How many times have you gone out to eat and as they seat you and your family they place a placemat (coloring page) which has a kids menu on it with a box of crayons for the children in your party? I know for our family that happens often when eating out. Each time I've noticed that once we leave the table and it is being cleared that the crayons are thrown away - as if they have been 'used' so could not be utilized again. As you know typically they come in a box, so maybe its just easier for the hostess to pick up a box rather than a few crayons that have been unboxed? I don't know? Well, for those restaurants that toss the crayons I have started taking them with me after dinner. Now, if the restaurant 'recylces' the crayons and uses them over again then I definitely leave them for the next party. It's been over 2 years I've been rescuing those crayons and you'd be surprised how many crayons we now have! A whole (small) bucket full of them. Granted there are only 4 basic colors, however my 3 year old doesn't mind. I feel that if I were not to save/take them then they'd end up in the dumpster. So the next time you are out dining and you notice that the crayons are not recycled - think about how you can help out. I don't know maybe that is odd of me, but hey I appreciate crayons. Does anyone else out there do the same? It's my small act in being 'green'.
LisaMommy is a discussion leader in Paradise Valley/Scottsdale area for arizonamoms.com. Her two boys are ages 5 months and 3 years old.
This article cracked me up.
This article cracked me up. I too have been collecting the crayons - even before my daughter started using them. She is 17 months and i have never purchased 1 crayon for her, but we color everyday.
My husband thinks i am silly and says "we can afford to buy our daughter crayons". I know this, but if the crayons are just going to get tossed in the trash, why not take them home with us? I too have a small bucket saved up and i take a few out at a time and we color.
just~me
If the crayons make it
If the crayons make it through dinner without being dropped and crushed, borken and now my one year old will either bite them or put them in his drink, I do take them home as well. We do have quite a collection also.
That is great. I will admit
That is great. I will admit I use to take them a lot more, but one time, in the summer, I forgot them. Ick - melted crayons in the car. Not a good thing. I now carry color pencils for this reason.
I saw an art project where you can take pieces of crayon and put them in cupcakes pans. Different shapes the better - the cupcake shapes that is. You then put it in the oven on a low temp and they melt together to create the shape of the container. If you use different colors it is like having them all in one handful.
KarilouMomof2 is a discussion leader for arizonamoms.com living in Tempe. Her daughters are 9 and 6.
I've done this before too -
I've done this before too - but try adding broken crayons to a plastic cup and leaving it outside in the sunshine when the weather is over 100 degrees. Voila! The crayons melt in the cup. After your lump of melted crayons is cool, pop it out. It makes a wonderful mixed-color crayon to use. When my kids were younger they loved to make their own crayons this way.
Lattemom is the mother of three energetic kids ages 6, 8 & 11 and a discussion leader for arizonamoms.com.
I do the same thing. Reduce,
I do the same thing.
Reduce, REUSE, Recycle!
I hate to throw anything
I hate to throw anything away, but I never thought until I read this to bring these crayons home with me. I figured they were thrown away, but I just don't know why I haven't thought to reuse them.
Of course they are still in great condition and they are going into the trash.
Thanks for reminding us to reuse these. I have a small storage box of crayons, but it don't hurt to keep adding for the future. I can't wait to melt some into a cup to create a huge crayon of multiple colors.
Thanks moms!!!
One Happy Mom in Arizona.
We save them too. I keep
We save them too. I keep some stashed in my purse (in the little zip pocket) and pull them out to give to the poor kid who has to sit with his Mom in the OB/any kind of office - I'll tell him to ask the receptionist for some paper and he no longer has to twiddle his thumbs. Or for my kids when I have to bring them to the OB/anykind of office.
I take the crayons home too!
I take the crayons home too! Another crafty idea (that I haven't done yet), is to "shave" the crayon with a scissors (of course Mommy has to do that part) and melt the shavings between 2 pieces of waxed paper using a slightly warm iron. The shavings melt in pretty patterns = lots of fun!
Hobbymommy, 38, is a discussion leader from Mesa. She is a happy stay-at-home mommy to a 3-year-old daughter and a 1-year-old son.
I'm just impressed that you
I'm just impressed that you keep crayons around at all. They end up on our wall and car, so, no crayons for us. I guess we are the ultimate in "reduce"
Brooke Romney is an unbalanced mom of three young boys who constantly has too much to do, and too little time. She writes the Mom Beat column for The Gilbert Republic.
I often find those
I often find those restaurant crayons in my son's pockets - after they've been through the dryer. I think it's great that you grab them because you're right, I've seen plenty go into the trash. From now on, I'll tuck them into my purse. That way, they won't get wasted - and they won't wind up in the wash!
Karina Bland is raising her 9-year-old son in Tempe with a lot of love, humor and support from her friends and family. A longtime journalist covering child welfare and education issues for The Arizona Republic, she blogs about raising good kids.
I take them too. I keep a
I take them too. I keep a small stash in my bag for trips to the doctor or restaurants that don't give them out. We also break them up for projectsf. This valentines day we made heart shaped crayons out of them and gave them as valentines to my son's friends! Creative and FREE!