It’s been a rough school year. It really has. February is always a strange month in homeschool — and private school — subculture, anyway. We’re really only a few weeks into the second semester, but people begin to talk as though the school year is over. (Maybe they subconsciously want it to be.) It’s only just past Valentine’s Day, but people are already rolling out the class schedules for 2023/2024. I’ve been there, too. I’ve spent over-caffeinated Februaries gleefully pre-reading stacks of books for co-op classes, mapping out assignments for next year’s sweater weather while still wearing this year’s sweaters.
But this February I’m more in stay-in-and-color kind of mood, not a drink-all-the-coffee-and-go-to-planning-meetings mood. Thankfully, my three-year-old is always happy to cuddle and color with me. He’s such an affectionate little friend.
[Disclosure of Material Connections: I received a complimentary set of Stabilo pencils from Timberdoodle in exchange for writing and publishing this post. All opinions — and photographs! ;) — are my own, and I was not required to write a positive review.]
Art is a staple, not an elective.
A huge chunk of my life has revolved around art in every conceivable iteration. This isn’t hard to imagine, if you know our family in real life. I’m married to a career artist. And Aveline’s been carrying around an art tote and How to Draw Almost Everything — a classic from the Timberdoodle vault — for years.
Every single day, someone in our home creates art.
I’m a staunch believer in this truth: beauty is necessary. We were created to know beauty beyond what our senses can take in. (Here’s why beauty matters, even — especially! — in a broken world.)
So, since art is life, and beauty is necessary, I don’t relegate art to the sidelines as a sometimes-elective. It makes sense, then, with these priorities, that I tend to lean in to a little nicer art supplies.
And these Stabilo pencils are certainly nice!
Stabilo Woody 3-in-1 Pencils are made in Germany.
When my middle brother and I were kids in Yugoslavia, we knew all the best art supplies (and Americanized snacks!) came from West Germany. So these pencils being made in Germany really kicks up the nostalgia factor for me.
I’ve seen sets of Stabilo pencils in smaller boxes, but Timberdoodle carries the full 18-count box (yay!), which comes with a paintbrush and jumbo sharpener.
Chunky Stabilo pencils are the perfect size for little hands.
Stabilo pencils are thick and sturdy (dare I say, stable?) The short length and wide profile is perfect for little hands to grip. Timberdoodle includes Stabilo Woody 3-in-1 Pencils in their PreK homeschool curriculum kit for ages 3-4. (It’s wild to me that Lochlan is already in this category. Wasn’t he just born?)
Stabilo colors are so vibrant. The deep jewel tones are set off by dazzling metallics and paschal pastels, so kids can doodle just about anything they can dream up, with the luxury of smooth, rich, glorious buttery color.
The 3-in-1 description in the name? That means these pencils will work as watercolor — draw, then blend with a wet brush — and they even work as window markers!
Stabilo pencils are a legitimate art supply, even for older kids.
Stabilo Pencils aren’t in the budget art supply category. If you’re the kind of person who buys Prismacolor and chucks Rose Art, then Stabilo are your kind of pencil.
If you own French crayons (raises hand) and know that same buttery goodness isn’t ever going to come out Crayola, then Stabilo are your kind of pencil.
It’s a splurge — a glorious, worth-it, artsy splurge.
Stabilo Pencils are a quality investment that will last for a long time.
Here’s the thing, too, about investing in nicer art supplies: they last longer. When you get the nicer art pencils, you’re not sharpening them every couple of minutes. And you’re not using up half a pencil or crayon on because the scratchy color of the budget crayon just isn’t covering the page.
These aren’t the kind of pencils you toss into the toy box, of course. But we’ve got our art supplies organized little zipper bags and baskets. Aveline knows to put art supplies back when she’s done working, and Lochlan knows to ask permission before getting any art supplies out.
If you’re going to invest in quality products, then you need to teach kids to be good stewards of what you have. (Shouldn’t we be doing this anyway?)
Stabilo Woody 3-in-1 Pencils will last Lochlan for many years to come, and are already a staple in his school basket.
See what else Timberdoodle includes in their preK basket of goodies!
The Oaxacaborn Blog 