Kids Can Have With Quality Writing Supplies, Art Supplies, and a Box!

by Jenn

My kids and I are always up to something crazy and fun.  Whether it’s mom coming up with a bright idea for a cute craft, or the kids find a box and decided to do something crazy.  I’m still not sure what the big deal is, but my kids love to play with boxes.  The bigger the box the better, don’t you know!  Lucky for them in my line of work, we get plenty of boxes.

I recently turned my kids loose with several products from the wonderful, trusted Dixon Ticonderoga Company.  They spent two days turning a box into their very own little apartment.  Guess what, we still have the darn box.  It drives me crazy.  I cannot get my kids to keep track of their socks, but they know where their art supplies are when they want to add something new to their box.

The kids have been in school for a while, which means I have finally recovered from the back-to-school shopping costs.  I am thankful that we were lucky enough to receive Dixon Ticonderoga Company products to review.  You know who they are right?  If you are not sure let me tell you a little about them.

world greatest pencil About Dixon Ticonderoga Company

Ticonderoga Company is the world’s leading supplier of awesome, quality writing and art supplies.  They have several high-quality products for your kid’s school needs, as well as any needs you have around the house for things like homework, crafts, at home artwork, and any other fun project you come up with.  Dixon Ticonderoga Company has just about every quality school supply you can imagine.  No joke, they have everything from my favorite pencils, to a wide variety of art supplies that my oldest daughter loves.

While I was visiting the Dixon Ticonderoga Company website I noticed they have a great post that explains how a pencil is made, and why their pencils are my favorite.  They use 11 different steps to make the world greatest pencil:

  • First they start with a 7” long high quality incense cedar slat
  • Next the grooves are cut into each slat.  This will hold the writing cores.
  • They then glue in the writing cores.
  • Use a second grooved slat, and glue it to the top of the core filled slat.
  • Then they use a machine to shape and cut each side of the slat into individual pencils.
  • Sand each pencil so they have that nice smooth texture Dixon Ticonderoga Company pencils have.
  • Coat the pence with several different coats of non-toxic paint.
  • Foil the pencils and stamp them with the TICONDEROGA imprint so we know we are getting the world greatest pencil.
  • Place that awesome metal frame at the end of the pencil.  Yes the one that will hold in the eraser.
  • How did you know? I gave it away right.  Yes next they glue the eraser in.
  • Finally we sharpen those bad boys and experience the world’s greatest pencil.

It’s no wonder they have the world greatest pencil. Trust me you will fall in love with them too, and maybe keep them from the kids like I do lol.  They also explained what that silly number on pencils mean.  I have always wondered, and thanks to the makers of the world greatest pencil finally I know, but if you want to find out you have to visit their website here.

kids having fun with a boxWe received several great products from Dixon Ticonderoga Company.  Check out a few of the great products we received:

  • Ticonderoga’s The World’s Best Pencil, which are simply amazing.  I make the kids keep them in my office, they have to ask to borrow them, and if I don’t get it back they have me following them around until I do.  I am picky when it comes to pencils, and these are no joke the best writing pencils I have ever used.
  • Prang Washable Art Marker, which my kids are still having a blast with.
  • Watercolors, which my kids had a blast with.  My kids fell in love with the Washable Water Colors, and when I had to clean up the mess so did I, lol.  NO JOKE about the mess.  Vayda and Mattie decided they wanted to turn this HUGE box we had into a summer home, or something crazy.  Anyway, they spent 2 days decorating it.  Mom spends two days following them around, saying thank goodness for washable.

My kids have a blast making their box thingy, and painting it with Prang Oval 8 Watercolors.  They looked like they were having so much fun I couldn’t help but join in.  See that lovely box in this post?  I have provided before and after pictures.  The after picture is 2 days worth of non-stop fun, and creativity.  Oh, did I mention my girls did not fight at all.  Simply amazing, and Vayda my watercolor FREAK said the Prang Oval 8 Watercolors were the best she had every used.  Which I could agree with her on that one.  It’s not every day a set of 8 watercolors can turn a plain old box, into the box artwork above.

kids and boxesI have learned that my kids having everything they need at school is important, but it’s also important to have these types of great products around the house for great activities like this.  Oh, and if writing utensils matter to you, I am confident that once you use The World’s Greatest Pencil I am sure you will be hooked too.  Visit them on their Website.

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17 comments

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Shannon February 1, 2014 - 1:54 pm

That is interesting to know how pencils are made. I always loved playing in boxes when I was little.

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Jenn February 1, 2014 - 6:05 pm

Isn’t it crazy, I thought it was pretty interesting.. OMG, give my kids and box if it is big enough they are good for weeks to come

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Michelle S October 4, 2013 - 10:54 am

It’s amazing what kids can come up with – my kids love boxes too! Your pictures are great!

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mindy cole September 29, 2013 - 6:48 pm

I love learning how things and that was pretty neat how pencils are made

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mindy cole September 29, 2013 - 6:49 pm

*How things are made

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Jane Ritz September 29, 2013 - 11:22 am

That brings back lots of memories. I remember when I was a kid and we got a new refrigerator. That box was more fun than any toy! I wish kids today would use their imaginations and creativity more!

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Sahara St. John September 29, 2013 - 10:27 am

Our girls are 10 years apart in ages so it was like raising 2 separate families at times; however, the one thing each of them loved was making play houses out of extraordinarily large boxes. They played in those things for months before it was time to finally put them by the road for the city to pick them up.

I’m not sure why, unless it’s a feel-type thing but my youngest daughter, who is the artist in the family, will only draw using her charcoal pencils (which have no outer shell, for lack of a better word) or her most expensive lead pencil b/c it has this high-end lead for the pencil or she will draw with the cheaper lead mechanical pencils. She doesn’t use the wood ones – only mechanical and charcoal pencils with various sized sketch pad paper that is made with a strong heavy-duty backing for support. But, regardless her artwork is amazing and she has drawn free-hand since she was first picked up a large chubby crayon as a small child and the beauty continues to grow as does her technique, form, and abilities. I only wish I could afford to send her to the college for their graphics and hand art classes but transportation is scarce and money for tuition and materials is even more scarce right now.

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Sarah L September 29, 2013 - 2:31 am

What a great little house they created. It’s fun to have blank walls to do your art on.

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md kennedy September 29, 2013 - 12:48 am

This brings back so many memories: both #2 Ticonderoga pencils for all those standardized tests when I was a kid in school (SATs! Yuck!) and playing with appliance boxes when I was little. My nephews and nieces still cannot get enough of playing with big boxes, either!

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ANN*H September 28, 2013 - 11:45 pm

I agree 100% give a kid a big box and he will be busy for weeks. I know my grandson did. They love markers or paints better than crayons for some reason too, maybe because they can get more messy with them LOL . That should be fun for them all around

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Jennifer Speed September 28, 2013 - 9:50 pm

It’s so fascinating how a box can be like a gold mine for kids. I think it’s actually pretty cool and it seems like they had a blast with that box.

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Nena Sinclair September 28, 2013 - 6:24 pm

I think it’s wonderful that you encourage your kids to be creative! My daughter is great that way, too, with my grandchildren. I love that. Way too many kids now are stuck in front of a video console for their entire free time and it robs them of the opportunity to be creative!

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Sherri Lewis September 28, 2013 - 2:18 pm

that was so interesting – how a pencil is made!

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Jenn September 29, 2013 - 7:53 am

I thought it was pretty cool… I had never really given it much thought until I read that..

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Lisa K September 28, 2013 - 11:37 am

I have a few boxes and a 3 and 6 year old… great idea!

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Donna Evans September 28, 2013 - 10:04 am

Ticonderoga has latex free pencils, as my grandson is highly allergic to latex I really appreciate their products

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Cassie Sudduth September 28, 2013 - 8:43 am

I had no idea all that went into making a pencil! That’s pretty interesting, Thank you!

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