The Pencil Grip Inc. {Review}

personThrift Schooling

Monday, March 05, 2018

We have found what we have been looking for in The Pencil Grip Inc.'s 24 pack
of Magic Stix Washable Markers. These markers are the perfect fit for a
homeschooling family such as ours. I am thrilled to tell you about our experience
with them!

Normally, I do not have a favorable impression of markers for several reasons.
For one, as a kid, I remember markers having such a strong smell that it would
give me a headache. I know some kids enjoyed the scents but it certainly was
not for me. And to be honest, if I had markers like that in my house today,
my kids would probably stick them up their nose or something. Another reason
I have a distaste for markers is the drying out factor. As a parent of many children
this is super frustrating. I finally teach the older ones to put the caps back on
when they are done using their markers but then a younger one comes along and
just doesn't understand. This then leads to the undue frustration of your child
sitting down to compete a school assignment that calls for the use of markers
only to find out that the markers are dried out.

My final reason dates back to when I was a preschool teacher. There was always
the tedious task of going through the marker bins and testing each and every
marker to make sure they were fit to use. I finally learned that for my sanity's
sake, it was best to assign this job to my assistant when she needed something
to do!

Magic Stix Washable Markers are unlike any markers I have been exposed to in
the past. They don't give me the headache (literally) that other markers do. They
are neatly packaged, come in bright, bold colors and do not dry out! The 24 pack
comes in a convenient, plastic carrying case for easy storage. Usually I buy
markers that come in a flimsy plastic covering that are begging to be poured out
into another container. Or, I will get the ones that come in a cardboard box. The
box breaks in about a day so they soon join the others in my marker container
as well.

The storage solution of the Magic Stix Washable Markers is simple but effective.
I have noticed that my kids clean up these markers without being asked because
it is easy, quick and simple to store. And, because there is a specific spot for each
marker they can easily notice how many are missing and know how many to look
for. Otherwise, in the case of my mismatch marker container I usually use, they
don't know how many are missing so taking the extra time to look under the
tables or couches usually doesn't happen. With these markers, it does.

My kids could not wait to get their hands on these markers. They were fresh, new
and exciting. I told my three oldest kids to draw their favorite thing. I left this
wide open and they all three had the same thing on their mind. Treasure hunting.
We were just about to embark on a weekend adventure of relic hunting for my
son's birthday so they all used that theme in their pictures.

I was not surprised with my oldest son's drawing. He loves drawing mountains and
he is a fan of metal detecting. If you look to the left of the tree, you'll see he did
not leave out his favorite hobby and he certainly had fun using the bright colors
for his mountains.

My second oldest son also loves detecting like his older brother. A few years back,
he learned how to draw cattails so I see he brought that skill back and added them
around a pond. He loves visiting his grandfather's pond so this too is not a
surprise.

My daughter has had a recent obsession with tents. She just made a neat one
for her Barbie dolls and she is begging for one for her 18" inch dolls and an indoor
one for herself. But, to go along with the treasure hunting theme that her brothers
started, she drew a coin hidden in the soil.

I love the color selection offered in this pack. Last week I saw my son drawing a
neat picture that used the peach color for skin and it looked amazing. I have
noticed my kids enjoying the variety of colors with these markers and their
creativity has been fun to watch.

Something else that was fun to watch was putting one of the markers out for
seven days to test the company's claim that "they won't dry out for seven days
with the cap off."

My son was so excited to try the marker out after the seven days was up that he
ran and grabbed it when the time was up and wrote down his name.
It came out perfect, clear with no streaks or problems. Worked just like new!

Overall, we love using these markers in our homeschool and we even love
taking them on the road with us since they are easy to carry.
We look forward to using these markers more and more throughout the
homeschool year!