kinder weaving and learning
making patterns
strengthening
knotting
stretching
pulling
fine motor work
color blending
open-ended
each person giving something
one dancing ballet as others wove
collaborating to create something new
feeling the value and joy of public art.
—
“in the tapestry of life, we’re all connected.
each one of us is a gift to those around us helping each other be who we are,
weaving a perfect picture together.”
-anita mooriani
the kinder have been exploring the world of clay and water
seeing the more they have it in their hands
the warmer and softer it gets
the easier it is to create things
everything is possible.
one of them even took
this wonderful picture of his clay.
—
“i thought clay must feel happy in the good potter’s hand.”
-janet fitch
i have never seen a better radioactive spider in my life.
—
“everything you can imagine is real”
-pablo picasso
even though
it’s mid-april
and the skies
delivered snow today
i thought back to a few days ago
when just like today
i had my sandals on
and came upon
a mother and child
in the sun
taking time
to create art
with simple and happy words
‘have a nice day’
for anyone in the neighborhood
who may come by
needing this message.
—
“this time, like all times, is a very good one, if we but know what to do with it.”
-ralph waldo emerson
National Crayon Day on March 31 sparks fond memories of childhood creations in full color as we celebrate one of America’s most beloved toys, the crayon! Crayons delight our senses not just with their brilliant colors but also with their distinct smell, the feel of them in our hands, and for some kids, the waxy taste. With over 12 million crayons made daily, one is never far from reach. So, grab your box of 64 crayons, sharpener included, and get ready for some artistic expression and nostalgia.
Crayons have a colorful history. While hued wax molds have existed for centuries, the modern-day crayon got its start in the 1900s. Crayola crayons were introduced in 1903 by Binney & Smith as a safer and cheaper alternative to the art utensils in use at that time. Binney & Smith premiered their famous eight-pack of crayons with the color line-up: Black, Brown, Orange, Violet, Blue, Green, Red, and Yellow. This color mix, along with their names, remained unchanged for 45 years. Since then, many colors have been added, color names and packaging have changed, and color styles such as neon, metallics, and glitter have emerged. A few colors have even been retired from the color wheel, typically on March 31.
The Crayola crayon has a special place in the hearts of Americans and Americana. It was one of the original inductees into the National Toy Hall of Fame in November 1999. It is estimated the average American will have used 730 crayons by their 10th birthday. Even Mr. Rogers has had his hand in the history of crayons by molding the official 100 billionth crayon in February 1996 at the Crayola plant in Easton. Crayons not only add color to our lives, but they’ve also been held as an analogy for the colorfulness of the human race and our ability to live together in a diverse world. Crayons have been used for creating artwork for years.
Originally used for industrial purposes, their popularity soared when the brand Crayola was introduced. Crayons are used as a medium for creating artwork by children in schools mostly, but is also popular among adults who use it for creating contemporary art. Many households have a box of crayons stashed away somewhere, and today is the day it is pulled out. Everyone can enjoy crayons for creating vivid drawings.
BY THE NUMBERS
100 – the number of colors Crayola crayons are available in.
50 – the number of crayon colors retired by Crayola.
3 billion – the number of crayons produced by Crayola in a year.
18th – the ranking in terms of how familiar the crayon scent is to adults.
1962 – the year when Crayola changed the name of their crayon ‘Flesh’ to ‘Peach.’
15 feet – the length of the world’s biggest crayon.
223 billion – the number of Crayola crayons produced to date.
730 – the number of crayons used by the average kid by the age of 10.
—
“we could learn a lot from crayons; some are sharp, some are pretty, some are dull, while others bright, some have weird names, but they all have learned to live together in the same box.”
-Robert Fulghum, american author
—
credits: national days
when someone in our class
got injured while playing outside
the kinder quickly sprang into action
creating art and cards for their friend
23 pieces of art from 14 children
given to her to know she was cared about
a quiet smile was her gift back to them.
—
“making art is like giving a gift: evidence of your spirit and that you are here.”
– paddy mitchell
not my trout, but an artist who creates in my style
—
a few or five decades back
in my elementary school years
i undertook a project that i loved
an end-of-the-year
comprehensive non-fiction report
covering a wide swath of the animal kingdom
involving research, factual write-ups, and illustrations.
i worked on this tirelessly
gleaning material
from the only source i used for everything
our set of encyclopedias
(no google to be found)
all was going well
until i came to the rainbow trout
with no illustration provided
i used my imagination
creating my own vision
of what a rainbow trout might look like
a beautiful striped fish
with every color of the rainbow
spanning across its shiny and scaly skin
at last
the final piece in my big report complete
rechecked everything
put it all in my new yellow folder
decorated the cover
proudly turning it in
waiting for my teacher’s response
she perused our reports
while we had silent reading time
then called me up to her desk
with the hugest of smiles on her face
my report open to the rainbow trout page
telling me that she was going to give me an a+
she said she could see
i was truly a creative
even more than a scientist
that both were good things to be
and she was right.
“the fish was a twelve inch rainbow trout with a huge hump on its back – a hunchback trout.”
-richard brautigan
the kinder create with loose parts
dressed all in yellow.
clearly in their yellow period.
—
“yellow is the color which is closest to light.
we associate the rays of the sun and the stars with it.
it is the radiance of the spirit.”
– ueli seiler-hugova
one of the kinder drew this portrait of me in class
and
it is one of my favorite portraits of all time.
—
‘every portrait that is painted with feeling is a portrait of the artist, not of the sitter.”
-oscar wilde
the kinder drummed on paint while listening to music
creating vibrant, splashy, coloring-bursting art
—
“creativity is intelligence having fun.”
– albert einstein
I didn't have my glasses on.... 