us to find CONTRAST in our worlds. Using movement can also help you to explore the idea of CONTRAST.
Check out the following video from Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre about CONTRASTing dance moves!