The Crayola Marker Maker set is a super gift for the DIYer, ages 8 and up. The set feels like a mini laboratory with measuring beakers, tweezers, and cylinders for the marker barrels. The first (and probably most important!) step, is to decide what color marker to create. The color guide provides recipes of mixing three primary color dyes to achieve the ultimate best hue. Science happily meets Art as your child places measuring tubes on the mixing tray, measures each dye color and uses the tweezers to allow the white foam core to absorb the color.
Our scientific artists were enamored with watching the marker barrel change into their desired color. While we waited for the marker to absorb, another important decision wavered. What would we call this color creation? The Marker Maker set includes labels for the outside of your marker to name your very own Crayola color. Some options for our red hue were “Dragon’s Breath Red” and “Fiery Fire.” In the end we went with “Red Energy” because its brightness was so noticeable, that just looking at it gave you a spark.
We loved the planning, sequencing, and language repetition in restating each step as we created multiple markers. Being able to name your own color inspired creativity, communication, and collaboration. The Crayola Marker Maker is a fun choice for eager scientists, creative artists, and talkers alike.
Available at Crayola
By Erika Cardamone MS, CCC-SLP
Speech-language pathologist, Mom, toy reviewer, speaker, foodie, runner
