• Home
  • Books
    • Sharks Unhooked: The Adventures of Cristina Zenato, Underwater Ranger
    • Giant Rays of Hope: Protecting Manta Rays to Safeguard the Sea
    • A River’s Gifts: The Mighty Elwha River Reborn
    • Planet Ocean
    • Eavesdropping on Elephants
    • Neema’s Reason To Smile
    • Zoo Scientists to the Rescue
    • Sea Otter Heroes: The Predators That Saved an Ecosystem
    • Plastic, Ahoy! Investigating the Great Pacific Garbage Patch
    • Ebola: Fears and Facts
    • Jingle the Brass
    • Nugget on the Flight Deck
    • Surviving Animal Attacks
    • Elite Operations series
    • Energy Lab series
    • QuickReads Fluency Library
    • Books for English language-learners
    • Writers write all kinds of things
  • Author Visit Programs
    • FAQs
    • Calendar
  • Blog
  • Educator Resources
    • STEM + Literacy Activities
    • Teacher Guides
    • Earth Day Every Day newsletter archive
    • LitLinks
    • KidLit creators who make kids want to read
  • Writer Resources
    • Writing Classes
    • Manuscript or Proposal Critiques
    • How I got my start
  • Who is Patricia Newman?
  • Contact
    • Stay In Touch
    • Earth Day Every Day newsletter archive
Patricia NewmanPatricia Newman
Sibert Honor Children's Book Author & Environmentalist
  • Home
  • Books
    • Sharks Unhooked: The Adventures of Cristina Zenato, Underwater Ranger
    • Giant Rays of Hope: Protecting Manta Rays to Safeguard the Sea
    • A River’s Gifts: The Mighty Elwha River Reborn
    • Planet Ocean
    • Eavesdropping on Elephants
    • Neema’s Reason To Smile
    • Zoo Scientists to the Rescue
    • Sea Otter Heroes: The Predators That Saved an Ecosystem
    • Plastic, Ahoy! Investigating the Great Pacific Garbage Patch
    • Ebola: Fears and Facts
    • Jingle the Brass
    • Nugget on the Flight Deck
    • Surviving Animal Attacks
    • Elite Operations series
    • Energy Lab series
    • QuickReads Fluency Library
    • Books for English language-learners
    • Writers write all kinds of things
  • Author Visit Programs
    • FAQs
    • Calendar
  • Blog
  • Educator Resources
    • STEM + Literacy Activities
    • Teacher Guides
    • Earth Day Every Day newsletter archive
    • LitLinks
    • KidLit creators who make kids want to read
  • Writer Resources
    • Writing Classes
    • Manuscript or Proposal Critiques
    • How I got my start
  • Who is Patricia Newman?
  • Contact
    • Stay In Touch
    • Earth Day Every Day newsletter archive
image 2 Binney with flowers spread

LitLinks: Color Science, Inventions and Language Arts with THE CRAYON MAN: THE TRUE STORY OF THE INVENTION OF CRAYOLA CRAYONS

July 24, 2019 LitLinks, LitLinks-Grade 3-5 No Comments
LitLinks Logo-1 (2)

GUEST BLOGGER: NATASCHA BIEBOW

The Crayon Man cover

The Crayon Man: The True Story of the Invention of Crayola Crayons by me and Steven Salerno tells the inspiring story of Edwin Binney, an inventor who fashioned one of the world’s most lasting and well-loved childhood toys – the Crayola crayons. Combining his love for nature’s vibrant colors with his love for science and invention, Edwin discovered a way to bring the outside world to children, empowering them to dream in color.

The dual-layered text in The Crayon Man allows for students of different ages and abilities to access the main ideas in the story and dive deeper to discover further details, ideal for grades 2–5.  

Before you start

Edwin Binney, the inventor of Crayola crayons, loved nature. He had a beautiful garden by the sea in Greenwich, Connecticut, and he often brought flowers into the office. To observe what inspired him, go on a nature walk. (Alternatively, either bring some nature into the classroom – a vase of flowers, Fall leaves, feathers, shells – or look at picture of a garden.) Encourage students to use all five senses! Look at the colors all around. What can your class see? What can they hear and smell? How do they feel?

cardinal spread

Have students use color descriptors to talk and write (and draw!) about what they see. Ask them:

  • Can you identify different shades of the same color?
  • What different names can you give for the same color in different tones – e.g. violet, purple, lilac or blue, periwinkle, indigo.
  • How do different colors make you feel?

Extension: Students can write a short story using their color vocabulary.

As you read

As you read The Crayon Man out loud, work with your students to create a list of all the colors Edwin Binney mixed to create the first eight box of Crayola crayons that sold for only a nickel in 1903. Next, list some of the other colors that came later and note their names.

After you read

Have fun experimenting with colors like Edwin Binney did in his top-secret lab!

You will need:

  • red, yellow and blue + black and white paint
  • mixing pots – you can use old yoghurt containers or jars
  • paintbrushes
  • aprons or old shirts (to protect clothing)
  • paper

Start with paints in the three primary colors – red, blue and yellow. Ask your students to EXPERIMENT to discover how to make each (secondary) color:

image 3 Crayola crayon box
  • Red + yellow = orange
  • Red + blue + = purple
  • Blue + yellow = green

These are called secondary colors.

Now EXPERIMENT to see what happens
when students add:

Red + orange + blue + green = brown

All the colors together = black

Now, mix a primary and a secondary color, or add white or black. See what happens to the tone. Can your students make:


  • a blue-green
  • yellow-green
  • blue-violet
  • red-violet
  • red-orange
  • yellow-orange
  • pink
  • gray

You can find help mixing these shades here.

Get creative and ask students to make up their own names for the colors that they have mixed and write these down. Link this back to the nature activity at the start. Use observations, feelings and all four senses to help inspire the color names!

Extension: Examine a color wheel or a large box of Crayola crayons. Notice what the different shades are named. Can students order them from lightest to darkest tone? Can they come up with their own, personalized, names for these colors?  

Discover more about how Crayola crayons are made from Mister Rogers.

https://youtu.be/FszGkMqAF0c

You can also download the Educator’s Guide to The Crayon Man, which includes other fun cross-curricular activities.


Natascha Biebow

Natascha Biebow’s favorite crayon color is periwinkle blue because it makes her heart sing.  She loves to draw and make stuff, just like the inventor of the Crayola crayons. She lives in London, England, where she writes, edits, coaches and mentors children’s book authors and illustrators at Blue Elephant Storyshaping, and is the long-time Regional Advisor of SCBWI British Isles. In 2018, she was awarded an MBE for her services to children’s writers and illustrators. www.nataschabiebow.com


Click for more LITLINKS STEM + Literacy activities

Tags: STEM+LiteracySTEM+Literacy Natural Science
No Comments
Share
0

You also might be interested in

Pointillisim-activity-example

LitLinks: The most popular STEAM posts for summer fun

Jun 29, 2022

COMPILED BY PATRICIA NEWMAN My kids and I loved summer.[...]

COVID-19 social distancing noah-ZsyoDh_zek4-unsplash

LitLinks: Turn teens into COVID-19 investigators

Mar 25, 2020

GUEST BLOGGER ANNA CROWLEY REDDING COVID-19: One of the biggest[...]

Purple code machine_Japan

LitLinks: Code breakers, STEM, and history inspire fiction writing

Dec 4, 2019

GUEST BLOGGER LISA L. OWENS Nonfiction books about historical events[...]

Leave a Reply

Your email is safe with me.
Cancel Reply

Click the logo to have LitLinks delivered to your inbox

LitLinks Logo-2022

Author Visits

https://youtu.be/zj6n-RFOcPA?si=8WCTnyXbTiwYumYo
https://youtu.be/ziN0UrqaDYI

Earth Day Every Day Newsletter Archive

Earth-Day-Every-Day-newsletter-banner

Post Categories:

Blog Archive

Top Posts

LitLinks: How to share our ocean connections with kids and teens

LitLinks: Let’s learn to decode photos in STEM nonfiction

LitLinks: How Elephants Can Make Your Sound Unit ROAR!

LitLinks: Easy ways to build students’ science communication skills

Proof that science connects kids to the larger world

Recent Comments

  • Danna Smith on LitLinks: Did you know goats can teach children about homonyms? I love this series of books!
  • Raven Howell on LitLinks: Did you know goats can teach children about homonyms? Absolutely love this piece you wrote! Thanks for sharing your…
  • Annie Lynn on LitLinks: 3 easy ways to use animals to introduce onomatopoeia Wonderful idea to link sounds and musical instruments to nature…
Empowering young readers to act

Latest Blog Posts

  • LitLinks: How to use conservation to invigorate student writing
    LitLinks: How to use conservation to invigorate student writing
  • LitLinks: How playing with existing ideas might lead to new ones
    LitLinks: How playing with existing ideas might lead to new ones
  • LitLinks: How to create a sniffing map to explore our sense of smell
    LitLinks: How to create a sniffing map to explore our sense of smell

Connect with me on social media

Action Shots

Check out the STEM Tuesday Blog

© 2025 — Patricia Newman

  • Home
  • Books
    • Sharks Unhooked: The Adventures of Cristina Zenato, Underwater Ranger
    • Giant Rays of Hope: Protecting Manta Rays to Safeguard the Sea
    • A River’s Gifts: The Mighty Elwha River Reborn
    • Planet Ocean
    • Eavesdropping on Elephants
    • Neema’s Reason To Smile
    • Zoo Scientists to the Rescue
    • Sea Otter Heroes: The Predators That Saved an Ecosystem
    • Plastic, Ahoy! Investigating the Great Pacific Garbage Patch
    • Ebola: Fears and Facts
    • Jingle the Brass
    • Nugget on the Flight Deck
    • Surviving Animal Attacks
    • Elite Operations series
    • Energy Lab series
    • QuickReads Fluency Library
    • Books for English language-learners
    • Writers write all kinds of things
  • Author Visit Programs
    • FAQs
    • Calendar
  • Blog
  • Educator Resources
    • STEM + Literacy Activities
    • Teacher Guides
    • Earth Day Every Day newsletter archive
    • LitLinks
    • KidLit creators who make kids want to read
  • Writer Resources
    • Writing Classes
    • Manuscript or Proposal Critiques
    • How I got my start
  • Who is Patricia Newman?
  • Contact
    • Stay In Touch
    • Earth Day Every Day newsletter archive
Prev Next