Getting ready for school used to be so simple...
a wooden ruler, a marble notebook, a compass, a protractor, a pencil case (with sharpened #2 pencils), scissors, some Elmer's Glue All, and a giant box of Crayola crayons (preferably with sharpener). Here's a great infographic about the evolution of Crayola colors since 1935!
In the 1960s, we all just had to learn how to read, write, add, measure stuff, cut stuff, assemble stuff, and create things with bright colors, using manual dexterity and imagination. After school, we listened to our transistor radios and vinyl records (33's and LPs) and called our friends on our Princess rotary dial phones. If we got a busy signal, we called back. We were simple, tactile and patient.
As we got older, we took HomeEc and Shop class and learned to make useful items with fabric, cinnamon, popsicle sticks and dry cell batteries.
Now kids and adults are lost without their iPhones, iPads, multi-function calculators, PowerPoints, and Facebook pages. We need backpacks and wheeled bags to tote around all our things.
I long for the days when a nice pair of blunt-edged scissors and a sheet of oak tag got me through the day.
But perhaps this evolution in school supplies is just the new age equivalent of Crayola's move from 8 to 64 colors.
It's not about the size of the box...it's knowing what to do with all of those hues is ultimately what matters! Creativity, knowing how to write and count, and collaborating well with and sharing your snack with the kid at the next desk are all timeless!
Here are some back-to-school tunes to inspire you as you color outside the lines:
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