SuZan Klassen

This Friday, March 31 is National Crayon Day. Let your inner child out to play. Ahh, the distinctive waxy smell of crayons. Can you smell it? Brings back so many memories.

You know you may be getting older when you start sentences with…When I was a kid…. Here comes one of those sentences.

When I was a kid, I loved to color. Each year when it was time to purchase school supplies, oh how I hoped that I would finally be able to get a large box of crayons. Nope. Year after year, it was always the same.

“Eight crayons are enough,” my mom said. “It has all the basic colors you need. Besides. You know we can’t afford to spend more money.”

“Yes, ma’am.” And I did know. But still.

I remember being so envious of the little girls who came to school with those larger boxes of crayons. “64! You got all those? Lucky!” Then I tried not to stare too longingly at all those colors.

Yes, ladies and gentleman, girls and boys, I had crayon envy.

But you don’t have to envy. Below I’ve listed several ideas to celebrate the day with your kids, grandkids, or all by yourself.

Travel Light Ideas to Celebrate National Crayon Day:

• Buy a box of crayons and color with your children. Or grandkids. Or by yourself.
• Traveling? Color on the Plane. In the car (unless you get nauseated/car sick).
• Crayola website offers free coloring pages and other craft ideas: https://www.crayola.com/featured/free-coloring-pages/ Other coloring pages are available on the web if you choose.

Make Crayon shapes using silicone ice cube trays as crayon molds. Children, you need an adult’s help with this activity. Don’t waste new crayons for this activity. Melt all those leftover broken bits.

1. Preheat oven to 275 degrees.
2. Peel any remaining paper off the crayons and break into tiny pieces.
3. Have children fill each crayon mold with any combination of colors!
4. Bake for 5-8 minutes or until crayons are completely melted.
5. Place the mold on a cookie sheet so the mold doesn’t bend.
6. Carefully remove the mold from the oven and let everything cool completely.
7. For faster cooling, put the cooled mold in the freezer.
8. Flip the mold over to remove the fresh crayons.

Create Crayon Resist Art.  Gather these items:

1. Inexpensive white watercolor paper
2. White Crayons
3. Watercolor Paints and Paintbrushes
4. A small container of clear water
5. Have children use white crayons to draw pictures or letters on paper. Press firmly.
6. Next, brush watercolors of choice over the drawing.

The watercolor will stick to the paper, but will “resist” the white crayon. This is when their designs will magically appear! You don’t have to use white crayons. Experiment with other colors, too.

• Read Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson.
  If you cannot find a copy of the book, here’s a simple synopsis:

One evening Harold decides to go for a walk in the moonlight. Armed only with an oversize purple crayon, young Harold draws himself a landscape full of wonder and excitement. Harold and his trusty crayon travel through woods and across seas and past dragons before returning to bed, safe and sound.

In case you really truly want to read the book and you still cannot find a copy because your library is all checked out and you have not budgeted to buy one more picture book this year. (Whew! Don’t you just love run-on sentences? I’m really truly getting into this kid-type thinking.) Then you could listen to a read aloud available on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yl94zwz8cKU

I’ll bet you, your kids, and/or grandkids can come up with all sorts of things to draw, just like Harold. That’s the beauty of an imagination!

• One last thing to do. Tell me what you came up with in the comments below.

Okay. I think I am done now. But you never know when my inner child may turn up again.

• Oops! One more last thing…
  If you need more humor. Or more humorous stories about children. Check out my ebook or paperback: Grandma Brain. Maybe I’m not channeling my inner child at all. Maybe it’s actually my grandma brain at work.

Until next time . . . Travel Light,
SuZan

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