For me, back to school means school supplies. I found comfort in this familiar, annual ritual. My Dad’s job had us moving to a new city every two or three years.  I attended new schools in Kindergarten, Grade 1, Grade 3, Grade 5, Grade 7,  and Grade 10.  As a result, I didn’t always have the fun of seeing old friends again but I could rely on school supplies.

As an elementary student in the late 1970s and early 1980s, I loved shopping for pens, notebooks and just the right pencil box. The prospect of new markers was, perhaps, my biggest joy. At the time, Laurentien markers from Faber-Castell were the premium choice.

I was interested to find out that Crayola first offered their markers in 1978. Crayola Washable Markers were introduced in 1987. Today, local school supply lists are filled with Crayola products. The Laurentien brand seems to be defunct but Faber-Castell, the oldest pencil making company in the world, continues to make the world’s finest art pencils, markers and supplies.

I could while away hours doodling and colouring. And now it’s THE thing to do. Isn’t it interesting that colouring books for adults are trendy?