With formal schooling now suspended for an indeterminate amount of time, millions of school children are now being home schooled. As most of us are not teachers and will never be able to do as good a job as qualified teachers we all have to do the best we can to help with our children’s education. Along with the homework packs sent home from school, there are plenty of primary education resource websites to get inspiration from and lots of fun and educational games to play.
Along with subjects like maths, English and science, art is also important (and a great way to relax). We all have loads of crayons, pencils, pens and paints in our homes to encourage creativity (and always seem to be buying more), so we were absolutely delighted to receive the Stib Inspirational Jumbo Colouring Pencils for review as they are more than just a standard colouring pencil.
Stib was the brainchild of Emily Sayer who wanted something to boost children’s creativity. Stib means Spark Thinking in a Box and the pencils have been not only designed as good quality pencils that help with grip, but also to motivate children with their positive message printed on each pencil. Stib colouring pencils come in mini or jumbo size and are triangular shaped pencils with “Spark Words” printed on them to help inspire children.
The pencils come in a sturdy tube and within the tube are:
- 12 Chunky Jumbo Colouring Pencils
- Pencil Sharpener (double-sized)
- Stibler Sticker Sheet
The Stib pencils are quite chunky and a triangular shape. The triangular shape is excellent for promoting a three-point grip, helping children to position their fingers correctly and comfortably. The soft lead means less breakages.
As mentioned earlier, each pencil has inspiring “Spark Words” printed on them, each pencil is different: Problem Solver, Joy Finder, Good Listener, World Changer, Big Thinker, Freestyler, Peace Keeper, Earth Lover, Story Teller, Great Leader, Self Believer and Team Player. These Spark Words are brought to life by fun animal characters called The Stiblers.
The Stiblers are a secret group of fun animal characters and the pencil tube contains a reusable sticker sheet featuring them so that you can decorate and redecorate the pencil tube. You can also download 12 free Stibler stories from the Stib website, as well as colouring templates.
The kids love using these colouring pencils and are always the ones they now take first from their colouring box. They are easy to hold, and the triangular shape promotes correct pencil grip – especially important when teaching kids to write. The colours are vibrant, and the coverage is great.
The soft lead make colouring, drawing and writing very smooth, and they don’t seem to break as easily as a standard colouring pencil.
As for the Spark Words, these have led to several conversations about what they mean and how they can apply to themselves. A fantastic idea.
Drawing and colouring is an excellent activity to keep the kids entertained during this time of home schooling and self-isolation. It not only keeps them entertained but lets their creativity flow. The triangular shape makes them much easier to hold and much more comfortable to use than standard colouring pencils so there is less hand fatigue.
We really do love these pencils and the kids have loved reading about The Stiblers on the website.
As a bonus, for every packet that you purchase Stib donates 10% of their profits to its charitable partner We.org. We.org provide quality education to children around the world, so not only is a packet helping with your children’s education and recreation time but educating children around the world as well.
Whilst you may think at first glance that the £9.95 price tag is a bit steep, it really isn’t for what you get. The quality is excellent, the variety of colours is perfect, you get a pencil sharpener and reusable sticker sheet all packed up in a solid cardboard storage tube and you have access to the free resources from the Stib website.
RRP: £9.95
For more information or to buy online visit www.stibpencils.com.
