Crayon Day - March 31
Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet.
These are the colours of a rainbow. And they are also some of the colours commonly found in a box of crayons. So go and grab yourselves a box of waxy colours and celebrate Crayon Day on March 31!
Crayons in Picture Books
Authors and illustrators have been celebrating crayons for years, especially in picture books. Here are a few of our favourites including some old and new classics with stories of crayons who are always colourful, sometimes heroic, and true to their wonderful selves.
Pete the Cat: Crayons Rock! by Kimberly Dean and James Dean (ages 4-6)
Monsters Love Colors by Mike Austin (ages 3-6)
Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson (ages 3-5)
The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt; illustrated by Oliver Jeffers (ages 5-8)
The Day the Crayons Came Home by Drew Daywalt; illustrated by Oliver Jeffers (ages 5-8)
How the Crayons Saved the School by Monica Sweeney; illustrated by Wendy Leach (ages 4-7)
Gurple and Preen by Linda Sue Park; illustrated by Debbie Ridpath Ohi (ages 4-7)
The Crayon Box That Talked by Shane DeRolf; illustrated by Michael Letzig (ages 3-5)
Red: A Crayon's Story by Michael Hall (ages 4-8)
Crayons Create Art... and Science!
Another wonderful way to celebrate Crayon Day is to use your crayons to create some wonderful works of art.
Crayons are a great thing for colouring sheets, of course! Check out our colouring pages featuring Ontario history. And of course they can be used to draw and colour your own pictures, too. But did you know that there are so many more ways to make art using crayons?
Instead of just drawing with the tip, you could take off the wrapper and roll the whole crayon down your paper. Or, if you are old enough to use scissors on your own, you could carefully shave off some of the crayon wax. Then you can press the shavings onto paper and create cool designs. Some art is even made by melting bits of broken crayon with a hairdryer or between two pieces of wax paper - but kids should always get a grown-up to help them with this type of art project.
And the uses for broken crayons don't stop there (just ask illustrator Debbie Ridpath Ohi!). They can also be used to make your own "mega-crayons" or a crafty science project.
Cool Crayons, Chalks & Paints by Rebecca Felix (ages 8-12)
Crayola Fun Science Crafts by Rebecca Felix (ages 8-12)
Crayons are a Wonder
A TPL Kids visitor once wondered "How are crayons made?" on our virtual Wonder Wall and so I answered that question.
If you want to celebrate Crayon Day by learning more about their history, you could read about Edwin Binney, the Crayon Man, and the story of how Crayola crayons were invented.
The Crayon Man: The True Story of the Invention of Crayola Crayons by Natascha Biebow; illustrated by Steven Salerno (ages 8-12)
Of course, Crayola isn't the only company that manufactures crayons, but they are the most famous one. Their website even has a way to help you find your favourite (Crayola) colour.
Which is your favourite crayon? Mine is "Flamingo Pink"! And if you could create your own crayon, what colour would it be and what would you call it? I would make a bright, bold pink one and call it "Fuchsia Flamingo." (...I really like flamingos!)
How will you celebrate Crayon Day? Whatever you and your family do, I'm sure that it will add a lot more colour to the world... and that's always a cause for celebration!
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