Colored Pencils in Homeschooling

Today’s post is from Maddie Kertay. This preview of her upcoming book The Crafty Homeschooler (available Fall 2009) adds another dimension to my enjoyment of colored pencils. Visit her blog, Homeschool Confidential, for tips to enhance your homeschool.

While nice beeswax crayons are great for the 5 and under set as soon as some serious homeschooling is going on I suggest colored pencils. But before you run out to the dollar store let me take a bit of time to convince you to shell out a bit more money for a better quality pencil that in the end will make your homeschooling arts, maps and miscellaneous drawings better and brighter.

photo credit: Shahrokh Dabiri

Like most things colored pencils come in a range of prices and while you don’t need a set made (and priced) for a commercial artist you cannot go wrong with a basic set of Prisma Color pencils. There are more expensive brands but this one is many rungs up the ladder from what you will find marketed for children without making you kack over from the cost. Thick creamy leads with good color and smooth application are the key points of this brand.

As to care of your pencils, the people at Prisma Color advise:

When first getting your colored pencil set, it is best to sharpen all of your pencils and from then on, keep them sharpened. Since the “leads” are colored pigment in a wax base, care should be taken and one should not use excessive pressure or “force” when sharpening. Some members of the Colored Pencil Society of America (CPSA) suggest keeping your pencils extremely sharp. Using an electric sharpener quite frequently shaves off only a bit of wood each time (as compared to letting the pencil get extremely dull and then grinding it down about a half an inch).

photo credit: guillermopdc

Another suggestion is to use an electric sharpener initially and then afterward, sharpen your pencil manually with a hand-held sharpener. Cosmetic sharpeners (the kind used for pencil eyeliner, for example) can also be effective. If you decide to use a hand sharpener, it is less stressful on the pencil to hold it vertically in the hand sharpener. Please note that the more common method of holding it horizontally with a natural wrist action causes stress on the colored core and thinner wood near the top.

If your pencil splinters when sharpening, evaluate the force you are using, how you are holding the pencil when sharpening and check that you are using a sharp sharpener. If a particular pencil is breaking, you may want to try a larger opening sharpener, which can be a little gentler.  Also make sure that your child is not using the pencils to bang out a drum solo on this desk top since even light tapping of colored pencils can shatter the inner lead.

I grew up with a father who was a commercial artist and access to many wonderful art products that were suppose to be “hands-off” and yet my dad turned a happy blind eye to my fooling around with his very precious artists markers and drawing tools in pursuit of my own artistic muse. All of those years paid off in cultivating my personal love of arts and crafts that carries over to my life has a homeschooling mom and consultant. I approach most subjects that I teach my children by looking at how we can expand our learning with cool, quality projects that highlight the subject we are talking about. This adds a tactile experience to learning that can be lacking for children who need more than just words on a page for facts to stick in their heads. I stress the need to be flexible in homeschooling as well as art and think the quality of the products you use make a direct difference in the outcome of the project.