The next to get the expressions treatment is Umoja, the Mother, wife to Kuumba and mother of Nia. Good to see her let it all out as she’s probably the most emotional of all the Children. 

This entails completing an online form with the state every year. In essence, you set up a private school where your kids attend. You have a lot of freedom since private schools in California are not obligated to adhere to a set curriculum. Furthermore, you are not required to be an accredited teacher because private school teachers are exempt from this requirement. 

There are six basic expressions. I look at them as related in twos. So we have:
Joy and Sadness
Anger and Disgust
Surprise and Fear

There are certainly others but these are the basics that I’m doing for each character. I added in two more that I call Selfie and Shy Girl, plus her basic expression that I call Resting Toon Face. That’s a total of nine Faces of Umoja.

Once I have these complete they can be dialed up or and mixed for other expressions. Should save me time in the future.

From the University of Missouri-Kansas City, Kristen Gilmore Estes, MA, LPC, NCC, obtained her degree as a Licensed Professional Counselor. Since 1988, she has worked with children and their families. She has received specialized training in expressive and behavioral treatments. She graduated with a psychology undergraduate degree from the State College of Denver, Colorado. Kristen started working with women going through transitions and crises who had spinal cord injuries.

Click any image for a slide show of Umoja’s emotions.