Back to Preschool Giveaway Blast: Sponsor Spotlight- Crayon Rocks

Welcome to the start of our Back to Preschool Giveaway Blast. The month of July is going to be filled with reviews of some great products geared toward older toddlers and/or young preschoolers in anticipation of the giveaway which starts on August 1st. 

(If you would like more information on this event click here.)

Now, onto the first review. I discovered these great Crayon Rocks and thought they would be an awesome addition to this event. I was thrilled when they agreed to join in. Crayon Rocks are not your run of the mill crayons that you and your children are used to. Here, check them out:

These unique crayons were created by Barbara Lee, a teacher of children with special needs.  She knows how important it is for children to develop a good tripod grip to ensure handwriting success. The design of the Crayon Rocks are such that a child will naturally hold them in the correct position. She also wanted to make sure the crayons would go on smoothly and easily, allowing a child to effortlessly create a vivid work of art.  

Here are some of the benefits directly from their site:

• Crayon Rocks are all natural soy wax crayons made from USA grown soybeans and colored with mineral pigments.
  
• The colors are vibrant and can be layered to make beautifully textured art work.
  
• They were designed to strengthen the tripod grip muscles, preparing fingers and hands for handwriting.
  
• The shape allows small fingers to color in large, wide strokes creating pictures rich in color.
  
• Used by occupational therapists to develop fine motor skills.

The children were so excited to get to use their new crayons so they could do what they love to do, draw and color.

Here they are showing off the cute little pouches they come in.

Of course, the first thing Hannah did was try to eat one. Granted they are supposed to be for ages 3 and over. I figure a 2 year old is okay with these as long as they are closely supervised. After I told her they were not candy (I think she might have been equating them with the jelly beans daddy buys) she was actually fine with them. 

Tabitha wanted to color a rainbow, which has been a favorite lately.

 So, of course, Amelia wanted to make a rainbow too; however, she made a "backwards" rainbow.  Yes this was done purposefully and it was fun watching them figure out which color comes next if you are going backward.

Yes, they were holding the crayons correctly from the beginning. 

See the tripod grip?

Though I noticed they started holding them differently later on. They realized they didn't have to hold it so they were coloring with the tip. Thanks to the design they are able to use a wider surface to make wider lines of color. 

Hannah hoarded a bit.

The children love these new crayons. 

Tabitha said they are "kinda fun" and she "likes to draw persons, Red Sled with them and drawing books."

Amelia said she likes to "color with different colors."

They both felt they were comfortable to hold. In addition, Tabitha mentioned that she likes them because they "don't break on me."  While Amelia didn't express a preference when I asked if she would rather use Crayon Rocks or normal crayons, Tabitha did say she prefers the Crayon Rocks. 

Personally I think these innovative crayons are great. As Tabitha mentioned, it is impossible to use the "normal" crayons without having them break. We constantly have half crayons hanging around the house. In comparison, the children do not need to be concerned that Crayon Rocks will snap if they are pushed harder. In fact, it is encouraged to press hard. The colors are lovely. The fact that you can use the sides and produce wide swaths of color is wonderful for coloring in pictures. Yet, they still have a smaller end to make thinner lines. 

Check out their gallery for some great tips on how to use these crayons and get the best results.

One concern we did note, is that some of the crayons made streaky lines when they were first used. However, after a few passes on the paper they produced the rich color they are meant to. 

And I am curious as to how long they will last in comparison to the other crayons. I would think, seeing as they are not going to be breaking into tiny pieces we will have them for a decent amount of time. 

As for the goal of strengthening the tripod grip muscles, it seems like this will be the case. I had to ask the children if they felt comfortable holding the Crayon Rocks because I was afraid it might feel uncomfortable as it did for me. The thing is, I don't use the tripod grip, the pen rests on my ring finger when I am writing. 

Now, I just have to mention these little pouches. First of all you can choose muslin cotton or velvet. The larger size comes in Red Velvet or the Muslin and contains 16 crayons.

This is their 16 Rocks in a Bag, Summer Colors. I was able to show the girls that each of the primary colors had a lighter tint.

You can also purchase the smaller bag of  8 crayon rocks in a Blue Velvet bag or muslin cotton bag. You would receive the colors in the top row shown in the above picture. Or you could choose the pastels in a spring green bag. Lastly, you could choose to get just the brights in a red velvet bag. If you would like to have a better grasp of what all these colors entail I would suggest heading over to their website and checking them out.

To me, the bags are great, and a LOT better than the cardboard boxes that regular crayons come in. I foresee these bags lasting a lot longer than the boxes that get ripped so easily. And it is easier for younger children to put things in a bag than trying to get stick crayons to stand up straight while they attempt to fit the remainder of the crayons in. 

All around, a great product. Add in the fact that they are made in America and are non-toxic and you have a winner.

Are you ready for some exciting news? 

They have agreed to supply both a 16 count bag and a 8 count bag of Crayon Rocks for the Back to Preschool Giveaway Blast. The larger bag will be part of the Grand Prize Pack worth approximately $225. And the 8 count bag will be in the Second Place Prize Pack (worth of which is still to be determined). 

How would you like some extra entries into this giveaway before it even starts? 

Head on over to Crayon Rocks website and tell me one of the tips they suggest in using the crayons. Leave the answer here in the comments with your email and when the giveaway is live I will email you the secret code to place in the Rafflecopter for a bonus 10 points. 

Also, if you would like to spread the word about this event and place the button on your blog sidebar I will give you an additional 10 points. 

Either way, don't forget to stop back between August 1st and 18th to enter the giveaway.

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