TGSG Note: It should come as no surprise to anyone that I am nuts about crayons. If I had to pick one toy that brought me the most joy throughout childhood, it was my box of 64 crayons (with the sharpener, of course!). So, I was thrilled when my friend (and Mystery Critter devotee), Lon S. Cohen wrote this guest post. So, sit back and enjoy. And, if you like, let us know what your favorite color crayon was as a kid!
PS: I totally still have a box of 64 crayons on my desk. Some things never change. And I have dibs on Orange-Yellow!
See ya outside! ~ The Grass Stain Guru
What’s the first thing a kid learns to draw with? A crayon. You may think crayons are the mundane stuff of childhood picture projects or the appliqué of refrigerator faire, but they are much more than that. They are the stuff your imagination was first made of. The humble crayon is the most joyful instrument of a child’s mind. It’s blunt enough so as to not require great skill to master yet subtle enough to produce a masterpiece.
There’s a distinctive waxy smell to an old box of crayon. You know what they look like instantly. Either an old shoe box or one of those newer plastic cases, the insides stained with bits and streaks of pigment, paper rolls and colorful little nubs. The smell that escapes is filled with both old memories and new dreams. It’s said to be one of the most distinctively recognizable scents for adults. No wonder. Crayons could smell like old socks and one whiff would still fill me with nostalgia.
The crayon, more than anything else, for me is childhood. Few things represent better how I spend many of my days than sitting at the table or lying on the floor, a blank pad or coloring book splayed out in front of me and the blankness calling to be filled in. There was always renewed hope that this time I’d be able to stay inside all the lines. But that’s not always the best way. At times going outside the lines was exactly what was needed.
There is a certain happiness that comes from coloring with crayons. You’ve done it. Sat side-by-side with your child and attempted to recapture the spirit you once had. Perhaps even getting so immersed in making just one more perfectly colored page you forget that you’re the parent, grabbing at colors you just need to have for one part of the picture or another. But that’s the thing; it can wait. You can color around a green tree or yellow flower or blue sea and come back to it later.
We learn while sharing that old box of used crayons that sometimes there aren’t enough colors to go around. Sometimes you just have to wait until someone else is done with the color you want. So either you sit patiently or move on to something else in the meanwhile trying to stay constructive while completing the task of filling in all the shapes. It’s not easy to color a picture in a book. There are more questions that you realize. Do I color the outside to the edges? It the sun yellow, white or orange? Can a boat be blue? The lines don’t make it clear to me if I should stop here and start again there.
These are the simple challenges we face with a box of crayons and a new coloring book. Remember how that felt? The newness of a perfectly sharpened jumbo-sized box of crayons? All the colors lined up, the wrappers tight and clean, not torn but perfectly cut straight at the tip. Capture that feeling. Use it in the world around you and remember to encourage your children to take a break from the distraction for a little quiet time with a box of crayons. It’s time very well spent.
Guest Blogger Bio: A frog-catching dad and amateur backyard detective, Lon S. Cohen is a freelance writer from New York. You can follow him on Twitter @obilon.
RT @balmeras The Mighty Crayon http://bit.ly/4A2MdZ
NEW post @ The Grass Stain Guru from @obilon: http://bit.ly/OOyiQ The Mighty Crayon
RT @balmeras: NEW post @ The Grass Stain Guru from @obilon: http://bit.ly/OOyiQ The Mighty Crayon
So excited @balmeras for my guest post today on Grass Stained Guru. Thanks! http://bit.ly/OOyiQ The Mighty Crayon
@obilon Thanks, Lon. Really excited 2 have U guest on The Grass Stain Guru! Love UR post, The Mighty Crayon http://bit.ly/OOyiQ
RT @obilon: So excited @balmeras for my guest post today on Grass Stained Guru. Thanks! http://bit.ly/OOyiQ The Mighty Crayon [great post!]
Crayons smell of art and fun. Fact.
My Mother, who is in her 60s, still asks for and gets a colouring book and a box of crayons for Christmas every year. She loves to colour in the pictures and makes a point of never using the correct colours.
There are books full of green cows with blue spots and various coloured fruit and veg. She drives the young uns mad :0)
I get my good looks and insanity from her.
Mr Uku´s last blog ..Writer’s block is just laziness – Discuss
OMG, Uke, I LOVE your mum!!! She sounds like a girl after my own crazy heart!
Bethe
rt @balmeras NEW post @ The Grass Stain Guru from @obilon: http://bit.ly/OOyiQ The Mighty Crayon
RT @balmeras NEW post @ The Grass Stain Guru from @obilon: http://bit.ly/OOyiQ The Mighty Crayon
RT @MyGreenSide: RT @balmeras NEW post @ The Grass Stain Guru from @obilon: http://bit.ly/OOyiQ The Mighty Crayon
@MyGreenSide @FriedaBabbley Thanks for coloring outside the lines w/ me! http://bit.ly/OOyiQ T
RT @balmeras The Mighty Crayon http://bit.ly/4A2MdZ – guest post by @obilon – does the smell of crayons bring back memories?
RT @balmeras The Mighty Crayon http://bit.ly/4A2MdZ – guest post by @obilon – does the smell of crayons bring back memories?
RT @balmeras The Mighty Crayon http://bit.ly/4A2MdZ
RT @balmeras The Mighty Crayon http://bit.ly/4A2MdZ
What was your fave color crayon as a kid? Leave a comment on today's post: http://bit.ly/4A2MdZ The Mighty Crayon #play #ece
Rt @balmeras What was your fave color crayon as a kid? Leave a comment on today's post: http://bit.ly/4A2MdZ The Mighty Crayon #play #ece
RE @balmeras What was your fave color crayon as a kid? Leave a comment on today's post: http://bit.ly/4A2MdZ //Awesome!
My guest post on The Grass Stained Guru Blog. "The Mighty Crayon" http://bit.ly/4A2MdZ
RT @balmeras The Mighty Crayon http://bit.ly/4A2MdZ
Wonderful! RT @obilon My guest post on The Grass Stained Guru Blog. "The Mighty Crayon" http://bit.ly/4A2MdZ
This post had me at the awesome photo: The Mighty Crayon by @obilon http://bit.ly/4A2MdZ (vi @MyGreenSide)
Periwinkle was, is, will always be my favorite crayon. What a beautiful article! Thank you:)
In truth, I am still a big coloring nut. There’s no better way to relax, or to get a roomful of kids to relax (a great thing to have in my toolbelt!).
I have always loved cerulean. I love blue, but I love the funny word for blue even more!
Both good picks!! It’s hard to go wrong with crayon colors.
)
Loving all the comments & colors folks are picking on today's post: http://bit.ly/4A2MdZ The Mighty Crayon.
)
RT @balmeras: What was your fave color crayon as a kid? Leave a comment on today's post: http://bit.ly/4A2MdZ The Mighty Crayon
Who could choose a color? May as well ask which is the best color in the rainbow. The beauty of a box of crayons for me is in the interplay of colors. They’re like paint swatches, boxes of colored pencils, and trays of paint. They’re there to inspire, to let the imagination soar, and to just look at. It goes without saying that crayons could stay whole on my shelf – I’d rather look at them than use them. But maybe that’s because I prefer pencils.
Life is about variety and differences. You use the crayons and I’ll use the paints and pencils. Together we will create something wonderful.
Alison Kerr´s last blog ..Favorite Backyard Critters Contest
Wonderful article! I love the smell of crayons and still use them all the time even before I had children. My favorite color is purple so I’m partial to all the purples… violet, blue violet, the aforementioned periwinkle, lavender… and pinks, and greens, and oranges, and yellows, and blues, and reds. OK, I love them all! My Mom used to carefully melt the little broken bits together to make a writing instrument of many colors.
I encourage creativity so we have no shortage of art supplies at home. Lots of tools and no rules!
Thanks for bringing back some fond memories!
Wendy´s last blog ..WDAY Green Tip #18 – Leaf Litter
The color name I remember the most was “burnt umber” – not sure why that stuck with me…and I couldn’t tell you what it actually looks like (maybe a yellow/orangey/brown mix?).
But the smell and feel of the crayons…especially CRAYOLA crayons (they just work better!) is distinct. I’m partial to sharp NEW crayons…the stubby ones, even sharpened just aren’t the same.
What about that old “rough” paper wrapping on each crayon? And the smell of melting the crayon bits between wax paper with an iron or melty drawings on wax paper on a warming tray?
I am sniffing my box right now!! It really is a one of a kind smell, and always makes me smile. Used to love to make the wax paper art, Susan! We would use crayon shavings and fall leaves. Beautiful!
For the night folks: My guest post on The Grass Stained Guru Blog. "The Mighty Crayon" http://bit.ly/4A2MdZ
There’s something to be said for coloring outside the lines!
RT @balmeras The Mighty Crayon http://bit.ly/4A2MdZ
Talking 'bout The Mighty Crayon over at @balmeras ' place. http://bit.ly/2Njspd #creativity
RT @VickiEhlers Talking 'bout The Mighty Crayon over at @balmeras ' place. http://bit.ly/2Njspd #creati
RT @activekidsclub: RT @VickiEhlers Talking 'bout The Mighty Crayon over at @balmeras ' place. http://bit.ly/2Njspd #creative #play