ST. GEORGE — Canyon Media, St. George News and various community partners have released another fun, stress-relieving coloring book just in time for Christmas. Featuring holiday and winter-themed illustrations, “Color the Desert” offers engaging activities that parents and kids can enjoy together.
In a day and age when it’s easy for young people to spend hours in front of a screen watching TV, playing video games or scrolling social media, Canyon Media general manager Ben Lindquist hopes “Color the Desert” will foster creativity and unite families. And this year, Canyon Media has partnered with the Washington County School District to distribute the coloring book to thousands of students ahead of Christmas break.
“We’re pretty excited about that,” Lindquist said. “I think every parent would say their kids spend a lot of time in front of a screen. But if you give them something else to do and let them stretch their mind with something cool like this, they’ll have just as much fun and be just as entertained. That’s why we keep doing it.”
Canyon Media has printed 10,000 copies of “Color the Desert” this time around, most of which have already been distributed to Washington County students in kindergarten through third grade. The coloring book is also available to pick up at Canyon Media’s offices, located at 3143 S. 840 East, Suite 100, in St. George.
“We’re thrilled to partner with businesses in our community to distribute this for free,” Lindquist said. “Our mission as a company is to be here for the community in whatever ways we can find to interact and connect, and we feel like this checks a lot of those boxes. It’s fun for our team, too.”
This year’s holiday edition of “Color the Desert” was inspired by the local area and all the unique ways Southern Utahns celebrate the season. The pages within follow the theme of a desert Christmas – not much snow, but a whole lot of wintertime fun.
“It’s a lot of fun for us to be able to participate,” said Geoffrey Leach, general manager of Dairy Farmers of America, one of the book’s sponsors. “I think kids are going to love looking through the pages, enjoying the activities and at the same time, learning more about what’s in their local community.”
The book contains a variety of coloring styles as well as activity pages offering extra challenges. Designs range in difficulty from easy to advanced, so kids and grown-ups alike can enjoy exploring their creativity.
Research shows that the activity of coloring holds therapeutic benefits for both children and adults, leading to a rise in the popularity of coloring books for all ages in recent years. Some people have integrated coloring into their mindfulness and meditation routines as a way to relax.
And the best part? There’s no right way or wrong way to color. You don’t have to be an artist by any means – just grab some pencils or crayons and let your imagination flow.
“As a team of creatives and designers, we all got our start drawing, coloring and doodling whenever we could,” said James Kreitzer, creative director and director of digital media for Canyon Media. “Sometimes, coloring materials and books can be hard to come by. So during the holiday season, we love to be able to create a free coloring book for everyone.”
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