Send them off to school in style, with everything they need to make the grade. Check with your local school for exact quantities. In our county the quantities differ quite a bit depending on the school.
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.
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.
World Watercolor Month is observed annually in July.
Watercolor (watercolour, aquarelle) is a beautiful medium that has captivated people around the globe for centuries. Today, artists are producing amazing paintings each day, and sketchers have popularized the medium as a wonderful way to add life and color to drawings of the world around them.
World Watercolor Month is a celebration to inspire people to paint with watercolor while raising awareness for the importance of art and creativity in the world. Anyone can join the celebration from master watercolorists to people just starting out! Simply tag your watercolor art with #WorldWatercolorMonth and share it for the world to see! This celebration is also a benefit for The Dreaming Zebra Foundation! You can also join in celebrating by donating watercolor supplies to support underprivileged young artists worldwide! With your help, we can provide much-needed support for kids in need. Visit www.worldwatercolor.com to learn more!
Charlie O’Shields, the creator of Doodlewash®, is the founder of World Watercolor Month. His own love of the medium led to the creation of a blog and social artist movement dedicated to promoting and connecting the vast community of watercolor artists all over the world. The blog has featured hundreds of artists sketching and painting with watercolor on all seven continents. According to Charlie, “There’s something magical about watercolor, and it’s my passion to bring all types of watercolor artists together to celebrate each other’s work and the medium we all love!”
Take the Ultimate Challenge: Make 31 Watercolor Paintings in 31 Days!
Haven’t tried watercolor before? Give it try for the first time this month!
It’s even more fun to paint with friends, so plan a picnic or sketch walk in your local city and paint outside together.
Have your kids try watercolor painting (and paint with them, of course!)
Support a watercolor artist you enjoy by purchasing one of their beautiful pieces or products for your home.
Share the watercolor work of other artists you love.
Commit to making a watercolor painting or sketch each day during the month (or whenever you can join), and share your work with #WorldWatercolorMonth when posting your art! (and use the hashtag to view the work of other watercolor artists around the world!)
Each year, on March 31st children and adults alike, pick up their favorite colors for National Crayon Day. Opening up a box of crayons opens up a world of imagination and hours of fun.
Wax and chalk-based crayons have been used by artists around the world for centuries. Edwin Binney created the brightly colored crayons we are familiar with today. He was part owner of Binney & Smith, a company that produced products such as paint, pigments and slate pencils for schools.
In 1903, Binney & Smith created the Crayola Division and produced colored wax crayons for children for the first time. Then in 1904, they presented their An-Du-Septic chalk at the Colombian Exposition in St. Louis winning a gold medal. The chalk was designed to be dustless at many teachers’ requests and was an immediate success.
Get out your crayons and color away! Display your creations on the refrigerator where all can see. Adults can relax with a coloring book too. Use #NationalCrayonDay to share on social media.
![Crayola Crayon Tub - 120 Colors (240ct), Bulk Crayon Set for Classrooms, Kids Coloring & Art Supplies, Easter Gift for Kids [Amazon Exclusive]#NationalCrayonDay](https://jensperspectiveblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/61lqpapga9l7920656854266377764.jpg?w=150)
