I am looking at the school supplies list for my oldest to start kindergarten. Some grades specify Crayola crayons. I know that Crayola is more expensive than others. I will buy them as needed...no problem with that. I do wonder what the difference is though...aren't crayons just wax essentially? Why are Crayola crayons better?
Thanks for the insight. I truly never knew that there was a difference in quality. I don't have a problem buying the more expensive crayons if that is what my child needs...I just wondered what the difference was. I don't even mind if the school supplies are pooled together. We are in a better financial position than many in our school district. If I can help a child have things to learn that they might not otherwise have, that makes me feel wonderful!
Oh my gosh, Crayola crayons are SO MUCH BETTER!!!! I never thought about it until my girls had Crayola ones plus several other generic brands. Some of the generic ones barely colored things - the colors were so pale. And some crayons melt easily. But not Crayola. The only ones I've seen that come close are the Melissa and Doug triangular princess crayons Those are really nice too.
Another difference that I noticed is that the generic kind glue their labels on. This means that when you need more crayon, you wont be able to peel the label and sharpen. Also, I love that Crayola has a line of washable crayons and markers....makes cleaning up so easy.
They are wax plus pigment. And pigments are the most expensive part of most art supplies. The cheap brands are more wax and less pigment. There are also waxes with different qualities, some of which transfer more smoothly to paper, and layer better over other colors. Some cheap crayons will barely leave a color on the paper, and won't layer at all.
As an artist, I can tell you that a well-saturated pigment makes a huge difference in the pleasure of drawing, and the child's satisfaction with the results. Spring for the couple of extra bucks for Crayola. Most other brands are insipid weaklings.
I bought Crayola 24 pk crayons yesterday at Office Depot for 25 cents a pack. Watch the ads for grocery stores, drug stores, office supply stores ads over the next few weeks and they will probably be on sale. I have always found the crayola crayons to be brighter. Remember to take pictures on the first day of kindergarten!
If you do get cheap ones, check to see if they say Non-Toxic, because not all of the cheap ones do. As far as Crayola, I think they are better too, the colors are brighter.
Usually, there is a big difference in quality. The super cheap ones (like from the dollar section at Target) don't color very well. They don't color smoothly and the colors aren't as bright or dark. Even the RoseArt ones don't work as well.
When I buy crayons for my kids I usually switch between the two. Good luck with school shopping...I have to do that for the first time ever this year!
Even the crayola brands are super cheap right now- 24 pack at wal mart is .20 cents! I will NOT buy generic school supplies (for home or school) There really is a big difference.
right now you can find school supplies on sale CHEAP at Wal-Mart and Target...
I prefer Crayola over generic - they don't seem to break as easily or dry out as fast as off-brand supplies...
I BELIEVE (don't know this for fact) that Crayola makes their crayons a tad thicker or adds something to them to make them more durable.
find out if your child gets to keep their crayons to themselves or do they go into a stock pile. if they go into a stock pile buy the cheaper ones like the other parents!!!
Another reason most require Crayola is due to allergies... Kids allergic to gluten or have it in the IEP to avoid it, can not use any other brand found in regular stores, except Crayola... Most people do not realize that things like gluten and casein are in many of the products used on an everyday basis.
If you decide to buy the cheaper items, and not the ones specified, you may have just wasted your money, because they can not be used in the classroom. No-one wants to waste anyone's money. If the list says a specific brand, I would stay with that.
Crayola crayons are .25 cents for a box of 24 at walmart. I always stock up this time of year.
Crayola is still made in the USA. Plus some of the Chinese crayons are made with lead.
I thought--someone needs to tell this mom that if she's going to buy 2 boxes, go ahead and get 10 boxes now--maybe it was just my son, but he left every week practically with a new 24 box and came home with....O.. Maybe it's just my kid...or boys....not sure but get the Crayola (USA) vs. others (China=lead). Safer bet.
Buy all the crayola products you can find when they are on sale. The prices are pretty good at Walmart, now, but after school starts, they'll get even cheaper -- like 10 cents a box. You need to watch, though... there are other mothers like me who watch and swoop in an buy as many boxes as we can handle when they are cheap!
They are the best! The crayons color better. The pencils write better.
I still buy crayola crayons and I have one in college and one in high school....
YMMV
LBC
Buy Crayola. Rose art crayons messed up a load of laundry last year. The wax won't come out of clothes with Oxy Clean, Rit/Rid, Goo Gone and other products. Stick with Crayola and buy when on sale.
I usually buy generic everything... except for crayons and colored pencils. I don't know if it's just bad luck, but all of the generic crayons and pencils I have tried just plain out SUCK. The colored pencils break off when sharpening and splinter and the crayons are either too hard (color too light) or too soft (smear).
So this is one of the few things where I am brand loyal.
Good luck.
As a school teacher I would say buy Crayola. They are a better quality made crayon and besides coloring better they also last longer. I know a lot of parents get upset about buying so many supplies at the beginning of the year BUT that is when the items are on sale and MUCH cheaper. We would rather you buy supplies when they are on sale to last you through the year then to have to ask for crayons in January when they will cost much more. I don't know about everywhere, but most schools in Hillsborough county only allow their teachers a small amount of money to purchase classroom supplies. We don't ever want children to be without so that means that if the parents don't help, then the teacher is buying supplies with their own money. I know this wasn't a question related to supplies in general but since your son is just starting school I wanted to share that there are a lot of teachers who REALLY DO appreciate parents who purchase supplies and support the classroom. I hope that you have a good school experience!
I wondered about the SAME thing, I will read what insight others have, because it seem ridiculous.
When my kids still had to have crayons for school I ALWAYS bought the cheapest ones available. ESPECIALLY if they were going to be "shared". If the school wants to buy my school supplies THEN they can specify the most expensive brand. Otherwise ... cheapest brand it is.
Crayola crayons are much better. We bought cheap ones for my 3 yr old and they crumble when you are coloring. Meaning you get the little shreds of crayon all over the place. Crayola are much smoother. They last alot longer too. I would stick to crayola.
