Back-to-school pencil craft

Back-to-School time is here! Kids are choosing outfits and packing their backpacks. It’s time to shop for supplies and prepare for nightly homework again. Give these back-to-school pencils a try and help get your kids in the mood for school, friends, and even homework!

How to make the pencils

1. Set the craft sticks on scrap paper or a painting mat
2. Paint the middle part of the craft sticks with gold/yellow paint
3. Leave the tops and bottoms unpainted
4. Paint one tip of each pencil pink to represent the eraser
5. Once dry, use a silver Sharpie to draw a thick line in between the yellow and pink
6. Use a black Sharpie to draw the point of the pencil

Ways to use the pencils

• As a bookmark to help kids keep their place when reading
• To help your child with reading. New readers are often overwhelmed with the amount of words on a page. Have your child place the pencil horizontally under the line they are reading. When they have finished reading the line, move the pencil down to the next line.
• To help your child with writing. Young writers sometimes forget to leave spaces between words. Have your child place the pencil down as a place holder for the space before the next word. Then they can begin writing the next word. When they remove the place holder they will have perfectly spaced words.