September 14, 2009

Social Graces - Talking Crayons... and the more silent kind

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I went to pick up Little Page from school on Friday and chatted with the other moms while we waited for The Doors to open. As we talked, we came to realize that each of us had asked our child who they played with at school and each of our children answered "by myself." We had all convinced ourselves that our kid was anti-social and friendless! While those fears turned out to be unfounded, school provides plenty of opportunities for sticky social situations. This week we'll look at books that deal with some of these issues.

The Book - The Crayon Box that Talked by Shane Derolf and Michael Letzig

This book isn't going to win any awards. The illustrations are average and the rhyming is horribly cheesy... but your kid is probably going to love it.

The story is simple. The crayons in a box can't get along with each other. Red doesn't like blue and blue doesn't like green. One day a little girl pours them all out where they can see each other and the sheet of paper she plans to draw on. They watch intrigued, as she picks up each in its turn and adds it to the drawing. In the end they see how beautiful the picture becomes because of its many colors.

It's a nice little story to use with your child to discuss diversity and appreciating the differences in others!

The Craft - Monogram Crayons

This activity is so simple, but you do need to have the right tools. I bought these trays for my sister's birthday and, of course, for myself! The letter molds let you bake or freeze anything into the shapes of capital letters. I used them to create these adorable letter crayons.


Wouldn't these make great party favors? I created these two as a special treat for Little Page and her best friend on their first day of school.

What you'll need...
  1. 2 crayons per letter
  2. letter molds
  3. ribbon
Choose two crayons for each letter and strip off the paper. I used extra crayons we had from a local restaurant. Chop the crayons into small pieces and push into the mold. Bake at 200 degrees for as long as it takes to melt. Keep an eye on it, so the colors don't completely melt together. Allow to cool and then pop from the molds! Tie on a ribbon and you're done - darling crayons your kids will love.

I'm joining A Soft Place to Land's DIY Thursday! Come join the fun!

9 comments:

  1. I used to read that book to my 1st graders during the first week of school! Your analysis was right-on!!

    Cute crayon letters!!! Where'd you get the letter trays? I'm thinking Christmas and birthday presents!! (to make a set spelling the kid's name?!)

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  2. So, so cute. Love this idea. (And I love the book.)

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  3. Love it! I have to get one of the molds...it looks like a great Christmas idea!

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  4. super cute!!

    I host a Goodwill party every Wednesday, stop by!

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  5. What an adorable idea!! So cute!!

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  6. What a cute idea. I'll have to stash that one in the back of my mind...

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  7. What a unique idea. I can't wait to try this. Just have to track down an alphabet mold.

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  8. I'm definitely going to do this, will have to see what funky shaped silicone trays I can get here :)
    Jacqueline
    http://www.twitter.com/beijingwithkids

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