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Clever "Element" Crayons Help Kids Learn the Periodic Table as They Color

labeled periodic table

There's more than one way to memorize the elements on the Periodic table. You can turn them into a rousing game of Battleship or brighten up the pages of your favorite coloring book with Calcium, Potassium, and Titanium. Etsy shop Que Interesante adds some educational fun to art supplies by selling labels that match a chemical element with a wax crayon, turning your coloring tools into a labeled periodic table.

The pairing of chemical and color is done in a thoughtful and clever way–Que Interesante uses the “flame test” to determine group elements by hue. This scientific procedure detects the presence of certain elements based on the color of flame produced. When put under this test, Lithium, has a red flame, so it's coupled with a crayon of the same color. Likewise, Barium emits a green blaze and is matched accordingly. The goal is to help expose children to names of the elements so that they passively learn about them as they color.

Que Interesante sells sets of 24, 96, and 120 labels, depending on how scientifically detailed you'd like your crayons. They are all available in their Etsy shop.

Your kids will love chemistry with this easy way to transform crayons into a labeled periodic table.

periodic table for kids

kids periodic table

labeled periodic table

labeled periodic table crayons

Que Interesante: Etsy
via [Best of Etsy]

Sara Barnes

Sara Barnes is a Staff Editor at My Modern Met, Manager of My Modern Met Store, and co-host of the My Modern Met Top Artist Podcast. As an illustrator and writer living in Seattle, she chronicles illustration, embroidery, and beyond through her blog Brown Paper Bag and Instagram @brwnpaperbag. She wrote a book about embroidery artist Sarah K. Benning titled "Embroidered Life" that was published by Chronicle Books in 2019. Sara is a graduate of the Maryland Institute College of Art. She earned her BFA in Illustration in 2008 and MFA in Illustration Practice in 2013.
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