Hands on Crayons: Fast Facts

"Can I eat it?"

"Why does it look like a tooth?"

"These are cool, but what if my kid doesn't have any fine-motor challenges?"

Understandably so, anytime I present someone with one of my dearest Hands on Crayons, a lot of questions arise. Within these past few years, I've been asked a plethora of questions, ranging from "What are the occupational benefits of a Hands on Crayon?", to "Why would anyone spend more than 36¢ on a pack of crayons?". While I cannot answer every question in a single blog post, I can answer some of our most commonly asked questions (hopefully!).

Why do Hands on Crayons have such a weird shape?

There are a quite a few reasons as to why our crayons have the shape they do. Hands on Crayon are short and stubby in order to encourage children to grasp with and strengthen their hand muscles. A recent study led to the conclusion that kids who were taught to write with small or broken crayons, had much stronger hands than their counterparts who stuck to traditional crayons. Hand strength plays a hugely important role in fine-motor development and is not a muscle group to be overlooked.

As for our distinct "shark tooth" or "bird beak" shape, the triangular nature of our crayons encourages the development of a dynamic tripod grasp (the dynamic tripod grasp, pictured above, is most commonly referred to as the perfect pencil grip). As a person who doesn't have a grip that even closely resembles a tripod grasp, I can understand the importance of this grasp. This grip is the least likely to cause hand cramping and pain, callus formation, and allow for your child to write as efficiently as they can.

Why do Hands on Crayons come in a Draw-String pouch? That seems like such a waste of money.

I promise you there is a method to my madness, I don't spend hours sewing little pouches just because I think it looks cute. I know that there is certainly a much easier way to package crayons than hand sewing hundreds of mini draw-string bags, however, these methods aren't nearly as effective. As ironic as it may sound, I hate the overbearing smell of a box of crayons. It is extremely common for people with fine-motor impairments to also have sensory perception issues, for some unknown reason these two conditions commonly occur hand and hand in an individual. The cotton bags are highly ventilated compared to a cardboard box and lessen the strong and distinct smell that accompanies opening a box of crayons.

How can I get involved?

To be completely honest, this is by far my favorite question. There are few things in this world that make me happier than inspiring people to take action and get involved. I always say that it isn't that difficult to change the world, all you have to do is try. It is because of this philosophy that there are hundreds of ways to get involved with Hands on Crayons! Any interest you may have can lead to interactive involvement with us!

Here are a few ways to get involved:

Blog Posts

We are always looking for new blog posts. We welcome anyone to write and send us some of your posts or articles, and would be more than happy to publish them on the Hands on Crayons website! Write about anything that inspires you!

Graphic Design

For those who love graphic design, we have an amazing opportunity for you! Hands on Crayons is in need of a fun and youthful logo. If you have any ideas, please send them our way!

Business

As a high school student myself, I am aware that is can be extremely difficult for teenagers to find opportunities to work in business, marketing, or advertising fields. Hands on Crayons welcomes the teenage businessman! Join our marketing, advertising, or business team!

Donations! Donations! Donations!

This is probably the most traditional way to get involved. We encourage everyone to set up crayon donation boxes at local restaurants, cafes, and schools. And to hold fundraisers and bake sales for our foundation.

contact

email: handsoncrayons@gmail.com

#finemotorskills #HandsonCrayons