Coloring vs. Scribbling

Is coloring and scribbling the same? I used to think so. Coloring is when you take care not to cross the lines of the drawing, where scribbling is haphazard. Whenever Caleb is coloring, I will often say "Good job scribbling, Caleb." and Caleb will say "Dad, I'm not scribbling, I'm coloring." Most of the time I say it because I like to see the look on Caleb's face. Caleb is starting to catch on to my teasing humor, though, and even if he is coloring in the lines, he will say, "Yes, Dad, I'm scribbling!"

I do the same thing in my primary class. The kids look at me all sad and say "No, I am coloring" while nodding their heads. I then say, depending on my mood, "Good job coloring" or "Good job scribbling." What can I say, I like to tease. Sometimes, the kids will say if they really are scribbling.

Speaking of which, coloring time is the best part of my primary class. What I have started doing recently is I have each primary kid tell the class about their picture. Usually I give them a theme, to draw a picture of their family doing something fun, or to draw a picture of what tithing pays for. There is this student in my class by the name of James, and without fail, no matter the theme, he always draws a picture of Darth Vader or a Jedi, and tells us how good they are with a lightsaber. I then add, "And that's how Darth Vader pays his tithing, huh?" and James says "Yeah." I gotta say, that James kid really likes Star Wars.