Running Head: KING OF THE CRAYONS
‘
King of the Crayons
Best Buy Report - EDITED
Hayley Brown & Cara DeAngelis
Dr. Peter Markow
EDUC 343
26 April 2010
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KING OF THE CRAYONS
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Purpose
Objective
The purpose of this best buy lab was to determine which brand of crayons was the best
buy. The lab involved testing three different characteristics of crayons: strength, wax
composition, and preference (when coloring). Three different brands of crayons were used: Rose
Art, Crayola, and the Dollar Store brand.
Rationale
Crayons were selected for this best buy lab because of their commonality and purpose in
many elementary schools. As future elementary education teachers, we will be working and
dealing with crayons in our classrooms. Knowing how frequently students break crayons and get
the residue of coloring all over the desks and their hands, we decided to search for the best
crayon brand. There are noticeable differences that can be seen and felt when coloring with
crayons, so the characteristics that are being measured are common and known. Most, if not all
students are familiar with crayons and can readily tell you what brand of crayons they have and
use. Some students do have a preconceived preference of crayon brand to use, so determining if
their favorite crayons are really the best buy would provide insight and support for their choice.
Crayola crayons are a common brand found within schools. Many teachers and PTO’s
purchase Crayola supplies for the students and classrooms. Rose Art crayons are also a common
brand, frequently sold next to Crayola crayons in many stores. Rose Art is a top competitor
against Crayola and is commonly used by students since they are a less expensive, reliable art
product. The Dollar Store crayons have become more increasingly popular in light of the
recession that has been facing our country. More families and students are spending less money
and looking for cheaper alternatives for the products they use on a daily basis.
KING OF THE CRAYONS
Variables
The variables that were tested were strength, wax composition, and preference. To test
for strength, weights were attached and hung from the suspended crayon. This tested how much
weight a crayon could withstand. Because so many students press hard and break crayons, this
test was chosen to represent the pressure that a student applies. This would allow for us to see
which brand could withstand then most pressure. The independent variable is the crayon brand,
meaning the dependent variable would be amount of weight required to break it.
To test the wax composition of the crayons, crayons were melted on a hot plate to see
how long it took for the crayon to melt enough to cover the bottom of the beaker. This test
reflects the wax build up that is typically seen when coloring with some brands of crayons. The
more wax, the more residue, and the shorter amount of time to melt. The longer the time, the
less wax, the less residue, the more true color. The independent variable is brand of crayon,
meaning the dependent variable would be the amount of time it takes for the crayon to melt.
To test for preference, students were asked to color with the three brands and to provide
their preference. This test shows which brand is most preferred based on the results of coloring.
People typically have a preference of crayons, so this would show what the general preference is
without knowing the brand. This will be the opinion test, while the other two are based on
physical experiments. The independent variable is brand of crayon, meaning the dependent
variable would be people’s preference.
Hypothesis
1. Crayola crayons will withstand the most amount of weight. This is based on past
experiences with coloring and observing students coloring. Crayola crayons appear to
last the longest and are less likely to be broken while being colored with. Rose Art
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crayons will withstand the second most amount of weight and the Dollar Store brand will
withstand the least amount of weight. Based on past experiences, Dollar Store brands
bend and break under little pressure when coloring, frequently the pieces need to be
taped together since they are so breakable.
2. Crayola crayons will take the longest time to melt. This is based on past experiences.
When coloring with Crayola crayons there is little residue that is produced from the
friction of coloring. The color that appears when coloring is the most true to the color of
the crayon and color name itself. Dollar Store brand will take the second longest time to
melt. The Rose Art crayons will take the longest to melt since there is the most residue
when coloring with this brand.
3. Crayola crayons will be the preferred crayon based on coloring. This is based on past
experience and personal preference. Crayola crayons have always been around and are a
favorite to parents, teachers, and students. Rose Art will be the second most popular
brand since this is the other most common and used brand. Dollar Store brand will be the
least preferred based on past experience since it usually does not produce quality color.
Materials: For Whole Class (Up to 30 students or 15 pairs)

45 bags of crayons. Each bag will contain 3 crayons that are about the same color, one of
each brand, unlabeled and marked. Below are the materials to construct each bag:
o 45 sandwich bags
o Black permanent marker
o 64 pack of Crayola crayons with the labels taken off and the number 2 written on the
side of each crayon.
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o 64 pack of Rose Art crayons with the labels taken off and the number 1 written on the
side of each crayon.
o 64 pack of Dollar Store crayons with the labels taken off and the number 3 written on
the side of each crayon.

15 pieces of string that are each 60 cm in length; securely tied together at the ends.

15 boxes of 100 washers (150 g).

15 boxes of paper clips that have each already been bent into a hook shape for this
experiment.

15 blank pieces of computer paper

15 hot plates

60, 250-mL beakers

15 Stop watches

30 packets of data tables

30 hot mitts

15 pot holders

30 pairs of safety goggles
Procedure
Preparation:
1. Clear off your desk and put all of your books away except for your science lab notebook and
a pencil. It is important to have a clean surface to work with.
2. Bring your lab notebook and pencil with you when you meet with your partner.
3. Once you and your partner are sitting together, push your two desks together side by side so
that there is about three finger widths gap between them.
KING OF THE CRAYONS
4. Before starting the experiment, please read through the rest of the procedure so that you are
aware of what will be happening and what you will be doing.
5. Send one partner to gather the materials listed below:

Three bags of crayons, each a different color. Note: Each bag with have three different
crayons in them. The crayons will be unlabeled, but have a number written on the
crayon. Crayon 1 is Rose Art brand, crayon 2 is Crayola brand, crayon 3 is Dollar Store
brand. *Students will not know which brand is which, this is so the results remain
consistent. * Do not open the bags or exchange any crayons.

One piece of string that is 60 cm in length, it should be securely tied together at the ends.

A box of 100 washers (150 g each). They are already counted out so you just need to
take the box.

A box of paper clips. The paper clips have each already been bent into a hook shape for
this experiment.

A blank piece of computer paper

One hot plate

Four 250-mL beakers

Stop watch

Packet of data tables

Two hot mitts

Pot holder

Two pairs of safety goggles
6. Once all of the materials are collected go back to your groups desks and place the materials
on one of the desks. Check to make sure that each bag of crayons has three crayons of
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about the same color (ie. All dark blues) and that you have crayons numbered 1, 2, and
3 for each brand.
7. Make sure you use the appropriate data table for each of the experiments. The tables are
shown below. Collect and write your data on the tables in your packet.
a. Strength
Brand
1 – Rose Art
2 – Crayola
3– Dollar Store
Trial 1
Trial 2
Trial 3
Brand
Trial 1
1 – Rose Art
2 – Crayola
3 – Dollar Store
c. Brand Preference
Trial 2
Trial 3
b. Wax
Brand of Crayon
Number of People
1 – Rose Art
2 – Crayola
3 – Dollar Store
Wear your safety goggles at all times during this experiment.
8.
Strength Test
1.
You will be using one bag of crayons (any color), the string, the box of paper clips,
washers, and the proper data chart.
2.
Put the crayon through the opening in the string. Center the string on the crayon.
The string should hang around the center of the crayon.
KING OF THE CRAYONS
3.
Place the crayon across the three finger widths gap between your desks. Make sure
the crayon is centered between the two desks and that the string is centered between
the opening that the crayon is resting against.
4.
When the string and the crayon are in position it is time to add the paper clips and
weights.
5.
Attach a paper clip to the bottom of the string. The smaller opening end of the
paperclip is what you attach to the string.
6.
Add one washer at a time to hook end of the paper clip attached to the string. Do not
add more than five washers to the paper clip.
7.
Once the paper clip has five washers on it add another paper clip to the string the
same way that you did for the first paper clip. Begin adding washers one at a time
until you reach five per paper clip. CAUTION: Be sure to have your safety goggles
on at all times so that you do not get injured by yours or someone else’s crayons.
8.
Repeat step 7 until the crayon breaks. The crayon may break resulting in pieces
flying in the air. Do not have any body parts directly beneath the washers either
because when it drops, the weight could cause damage.
9.
Record on your data table the number of washers required to break the crayon. Keep
count of the washers that are added as you go along, this way you will not have to
count the washers once the crayon has broken. Include the washer that broke the
crayon into the count.
10. While you are doing this test you should be writing what you are observing in the
observation section of your data packet. What do you see, what do you hear, what
makes this test hard or easy?
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11. Clean up all crayons that are broken. Do not leave pieces on the floor or surrounding
areas. Place broken crayons in the basket marked “Broken Crayons” at the front of
the classroom. These will be used for a future science experiment.
12. Repeat this same procedure for each of the crayons.
13. When you have finished this test, make sure the supplies are picked up so that you
can proceed to the next test.
Wax Test
1. CAUTION: For this test you will need to have your safety goggles on and the hot
mitts and pot holders available.
2. In this test, you will be using a different bag of crayons, the hot plate, hot mitts, pot
holder, the proper data chart, and four beakers.
3. Break the three crayons in half and place the two halves of each crayon into one of
the four beakers. Make sure you keep the beakers in numerical order (based on
numbers on side of crayons) so you know which crayon brand you are testing.
4. Clear off one desk so that the only thing on it is the hot plate. The teacher will come
around to watch you plug the electrical cord in.
5. The other desk should have a pot holder and the four beakers three of which will have
the halved crayons in them, in numerical order.
6. Fill up the remaining beaker with 50-mL of water at the sink and carefully walk it
back to the table.
7. Turn the hot plate on to 10.
8. Place the beaker filled with water on the hot plate using your hot mitt.
9. Keep the beaker on the hot plate until it begins to boil.
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10. When the water starts to boil, remove the beaker with the hot mitt and place it gently
on the potholder on the other desk. This is done to bring the hot plate up to
temperature so that all crayons will be placed on about the same temperature source.
11. Take the beaker with crayon number one in it and place it on the hot plate. As soon as
the beaker is placed on the hot plate, start the stopwatch.
12. When you see that the bottom of the beaker is covered with melted crayon stop the
watch, record the time, and take the beaker off with the hot mitt and place it carefully
on the potholder.
13. Place the next beaker on the hot plate with the hot mitt and follow the same steps as
above for crayons 2 and 3.
14. Each time you touch one of the beakers you must have your hot mitt on and take
extreme caution dealing with the glass.
15. When you are finished with all three tests turn the hot plate off and switch the stirrer
mode off as well. The teacher will come around to collect the beakers so that no one
is carrying hot beakers across the room.
16. While you are doing this test, you should be writing what you are observing in the
observation section of your data packet. What do you see, what do you hear, what
makes this test hard or easy?
17. When you have finished this test, make sure the supplies are picked up so that you
can proceed to the next test.
Brand Preference
1. For this test, you will use your third bag of crayons, the plain piece of computer
paper, and the data chart.
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2. You and your partner will walk around to your fellow classmates and ask them to
color a little with each of the three crayons on the computer paper.
3. After they have used all three crayons, ask them which one they liked the best.
Remember the crayons are marked with a 1, 2, or 3, that is how they will tell you
which they liked best, referring to the number.
4. Keep a tally as you follow through the classroom on your data sheets.
5. One partner should be marking the preference and the other should be recording
comments your classmates make about the different crayons on the observation
section of the data sheet.
6. When you have asked everyone tally up the totals and see what brand ranked the best.
7. Clean up supplies and return to your seat. You will be constructing a bar graph of the
preference.
Overall
1. Return all supplies to the front counter.
2. Wash hands and desks. Put desks back in order. Leave your observation sheet on your
desk.
3. The teacher will display all the groups findings on the board, copy down all data so
that you have more than one sample of each brand for each test.
4. Using the entire classes’ data, you will determine the King of the Crayons, or best
buy.
5. Construct the appropriate graphs and lab report to display this data.
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Data/Observation
Number of Washers Required to Break the Crayons
Test 1
Test 2
Test 3
50
52
53
60
94
78
68
70
71
Brand
Average
1 – Rose Art
52
2 – Crayola
77
3 – Dollar Store
70
Observations:
This experiment worked well and provided data that supported not only what we were
testing but our hypothesis. The data that was collected was also relatively consistent and differed
between brands, showing the brand difference. During this experiment we found that the crayon
pieces frequently snapped and flew across the room. The washers fell and were capable of
causing injury. Crayola crayons shattered when they broke compared to the Dollar Store crayons
that broke at the point where the weight was hanging.
Length of Time for Crayons to Melt (Seconds)
Test 1
Test 2
Test 3
41
39
37
36
41
42
43
35
32
Brand
Average
1 – Rose Art
39
2 – Crayola
40
3 – Dollar Store
37
Observations:
This experiment went okay. While it did provide data, the results of the experiment were
relatively close to each other so it did not show as much of a difference that we were hoping.
While we tested to see how long it would take to melt the crayon enough to cover the bottom of
the container, it was inconclusive. While we did still use the findings of this experiment, next
time we would hope to get a more diverse outcome, maybe try different melting methods.
Brand Preference
1 – Rose Art
2 – Crayola
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3 – Dollar Store
Number of People
0
Who Prefer the Brand
Observations:
Students from the Education Department at SJC were polled for this portion of this
experiment. This was mostly done in EDUC370, prior to and after class.This test provided the
results that we thought it would. Students were able to identify crayon brands after they colored
with them without prompting. Students stated the Dollar Store crayon was barely coloring and
that they would not use it. When one student was coloring with the Dollar Store crayon, it broke
in half; supporting our findings that it is can withstand less pressure/weight than Crayola
crayons.
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Calculations and Results
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Conclusion
Test 1 – Strength
Test 2 – Wax
Test 3 – Preference
Total
Crayola
1
1
1
3
Rose Art
3
2
2
7
Dollar Store
2
3
3
8
The overall best buy of this experiment was the Crayola brand. We were able to
determine this through the use of three experiments. We tested strength, wax composition, and
preference of the same three brands of crayons – Crayola, Rose Art, and Dollar Store. All three
tests resulted in the same findings.
Our predictions were correct. Crayola crayons were found to be the best buy in each of
the tests. They withstood the most weight, proving their strength. They also took the longest to
melt in relation to the other brands, and where the top choice of our peers when presented in a
preference test. We thought that the Rose Art would be next and then the Dollar Store Brand.
However we did not think that there would have been such a difference between them all.
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Besides the characteristics that we tested in our experiment, there are other factors to take into
consideration, one being price. If just price was examined, the Dollar Store brand would be the
best buy since it cost $1.00 for a 64 pack of crayons, while the Rose Art 64 pack was $4.99 and a
Crayola 64 pack was $5.99. There is an almost $5 difference between the top and bottom crayon
brands. What is significant is that the overall best buy is the most expensive and the Dollar Store
brand is the least expensive, but the last place for the best buy. There was a significant difference
in quality between the Rose Art and the Dollar Store Brand. It was really seen in the coloring
preference. The Dollar Store Brand did not even show up for a lot of the students who tested
them. The breaking point showed that the Dollar Store Brand was stronger than the Rose Art but
in all other areas it was not up to par. When it comes to these brands of crayons, the price
clearly correlates with the quality. It will cost more for Crayola crayons but they will be less
likely to break, have less wax build up, and will produce the best coloring quality. Less is not
more in this best buy; if you want the quality, spend the money.
Another experiment that could be conducted in regards to these brands could be the
amount of coloring that could be done with each brand. This would involve constructing an
experiment that allows for one to test the life span of a crayon, or how long it lasts. We would do
this by having students color with each brand of crayon until it is all used up. We would have to
use a uniform picture so all of the students would be coloring the same amount on each paper.
When all of the crayons are used up we would add up how many pictures each crayon of each
brand with the students were able to be colored. This would determine the life span of the
crayon, based on brand. Testing to see how long a crayon can be colored with would be a helpful
and important characteristic to test since one would want to know how long the crayons will last.
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The CT Core Science Curriculum Frameworks that are covered within this experiment are the
following:
o Grade 3

Properties of Matter: 3.1 Materials have properties that can be identified and
described through the use of simple tests.
o 3.1a: Heating and cooling cause changes in some of the properties of
materials. ( We think that by heating the crayon we will be able to see
the contents dealing with wax and other matter that the crayon is made
up of)
This lab allows for students to explore and use many of the processes of science
including making decisions, observing, manipulating materials, recording data, interpreting data,
and generalizing. Students make decisions and predictions about which crayon brand they think
will be the best buy. They observe what happens during each and record the data on the data
tables. They manipulate the materials in each test as well in order to perform the experiments.
Once they have finished the three tests, students are required to analyze and interpret their
findings. They have to find the averages of the test, and create graphs with the data. They also
had to interpret which would be the best buy based on each test, and then create a generalization
to decide which would be the overall best buy.
Safety Rules for King of the Crayons Experiment – As posted in classroom
6.
Safety goggles must be worn at all times.
7.
Long hair must be tied back and all loose fitting clothing tucked in.
8.
When you are ready to plug in and unplug your hot plate, a teacher must be present at
your desk.
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9.
If one of the beakers falls and breaks the teacher is the one to be notified. DO NOT touch
the glass pieces at all. The teacher will clean up the glass in a safe manner and discard it
into a separate trash container.
10.
If you are cut by broken glass, go right to the teacher for first aide assistance. DO NOT
touch your partner or any other student with your cuts.
11.
When doing the melting portion of this experiment you must use your hot mitts if you are
the partner putting the beaker on and taking the beaker off the hot plate.
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References
Free Patents Online (2010). Crayon wax composition. Retrieved April 17, 2010, from
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/3933708.html.
Amazon (2010). Crayola crayon maker. Retrieved April 23, 2010, from
http://www.amazon.com/Crayola-03-9000-Crayon-Maker/dp/B00296QV1K.