Preparing for the return to school, National Crayon Collection Month in August makes a point of ensuring every child has this essential school supply.

Those gently used, but discarded restaurant crayons are the focus of Crayon Collection, a 501c3 non-profit organization dedicated to redirecting mountains of much-needed crayons from landfills to schools. National Crayon Collection Month draws awareness to the environmental and social impact of throwing crayons away while students across the country go without crucial classroom supplies.

Throughout the month, families and teachers are encouraged to ask managers of kid-friendly restaurants to save their discarded crayons.  At the end of the campaign, they can return to the restaurant, collect the restaurant’s saved crayons and donate them to their local schools. Bringing all those simple but brightly colored art tools to classrooms will free up teacher resources and place them into the hands of children who might have gone without.

Our goal is for every child in America to have the crayons they need in time for the start of school. With the help of kid-friendly restaurants we can reallocate resources so that instead of trashing this like-new art supply, we can collect them for children to learn and expand their imaginations with. ~Sheila Michail Morovati – Founder Crayon Collection

Crayons don’t decompose, but in the hands of young, supple minds, they foster visual learning, creativity, and academic achievement. Annually, over 150 million restaurant crayons given to young diners eventually end up in landfills. End to end, those crayons could span the contiguous United States 3 times or scale the Empire State Building 30,175 times. Wouldn’t those barely used crayons better serve the nearly 16 million children who live in poverty and are unable to afford even this simple tool of expression?  By collecting and redistributing crayons, our teachers can put some of the almost $900 of their own money they spend preparing their classrooms each fall, back into their pockets. Districts across the country continue to cut art funding despite the research supporting the positive impacts it has on scholastic performance. Putting art back in the classroom and giving students an environment for creativity cultivates curiosity and promotes learning.

Explore More…

• National Watercolor Month
• National Color Day
• National Pink Day
• National Crayon Day
• National Crayon Collection Month
• National Coloring Book Day
• National Find A Rainbow Day

HOW TO OBSERVE

Ask the question of your local restaurants. “Will you save crayons?” Be sure to make a commitment, too.  Collect the crayons from the restaurant at the end of the month and donate them to your schools. Teachers can participate in the Crayon Collection Curriculum to bring more art into your classroom. Share photos of your collections and art by using #GotCrayons on social media to encourage others to participate and to show how simply you can gain access to thousands of crayons. Want to learn more? Visit Crayon Collection and find out more about how to participate in National Crayon Collection Month.

Kid Friendly Restaurants

• IHOP                                          
• Denny’s
• Applebees                                  
• BJ’s
• Cracker Barrel                            
• Olive Garden
• California Pizza Kitchen            
• Outback
• Island’s Restaurants      
• Buffalo Wild Wings
• Bubba Gump