{"title":"Kids › Writing","description":"","products":[{"product_id":"historic-folk-toys-desk-colonial-cedar-pencil-5-set","title":"Colonial Cedar Pencil' (5\/Set)","description":"\u003cstrong\u003eColonial Cedar Pencil (5\/Set)\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #ff0000;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eProduct Description:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e Our Colonial Cedar Pencils are a set of five round, natural 7-inch cedar pencils without erasers similar to those used in England and imported to the American colonies during the 18th century. Pencils of this nature would have had to be sharpened by whittling or cutting one end with a knife. No pencil sharpeners for those colonists! Pencils are neatly wrapped in a parchment history sheet.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #ff0000;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHistorical Background:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e The word \"pencil\" comes from the Middle English word \"pensel\" and the Middle French word \"pincel,\" which is derived from the Latin word \"penicullus\" (meaning a painter's brush, pencil or stylus). The English word \"pencil\" came into use in the late-16th century to describe what we call it today.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe first pencils were produced in Keswick, England, with Cumberland Graphite. Pencil making was first a cottage industry in Keswick with families making artists' pencils in their homes. These home-based pencil \"factories\" were the origin of the pencil industry.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eGraphite was discovered in 1500 in Cumberland, Keswick, England, when shepherds went to check on their sheep after a violent storm. They found a black material under the subsoil that had been torn away where trees fell. They first thought this black material was coal, but it would not burn. It proved to be an excellent means for marking their sheep, though. The British government took over these mines after it discovered how valuable this black material was. This material was first called \"Wad\" and a graphite pencil was known locally there as a \"Wad pencil.\" The mines in Keswick produced graphite for over 300 years until they closed in 1890.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eGraphite was called black lead or \"plumbago\" because, at the time it was discovered, it was thought to be a type of lead. The name graphite comes from the Greek word \"graphein,\" which means \"to write.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAround 1560, graphite wrapped in string or inserted in wooden tubes came into use as writing utensils. It is the carbon found in graphite that gives it its degree of blackness. Pencils were produced in Nuremberg (now Germany) in 1662 but were inferior to pencils made in England. The process of mixing graphite with clay and water was invented by French chemist and Napoleon courier Nicolas-Jacques Conte in 1795. This became the best process for making pencil leads and is still used today.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn 1812, William Munroe produced wood-cased lead pencils in Boston, Massachusetts. He and other pencil makers began manufacturing pencils with dried graphite paste, which was inferior to the English-made pencils made from higher quality graphite.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Pencils made with high-quality Asian graphite were painted yellow to indicate the source of the graphite.\" Most of the pencils manufactured today are still painted yellow. The pencil industry grew as demand increased. Over 20 million pencils were being consumed in the United States during the early 1870s. In 1892, Dixon Crucible manufactured more than 30 million pencils. By 1912, U.S. production of pencils was 750 million and the world's production was 2 billion.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBenjamin Ball made square leads for pencils in the mid-19th century. They were typically off-center and the wood cases were somewhat out-of-round. Square lead was commonly used in most wood-cased pencils until the mid-1870s. All black lead pencils exhibited at the Centennial in Philadelphia in 1876 contained square leads. Square leads were the norm for a long time because they were easier and faster to make. A square grove was cut into the wood of the pencil casing and then lead was inserted and trimmed. Another piece of wood casing was then put on top and glued. Square lead pencils were produced until the last quarter of the 19th century.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDifferent machinery was needed to produce the casings for round lead wood pencils. When dealing with round leads, a rounded grove would have to be cut into both top and bottom pieces of the casing. Round pencils were not always perfectly centered. \"Joseph Dixon Crucible Company was among the first manufacturers of pencils to use round leads,\" which happened after the Centennial. When pencil sharpeners were invented, pencil manufacturers had to center the leads in the casing or the sharpened pencil point would be off-centered. (If you would like to see how a cedar pencil is made, visit Musgrave Pencil Co. Inc. online at www.pencils.net\/slats.cfm.)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eEventually, pencils were numbered 1 to 4 to indicate the hardness of the lead, with 4 being the hardest lead. Later, letters were used to describe pencil leads:\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eH -- hard;\u003cbr\u003eB -- blackness of the pencil's mark;\u003cbr\u003eF -- indicates that a pencil can be sharpened to a very fine point;\u003cbr\u003eHB -- hard and black; and,\u003cbr\u003eHH -- very hard.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBesides graphite pencils, there were also slate pencils. School children used slate pencils during the second half of the 19th century and the early part of the 20th century to write on tablets cut from harder grades of slate. Slate pencils are narrow slips cut from solid pieces of softer grades of slate or soapstone and do not contain graphite. Slate pencils were available with the slate core unwrapped, wrapped in paper, or encased in wood like a lead pencil. Until the 1930s, Eagle Pencil Company sold wood-cased slate pencils with fiber erasers. Other companies that advertised slate pencils were Holden \u0026amp; Cutter (Boston, Massachusetts circa 1840-1860); Grigg \u0026amp; Elliot (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania circa 1850-1860); and Charles J. Cohen (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania circa 1878).\u003cbr\u003eFun Fact: \"Bullet Pencils\" were also called pencil holders, which got their name from a rifle cartridge. Civil War soldiers stored their pencils in the end of a used rifle cartridge so that the pencil tips would not break off in their packs.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #ff0000;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFun Fact:\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eTwo billion pencils are made in the U.S. each year. If laid end to end, a year's production of U.S. pencils would go around the world's equator about 15 times!\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #ff0000;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFun Fact:\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eErasers were attached to pencils with a \"ferrule\" in 1858.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #ff0000;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFun Fact:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e A pencil lead or a line drawn by a pencil will conduct electricity!\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #ff0000;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFun Fact:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e Colored pencils are made from chalk, clay or wax and mixed with binders and pigments.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #ff0000;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFun Fact:\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eOne pencil will draw a line 70 miles long!\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #ff0000;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFun Fact:\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eThe average pencil can be sharpened 17 times.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #ff0000;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFun Fact:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e Francis Scott Key wrote \"The Star Spangled Banner\" in pencil.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #ff0000;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFun Fact:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e A good-size tree will make about 300,000 pencils.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #ff0000;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFun Fact:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e Most of the graphite used for today's pencils comes from Sri Lanka, Madagascar, Mexico, and Siberia.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eEarly Pencil Manufacturers: William Munroe (Boston area, 1812), Benjamin Ball (Harvard, Massachusetts, 1820s-1850s), John Thoreau (father of Henry David Thoreau), and Joseph Dixon.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCompanies That Advertised Other Manufactured Pencils: Holden \u0026amp; Cutter (Boston, Massachusetts) advertised French and English lead pencils circa 1840-1860; Grigg \u0026amp; Elliot (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) advertised Faber's, Guttknecht, and Brookman \u0026amp; Lagdon's lead pencils circa 1858.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOther Pencil manufacturers: Musgrave Pencil Company (since 1916), Dixon Ticonderoga Company, Cumberland Pencil Company (www.pencils.net.co.uk), Atlas Pen \u0026amp; Pencil, Eagle Pencil Company (in 1862, they won an award in London); Eberhard Faber (their factory in New York made pencils using leads from Germany); The American Lead Pencil Company; and Joseph Dixon Crucible Company. The last three companies were the principle U.S. manufacturers of pencils in latter 19th and early 20th centuries.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePACKAGE DIMENSIONS -\u003c\/strong\u003e 1 x 7 x 0.75\"","brand":"Historical Folk Toys, LLC","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":12583432290381,"sku":"DESK1HF102","price":5.5,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/2187\/2175\/files\/pencil.jpg?v=1769714783"},{"product_id":"historic-folk-toys-desk-make-your-own-goose-quill-pen","title":"Goose Quill Pen Kit","description":"\u003cstrong\u003eGoose Quill Pen\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #ff0000;\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eOur Make Your Own Goose Quill Pen package includes simple directions for cutting your own quill pen, two easy ink recipes and an authentic white goose quill (approximately 12 inches long) like the ones used in the signing of the Declaration of Independence and in Early American schools. Our kit makes a great rainy-day project for one or more eager learners. Ink can be made from berries mixed with common household ingredients. Kit includes recipes for walnut ink and berry ink. Adult supervision suggested.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #ff0000;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHistorical Background:\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eThe word \"pen\" comes from the Latin word \"penna,\" which means feather. The Spanish theologian St. Isidore of Seville is referenced as using a quill pen during the 7th century.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eQuill pens were used to write and sign the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, and many other historical documents. The quill pen flourished for over a thousand years as an essential writing utensil. By 1850, quill pens were less often used because of the quality of steel nibs had improved and were replacing quill pens.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWriting with a quill pen meant cutting the tip of the goose quill with a sharp knife, hence the name \"penknife.\" After the quill was shaped, the tip was dipped into ink. One could only write a few words with the amount of ink from each dip. After much dipping and writing, the quill would need to be cut again until a new quill had to be used. If a long letter or document were written, it likely took more than one quill, thus the consistency of the handwriting would be lost.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBecause of the vast numbers of quills required, farms were established to raise geese for their quills. The left wing feathers were preferred by right-handed writers because of the curvature of the feather. The preferred goose quills are the five left outer wing \"flight feathers.\" Other birds used for their quills include owls, hawks, eagles, swans, turkeys, ducks, and crows.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWriting with a quill pen required a supply of other materials such as ink, an inkwell, a pen wipe, a penknife, a steel ink eraser, a portable writing case for travel, and a sander or pounce to assist in drying the ink. We take writing with a pen taken for granted these days because ball-point pens, fountain pens, and other types are so readily available. Writing with a goose quill and homemade berry ink is a good way to experience what it was like for our forefathers and foremothers. It is also just plain fun to create your own pen and write with ink that you can make yourself from common household items.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #ff0000;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFun Fact:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e Thomas Jefferson kept a flock of geese solely for the purpose of supplying writing quills.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #ff0000;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFun Fact:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e Abraham Lincoln preferred an eagle feather for writing.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePACKAGE DIMENSIONS -\u003c\/strong\u003e 2.75 x 13.5 x 0.25\"","brand":"Historical Folk Toys, LLC","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":12583432421453,"sku":"DESK1HF103","price":6.25,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/2187\/2175\/files\/cts_crsdler_11.jpg?v=1769794130"},{"product_id":"historic-folk-toys-desk-schoolhouse-chalkboard-set","title":"Schoolhouse Chalkboard Set","description":"\u003cstrong\u003eSchoolhouse Chalkboard Set\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOur Schoolhouse Chalkboard Set includes a 5-inch by 7-inch wood frame chalkboard, a one-inch eraser made of wood and felt, two sticks of chalk, and a booklet featuring eleven 19th-century popular schoolroom and childhood games. Our Chalkboard Set is great for car rides, party games or teaching children what it was like when students in one-room schools had to do their learning on slate chalkboards.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #ff0000;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHistorical Background:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e In one-room schools, children used slates to practice writing letters and numbers (mostly to do math problems). They sometimes used their slates to play games when not learning their lessons. When they did, they played Tic Tac Toe, Dots, and other number and letter games. To clear the confusion between a slate board and a blackboard, slate is a dark metamorphic rock while a blackboard is a board that is painted black. They are, however, both known as chalkboards.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eEarly models of small, hand-held chalkboards used in one-room schools were slates encased in a wood frame to keep the slate from breaking. Pencil and paper were available but paper was very expensive. Using a small, hand-held slate meant that a child could practice writing, erase and write again without having to consume expensive paper.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePeggy Kidwell wrote a short history of school chalkboards and states: \"A bit of grit mixed in with the paint made them (the chalkboards) easier to write on.\" In 1809, a one-room school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, used the first large blackboard. By the mid-1800s, blackboards were found in many one-room schools. Teachers realized that they could teach an entire classroom at one time using a large blackboard. This method also saved teachers' time from having to write math problems on each child's slate. Pencils and paper eventually replaced the hand-held slate boards by the 1930s.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #ff0000;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFun Fact:\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eThe slate from quarries in the \"Slate Valley\" of New York and Vermont are among the finest slate in the world, along with slate from Portugal and Wales.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #ff0000;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFun Fact:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e Beginning in the late 1840s, railroads made it possible to ship larger pieces of slate from quarries to schools across the midwestern United States.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #ff0000;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFun Fact:\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eOne of the first large schools to use large slate boards was the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, New York.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePACKAGE DIMENSIONS -\u003c\/strong\u003e 6.5 x 8.75 x 0.75\"","brand":"Historical Folk Toys, LLC","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":12583432749133,"sku":"DESK1HF104","price":16.25,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/2187\/2175\/products\/DESK1HF104.jpg?v=1769720632"},{"product_id":"howard-printing-coloring-book-abcs-of-vermont","title":"Howard Printing: Coloring Book, 'ABC's of Vermont'","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cem\u003eABC's of Vermont\u003c\/em\u003e coloring and activity book teaches kids ages 3 and up, about the ABC's in an exciting way through \"Vermontiana\" imagery. Front and back cover are full color images and the inside has pages to color and draw, as well as word searches and other fun puzzles.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePRODUCT DETAILS:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePublisher: Howard Printing\u003cbr\u003eAuthor: Sarah Dupeyron\u003cbr\u003eFormat: Softcover\u003cbr\u003eNumber of Pages: 29\u003cbr\u003eNumber of Images: 27\u003cbr\u003eDimensions: 9 x 11 Inches (US)\u003cbr\u003eOriginal publication year: 2007\u003cbr\u003eISBN: 9780979379000\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Howard Printing Inc","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":28406491480141,"sku":"BOOK1HP102","price":5.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/2187\/2175\/files\/abcs.jpg?v=1779639596"},{"product_id":"butternut-mountain-farm-sugarhouse-coloring-book-book1bf101","title":"Butternut Mountain Farm: Coloring Book, 'Welcome to Our Sugarhouse'","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWelcome to Our Sugarhouse is an excellent coloring book with a story that teaches children and adults about the origins of \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003emaple syrup and how it gets to the table.  Front and back cover are full color images and the inside has pages to color and draw, while explaining the history and process of maple syrup.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \n\n  \n\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePRODUCT DETAILS:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePublisher: Pyramid Publishing\u003cbr\u003eAuthor: Jean Fischer\u003cbr\u003eFormat: Softcover\u003cbr\u003eNumber of Pages: 16\u003cbr\u003eNumber of Images: 31\u003cbr\u003eDimensions: 8 x 10 Inches (US)\u003cbr\u003eOriginal publication year: 2002\u003cbr\u003eISBN: 1885920775\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Butternut Mountain Farm","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42303079874740,"sku":"BOOK1BF101","price":2.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/2187\/2175\/files\/coloring-book.webp?v=1777300951"}],"url":"https:\/\/store.benningtonmuseum.org\/collections\/kids-writing\/kids.oembed","provider":"Bennington Museum STORE","version":"1.0","type":"link"}