*Sigh* Childrens' Antics

[Josiegirl]

I'm not overly angry but not happy either. It's not like they broke a window or worse. But when we went to use our sorta new box of crayons this week, I found most of them broken in 2-3 pieces. I found out a couple of the SA's from vacation last week had taken to breaking them. Plus a 3 yo little sister. Now, the 3 yo I can almost understand but the 6 and 7 yo's?? I told them they could color while watching a video during naptime. And that's what they did.
Soooo, when those particular 2 older kids return, they will only be allowed to color with the broken crayons, and nothing else.
How would you feel and what would you do? This was one of those large boxes; we had used short stubs of crayons for so long I thought it'd be nice to get them new ones.

[Cradle2crayons]

I'm not overly angry but not happy either. It's not like they broke a window or worse. But when we went to use our sorta box of crayons this week, I found most of them broken in 2-3 pieces. I found out a couple of the SA's from vacation last week had taken to breaking them. Plus a 3 yo little sister. Now, the 3 yo I can almost understand but the 6 and 7 yo's?? I told them they could color while watching a video during naptime. And that's what they did.
Soooo, when those particular 2 older kids return, they will only be allowed to color with the broken crayons, and nothing else.
How would you feel and what would you do? This was one of those large boxes; we had used short stubs of crayons for so long I thought it'd be nice to get them new ones.

I'd do the same as you..natural consequences

[Second Home]

I would do the same thing only the stubs for them .

[Laurel]

I'm not overly angry but not happy either. It's not like they broke a window or worse. But when we went to use our sorta box of crayons this week, I found most of them broken in 2-3 pieces. I found out a couple of the SA's from vacation last week had taken to breaking them. Plus a 3 yo little sister. Now, the 3 yo I can almost understand but the 6 and 7 yo's?? I told them they could color while watching a video during naptime. And that's what they did.
Soooo, when those particular 2 older kids return, they will only be allowed to color with the broken crayons, and nothing else.
How would you feel and what would you do? This was one of those large boxes; we had used short stubs of crayons for so long I thought it'd be nice to get them new ones.

Yep, they get the stubs and I wouldn't let them NOT color. I would tell them that it is coloring time and they must color and color with those crayons. Lest they think they can just get away with not coloring because the crayons are broken.

In the future, you could give them colored pencils. If they break the points they can use a manual sharpener to sharpen them all. None of those fancy electric or crank ones either. Make it hard and time consuming.

Mean Laurel.

Laurel

[Unregistered]

Crayons break easily. Heck sometimes when I am coloring they break. I am a former K-2 teacher. Generally by the end of the first month of school nobody has a whole crayon.

[debbiedoeszip]

I wouldn't buy new ones, but I also wouldn't try to punish them for it. It may be too late to hand out natural consequences by the time they come back. They may barely remember having broken them (if at all). It would be different if you'd noticed that same day (or maybe the next day).

[Laurel]

Crayons break easily. Heck sometimes when I am coloring they break. I am a former K-2 teacher. Generally by the end of the first month of school nobody has a whole crayon.

Except that she said they were large boxes and most of them were broken. Sounds deliberate to me.

Laurel

[NeedaVaca]

I had a crayon breaker and I let him use the broken crayons-he knew what he was doing...when I termed him (NOT over crayons) I used all the broken ones to make molds in different shapes-hearts for Valentines Day etc. Melted them in the oven, good way to use them!

[Josiegirl]

Crayons break easily. Heck sometimes when I am coloring they break. I am a former K-2 teacher. Generally by the end of the first month of school nobody has a whole crayon.

Very true, I understand that. But this is 80 % of almost new crayons that they purposely broke. If it's okay just to sit there and snap crayons, what's to stop them from tearing pages out of books, etc. And one of these dcks has done that before. Same dck took a post out of our very expensive dollhouse and when I asked him why he did it, he as much as insinuated kids do that. NO they don't. Why allow them to be destructive? They'll develop no respect for other people's things.

[spinnymarie]

I agree - coloring time with broken crayons would be mandatory.
And I would tell them how sad the little kids were to see that their new box of crayons was all broken.
And that if they were my own kids, I would've made them buy the kids a new box of crayons.