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Introduction: 10 Unusual Uses for Pencils

As we type more and write less, pencils are slowly losing their place of importance in our lives. I'm here to give you 10 good reasons, via some unusual uses, to keep these classic (and in my opinion, good looking) tools around and at the ready.

Step 1: Erase Crayon From Walls

The little pink eraser at the end of the common pencil is a champion at removing stray crayon 'art' that has found it way onto any satin or gloss painted wall.

NOTE: Do a tiny test area first to make sure the friction won't remove or dull your paint.

Step 2: Tame Those Cuticles

Use the eraser at the end of a pencil as a cuticle stick. Do this by gently pushing back the cuticle, following the natural shape of your nail bed.

Step 3: Offer Plant Support

Use any sharpened pencil (green of course is the least noticeable) as a stake to support any small plant that needs a friend to lean on.

(These are plants from my Terrarium Table instructable.)

Step 4: Make Rubbings

Place a piece of paper over interesting textures like leaves, city surfaces, or recently used note pads (read: criminal investigation).Then use the flat edge of a sharpened pencil and gently rub a layer of graphite over the object/texture.

Step 5: Have Emergency Drum Practice

Use the eraser ends of two unsharpened pencils to practice your fat beats and precise rhythms, on say, some strategically placed plastic food containers.

WARNING: May become a rockstar if used daily.

Step 6: Roll Your Toothpaste Tube

Use an old, shortened pencil to roll/squeeze your toothpaste tube and make sure that you don't waste a drop.

Step 7: Keep Sewing Supplies Handy

A pencil eraser is the perfect sized pin cushion for the casual tailor or occasional sewist.

Step 8: Remove Sticker Gunk

The classic pink pencil eraser is incredibly good at removing sticker gunk. Just rub it back and forth over the stubborn goo as if erasing pencil marks. You will be surprised at how effective it is!

Step 9: Make a 10 Second Hair Bun

Pencils are great make-shift hair sticks! For those with long hair, here's how to use one to create a really quick and attractive hair bun:

1. Sharpen a pencil until it's about 1/2 - 1" shorter than it's original size.

2. Draw enough squiggles on a scrap piece of paper to soften/dull the tip of the graphite so it won't hurt your scalp.

3. Put the pencil in your mouth to keep it handy.

4. Gather your hair at the back of your head as if you're going to put it in a pony tail and hold it in place with your non-dominant hand.

5. Use your dominant hand to twist the rest of your hair all the way to the ends. (counter clockwise for right handers, and clockwise for South paws)

6. Then start to twist your hair around into a bun shape following the same direction as above depending on which hand is dominant.

7. Once you have it twisted into a bun, hold the shape in place with your non-dominat hand and with your dominant hand, take the pencil and do the following:

With the tip of the pencil, grab a bit of hair from halfway in the to the center of the bun on the side of your dominant hand.

Pull the pencil to the edge of the bun and push the tip gently towards your scalp and then run it under the bun along your scalp.

Poke it back up through the other side of the bun.

8. That should hold it comfortably in place with very little pressure on your scalp.

NOTE: If it doesn't work the first time, don't get discouraged! It may take a couple of tries to get the hang of it. Once you do, and establish good muscle memory, this is the quickest way I've found of getting my hair up and looking great in a non-ponytail style.

Step 10: Make Wrapping Paper

Erasers make really great stamps! You can use single pencils to make dots or rubber band seven (or more) together to make a mod flower shape! Have fun trying different patterns and colors.

Step 11: BONUS USE: As Legs for a 3D Printed Robot!

My co-worker Randofo did a great and super fun instructable on how to make a simple 3D printed robot. And it just happens to use pencils as legs! If you have access to a 3D printer and want to get tricky, give it a try!

And as always, if you have other uses to share or try any of the above uses and want to show off your results, please add your thoughts and photos to the comment section!

Let's keep these great tools around working hard for us!

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For more unusual uses of another common household item, check out my instructable on 10 Unusual Uses for Baking Soda.

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10 Unusual Uses for Pencils: As we type more and write less, pencils are slowly losing their place of importance in our lives. I'm here to give you 10 good reasons, via some unusual uses, to keep these classic (and in my opinion, good looking) tools around and at the ready.

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how pencils are made video for kids - Google Search

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How Scissors are Made | American Made Scissors

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Written by Jason Lefebvre Illustrated by Zac Retz

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The Crayon Man Activity for National Crayon Day - Keep 'em Thinking

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Everyone loves crayons! Kids and adults alike. I remember as a little child getting my box of 64 counts Crayola crayons. I was so excited when they added a crayon sharpener on the front of the box. There's just something about a brand-new box of crayons that brings a smile to your face.

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Natascha Biebow children's book author, editor and creator

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Fun activities inspired by THE CRAYON MAN: The True Story of the Invention of Crayola Crayons. Read-aloud storytelling, crayon doodle diary, coloring sheets, videos and other fun activities just for kids

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When Pencil draws on the pages of this book, Eraser erases parts of Pencil's work, and the book itself becomes a canvas for their different takes on creativity―until the two discover their artwork is even better when they work together.

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When Pencil draws on the pages of this book, Eraser erases parts of Pencil's work, and the book i

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This lesson will demonstrate the making of Crayola products to introduce natural, capital, and human resources as well as touching on some other aspects in the Crayola industry such as producers and consumers.

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All resources are limited. It is this simple fact--scarcity--that forces us to make decisions. When we do make a choice, we pass up some other opportunity. Opportunity cost is defined as the next best alternative not chosen, or the alternative given up, when we make a decision. There are opportunity costs in making decisions about which movie you’d like to see at a certain time, how to spend your allowance, or deciding how to dress for Halloween.

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" The Legend of Rock, Paper, Scissors " by Drew Daywalt is one of my very favorite read-aloud books because of the fun and humorous storytelling. The book shows the origin of the game "rock paper scissors" and the battles between these objects. Kids laugh out loud at the action-packed humor and love the epic battles...and I'm sure you will too! Kids gobble up the hilarity of the story, which leaves you in a great position to open up conversations about friendships, problems solving strategies, good sportsmanship, and more.

The fun, yet dramatic storytelling will keep your kids engaged. The clever wordplay will keep them thinking and also really teach an important lesson; we learn how the game of "rock paper scissors" came about but also see that each character rises to the challenge and winning isn't always everything.

Skills to teach with "The Legend of Rock, Paper, Scissors":

5 Favorite "Rock, Paper, Scissors" Activities

" The Legend of Rock, Paper, Scissors " will quickly become a favorite...and probably bring some epic rock, paper, scissors battles among your students. But it also leads to some really fun and meaningful activities and discussions that you can have with your students. Get ready to have some great conversations with your students about friendships, learning from your losses, good sportsmanship, being challenged (in a good way) by those around you, using our own talents to shine, and allowing others to do the same, and also celebrating victories.

Here are some of my favorite activities to do after reading the book.

1. "Rock was still unsatisfied."

Rock thought we would be pleased after battling clothespin and winning, but he was still not satisfied. Students may relate to Rock and understand how Rock feels. There may be times we feel like we really want or need something, but then it is not all that it has cracked up to be. The feelings of disappointment may be difficult to explain, but students can empathize with Rock's feelings and write about a time that they were unsatisfied with an outcome.

2. "But the battle had been too easy."

Throughout the story, Rock is confident in his abilities to duel. He is looking for a challenge, as he understands his strengths. Sometimes it is difficult or feels awkward to point out our own strengths; but speaking about being confident will help students appreciate their own talents as much as they do other's.

Students can write about something that makes them feel confident. Exploring their own strengths will help them realize their talents and build their confidence.

3. "And so with a heavy heart, Paper departed."

Paper wins the battle, but is still unhappy. This is a great time to discuss how winning is not everything, there are many times that a "win" in life does not bring us the happiness that we think. Does winning always mean a battle or a game? There are so many great opportunities to discuss sportsmanship and Paper's win is one of them. Is winning everything? How can you be a gracious winner? How can you accept losses in life? What helpful strategies can you use to help when you feel defeated?

Students can write about why winning isn't everything and their feelings about winning as well as losing graciously.

4. "And so Scissors traveled seeking out a challenger."

Just as we can feel confident with our talents, we can also teach students to accept and learn from things that challenge us. We should not shy away from something when it gets hard. You can discuss strategies to use when you feel frustrated by challenges and how to apply these strategies to push through when things are difficult. Some students may enjoy the feeling of a challenge, just as the characters in the book do; but some may feel frustrated and discussing strategies to use when we are faced with a challenge will help students when those occasions arise.

Students can write about something that is challenging for them and how they feel when they are challenged.

5. "I hope you're wearing your battle pants."

One of my very favorite activities when reading "The Legend of Rock, Paper, Scissors" is creating your own "battle pants." Students can decorate their pants with words, pictures, phrases, etc. that describe them. It is a fun "get to know you" activity that students will love to share...and the pants turn out so cute too! It makes a fun display as well as a fun activity to get their "battle pants" ready by describing themselves and all of their talents.

" The Legend of Rock, Paper, Scissors " is such a fun book to share with your students. Your students will laugh out loud, you will have the chance to read in your very best WWE announcer voice, and everyone will be rooting for their favorites. This hilarious book gives us so many great lessons to share with students: friendships, sportsmanship, growth mindset, and more. You and your students are sure to mark this as a new favorite, for sure!

I hope you and your students love it!

You can grab a free one-page guide for using this book in your classroom here:

You can find more of my favorite read-aloud books HERE.

And read more about why I think reading aloud is so important HERE.

You might like this blog post about self-love.

Check out all of my favorite read aloud books and grab free guides for reading aloud HERE.

You might also like to read more about these books:

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You can find the book, "The Legend of Rock, Paper, Scissors" here:

This is an affiliate link and I receive a small commission when you purchase with this link.

Happy Teaching!

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The Legend of Rock Paper Scissors: Rising to the Challenge

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The Legend of Rock Paper Scissors is such a fun book to share with students. Grab a free guide to use for reading aloud.

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Activity Guide for Rock, Paper, Scissors

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Activity Guide for Rock, Paper, Scissors

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