National Crayon Day!

By: Debbie Ide, Chief Executive Officer

What is it about a box of fresh crayons that is so intoxicating? Is it that recognizable scent? Is it those finely chiseled points in neat little rows in a rainbow of colors? For me, it was always the creative names, and wondering whose job it was to come up with them. Names like Cerulean, Granny Smith Apple and Dandelion were so much more fun than blue, green, and yellow.

A box of crayons opens a world of imagination and lets everyone be an artist, regardless of age or ability. Folks from 2 to 102 can find hours of enjoyment with little more than paper and a box of crayons to color, sketch, design, draw and dream. Maybe that’s why Crayola makes 3 billion crayons per year!

In honor of National Crayon Day, here are a few ideas you could try:

• Roll out some butcher paper on a table and go to town! Literally—draw a town, with buildings, roads, shops, trees, etc. and color it in.
• Have your kids create some original artwork to frame.
• Melt old or broken crayons to create new ones! They even have silicone molds you can get for doing just this, and you can even use fun shapes like hearts or diamonds.
• Iron crayon shavings between wax paper to create colorful window catchers.
• Check out Pinterest for hundreds of “crayon craft ideas” so you never hear “I’m bored” again!

My son is older now and doesn’t color as much as when he was younger. However, two of his favorite books, that we read again and again, are about crayons. These books are written from the perspective of the crayons and are hilarious—I highly recommend them!

The Day the Crayons Quit is told in the voice of various crayons that are frustrated by their workload. Blue is exhausted from having to color all the rivers, lakes, oceans and blue skies, and Brown wishes his owner would just stick to puppies and ponies and candy bars, and not poop (cue the giggles). Each crayon thinks they work harder than the others, but in the end, the owner shows them that working together they create something beautiful.

The Day the Crayons Come Home chronicles the journey of all the lost, broken or forgotten crayons. Like Maroon crayon who complains he’s only used to color scabs or Burnt Sienna who got chewed up by a dog, and Pea Green who wishes to change his name to Esteban the Magnificent, because, let’s face it, nobody likes peas. It’s a wildly inventive story that is highly enjoyable!

Last updated by khogan at March 31, 2023.