Today I want to share a product find with you that I think
is pretty fantastic. My mother-in-law,
Tracie, recently brought me a pack of Crayon Rocks thinking I might be able to
use them with my students. I tried the
product, and I was sold.
Crayon Rocks were created by a special needs teacher,
Barbara Lee, after being inspired by occupational therapist Jan Olsen and her
Handwriting Without Tears program. What
makes these crayons great is their shape, which doesn’t allow children to
easily grip them with a closed fist while coloring. The shape of the crayons encourages children
to use their thumb, first and second fingers in a tripod grip which helps
strengthen fine motor development.
Are there any other cool features? Oh yes!
No more broken crayons! And
unlike most crayons, these are made out of U.S.-grown and processed Kosher soy
wax and natural mineral pigments. So
although they’re non-toxic (and the website says you could even eat them, not
that you’d want to), you still MUST supervise a little one, as they take the
shape and size of a choking hazard.
They’re recommended for children 3+, so of course I let my one-year old
daughter draw with them (watching her like a hawk, of course). She absolutely loved creating her work of
art, and I enjoyed watching her practice her little tripod grip when picking
them up.
I’m excited to use these in the classroom with my students
who need to strengthen their fine motor skills. Crayon Rock's website notes that children with cerebral palsy, autism, developmental
delays and various forms of learning disabilities have used and loved them. We’re going to be Rockin’ it with these
crayons in my room this year! Pun
intended.
If you're a lover of crayons and fine motor skills, which should be pretty much all of us, click here to visit their site.
What an awesome thing! Thank you for the great find Ariana! Lack of fine motor skills/ pencil grip is a common problem for young writers in special education. I love that the crayons can build hand muscle in young children before an OT has to step in.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much!
Zach
http://theclassroomtradingpost.blogspot.com/