How do you make crayons?

The topic I have chosen to focus on is "How are crayons made?" This topic is of interest to me because last week in my kindergarten classroom one of my students asked me the following question, "How do you make crayons?" and I really did not have the answer to it because I didn't have one. While I know crayons are made of wax, I really didn't know much more. So I have decided to find this out now so that I will be able to share my knowledge about crayons with my current and future students.

At this stage in my inquiry, I am wondering the following questions:

1. What are crayons made of?

2. How do crayons get there color?

3. How is the paper put on the crayons?

4. How do crayons get there name?
5. What is the most popular color crayon used?

At this stage of my inquiry I am collecting artifacts from my students and from various places that I have visited. For example, I am collecting crayons that come in a variety of shapes and sizes and I am also trying to collect crayons that I find at places that I visit (restaurants, etc.). Also, I am trying to observe my students while they are using crayons and how they handle the crayons. So far, I have noticed that some of my students like to play with crayons and that they like to pretend that their crayons are airplanes and other objects. But I am sure that there is more to come.

For my next step in my inquiry, I plan to conduct interviews with the students in my class. By asking them questions, I hope to learn more about their prior knowledge and I would also like to find out what further questions that have about crayons and about how they are made. Also, I would like to conduct a survey about crayons with my students. I would like to ask them basic questions about writing instruments and I would also like to ask questions that relate directly to crayons.

As I am researching my topic, I am finding that there are a lot of videos available that show how crayons are made. It is really interesting to watch these videos because making crayons is really a process that as a beginning, middle and end. One video to check is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4hHK_GIpdg

Check out the following sources that I found to be interesting:

http://science.howstuffworks.com/question563.htm This website explains and shows how crayons and markers are made. There are pictures and a video of the Crayola Factory that is located in Easton, Pennsylvania. On this website I even found out how crayons got there name!

http://pbskids.org/rogers/picpic.html This is a great website for students and young children to visit! It shows a PBS video from Mister Rodger's Neighborhood and he visits a crayon factory.