Stockmar crayons and stickers

[manda7_23]

Hi, can someone reccommend a good place to buy stockmar crayons at a reasonable price? Also, my DD loves to play with stickers, should i just get some at a craft store or is there someplace better? Thank You!

Amanda

[kcimato]

I would get the Maurice Pledger sitcker books that they have through www.bookcloseouts.com Don't forget to go through ebates. They usually have a code for $5 off or so.

Here's one they sent me
coupon castle
password bookcloseouts


I think the sticker books were about $2.50

[brittone2]

We have stockmar available locally at a Waldorf school store nearby, but they are often on ebay (someone mentioned it was a bit less expensive that way) or through many of the Waldorf WAHM type websites.

I didn't hunt for the best prices but here's a start:
http://www.waldorfsupplies.com/crayons.html
http://www.islandtreasuretoys.com/homeschool_supplies.html
http://www.rosiehippo.com/productdetail.asp?groupnumber=S405
http://www.waldorftreasures.com/artsupplycraftkit/artsupplies/stockmar/stockmar.htm
http://www.achildsdream.com/arts_crafts_kits/art_supplies.htm

HTH. They hold up really well.

ETA: We've purchased some stickers and stickerbooks from www.bookcloseouts.com as well. They have good prices. AC Moore sells little sticker books (small ones) for about a dollar each. They have various themes....cats, dogs, dinosaurs, farm animals, Noah's ark, etc. They are pretty cute. (at our local store they are in a display near the checkout).

[manda7_23]

Thanks! I have one more question. Should i get the chunkier block ones or the regular kind? My DD is 14 months.

Amanda

[bluestar2]

We have the block crayons and DC really like them. The block crayons are not going to break easily and they last a long time. I like that they can use the blocks for shading as well as drawing. We've had Crayola crayons and though I've heard the the Stockmar stick crayons don't break as easily as those, I didn't want to take any chances. At about 14 months, all my DC wanted to do with crayons was peel off the paper, break them and eat them. We also have the Lyra coloring pencils, which are great if you are looking for a stick form. The short ones hold up really well and we have yet to break one. They also last a long time. The colors on both the Stockmar and the Lyra are just beautiful :)
We got them at the local Waldorf school. They were about $12, and I didn't have to pay shipping.

We got some sticker books from book closeouts. The Maurice Pledger ones are really nice, so nice that it seems a bit of a shame to let DC have at them now. I may wait a bit until they can appreciate the learning lesson (where the animals live etc). All they really want to do now is to peel the stickers off, stick them on whatever's around and crumple them up so we've just been buying the little sticker packs for now.

[Elena]

I'll second Maurice Pledger's sticker books from Bookclosouts.

But, I am in the minority here on Stockmar crayons. We have both blocks and the regular ones, and neither of them seem to me to be worth the price. I'd recommend the Scola Chubbie Stumps Wax Crayons:

http://www.classroomdirect.com/cgi-bin/sgin0108.exe?CODIV=0115&UID=2006021012140705&T1=AS40+W&FNM=00&UREQA=N&UREQB=7&GEN9=clearance

The picture shows a bigger box, but you get 40 Count for $3.99. They are unbreakable, and I specifically tried to compare their colors to Stockmar's. I couldn't tell by looking at the piece of paper which ones I used - they were so similar. I read about Chubbie Stumps in "Young at Art" by Susan Striker. They were her top recommendation for crayons.

Also, if you buy from Classroom Direct, they have the best prices for Crayola fingerpaints:

http://www.classroomdirect.com/cgi-bin/sgin0108.exe?CODIV=0115&UID=2006021012140705&T1=133238+BIN&FNM=00&UREQA=N&UREQB=7&GEN9=clearance

Classroom Direct offers free shipping if you order $50.

HTH

[californiagirl]

For stickers, at 14 months (well, even now at 22 months) I find quantity is more important than quality. I like Oriental Trading Company http://www.orientaltrading.com/otcweb/application?namespace=search&origin=searchMain.jsp&event=button.search&Ntt=stickers&x=0&y=0&Ntk=all&Ntx=mode%2Bmatchallpartial&N=0

The roll stickers are pretty big; we tend to prefer the little ones like this:
http://www.orientaltrading.com/otcweb/application?namespace=browse&origin=searchMain.jsp&event=link.itemDetails&demandPrefix=12&sku=9/321&mode=Searching&searchDestinationJSP=/search/searchMain.jsp&erec=1&D=stickers&Dx=mode%252bmatchallpartial&Ntx=mode%252bmatchallpartial&Ne=90000&Ntt=stickers&N=342675&y=0&x=0&Ntk=all

Periodically they have holiday sets this size on sale for half price. Since DD does not care in the least if she is using Santa Claus in the middle of June, that REALLY works for us. But they're literally a dime a dozen stickers when they're NOT on sale...

[brittone2]

I think it depends on the kid as well. DS started w/ blocks around 10-11 months and he was fine with them. I do know a lot of kids prefer the sticks. DS now thinks all crayons should be peeled LOL because he started w/ the blocks.

We have both blocks and sticks and like them both. The sticks are still pretty sturdy and thick...I might go with those if I *had* to pick one, but YMMV.

[ett]

As PP mentioned, bookcloseouts.com is a great place to get cheap stickers/sticker books. AC Moore also has a good selection of stickers and sticker books. The prices are pretty good if you use the 40% off coupons.

[bluestar2]

Can I find these at a B & M store? I'd love to try them, but hate paying for shipping. Thanks for posting!

[manda7_23]

Thanks for the suggestions! I think i will just stick with the cheap stickers on the rolls for now as one previous poster said, my DD pretty much just likes to stick them to paper. But those sticker books look really nice for when she is a bit older. She also pretty much just wants to put the crayons in her mouth, but i'm trying to teach her how to scribble lol... right now she just makes dots on the paper.

Amanda

[manda7_23]

Are the chubbie stumps non-toxic/safe to put in mouth? TIA

AManda

[Elena]

Yes, Chubbi Stumps are rated AP (non-toxic) on the NASCO page:

http://www.enasco.com/earlylearning/ProductDetail.do?sku=SB40072J

I like them because they
1. have a high wax content so they don’t break easily and last forever
2. My son wouldn't try to eat them since they are very hard to bite a piece off.
3. They don't melt and mark your hands
4. I like the thick size (2 3/8" x 5/8")
5. Great price

I've seen them mostly in school supply catalogs and catalogs for kids with disabilities. This is what the box of 40 looks like:

http://www.tuffware.com/school/markers/stumps.html

[duvie]

FWIW, I liked the Chubbi Stumps until this morning when DS colored on the wall. I had a very hard time removing them...think that I am going back to Crayola washables!

[Elena]

Yeah, neither Chubbi Stumps nor Stockmar crayons are washable. But Crayola washables break - nothing is perfect in this world :) !