SUMMIT, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Thousands of elementary school kids in New Jersey can save the environment and give back to children’s hospitals through The Great Crayon Cleanout, a new effort announced today by Bedtime Math Foundation in partnership with The Crayon Initiative.
Any elementary school in New Jersey can register to be a part of the action. Students will gather up used crayons and crayon stubs from their homes and classrooms. Bedtime Math’s free kit will guide teachers and students through colorful math exercises, in which the kids will count, sort and weigh the crayons to learn basic statistics. Top-collecting schools will vie for one of 10 grand prizes.
“Every pound of broken pieces of crayon saved from the landfill can make 40 fresh new crayons, instead of becoming non-biodegradable sludge,” said Laura Overdeck, founder of Bedtime Math. “The Great Crayon Cleanout is a great way to get kids thinking about numbers in a meaningful way, while saving the environment and helping other kids. It’s the perfect blend of number sense and good citizenship. We’re proud to make this happen in our home state, and hope to expand beyond the Garden State next year.”
Schools that would like to participate must sign up online by May 13 at www.bedtimemath.org/crayons. Crayon collection and math activities will be completed the week of June 6-10. The free kit also includes a copy of the book Bedtime Math: The Truth Comes Out for the school library, as well as pre-paid shipping supplies donated by Bedtime Math.
“Crayons are a building block of childhood creativity. In order for kids to grow, they need to have the freedom to express themselves through art,” said Bryan Ware, founder of The Crayon Initiative. “We are excited to partner with Bedtime Math to expand our efforts in New Jersey. Together we’re providing more children with the tools they need to unlock their artistic potential while reducing waste in landfills, and rolling in a little math at the same time.”
Crayons from across the state will be consolidated by a sponsor’s employee volunteers during the week of June 19. The Crayon Initiative will then melt down the discarded crayons to manufacture new packs, which will be donated to the following New Jersey children’s hospitals:
- Children's Specialized Hospital
- K. Hovnanian Children's Hospital at Jersey Shore University Medical Center
- Saint Barnabas Children's Center Saint Barnabas Medical Center
- St. Joseph's Children's Hospital
- The Bristol-Myers Squibb Children's Hospital at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital
- The Children's Hospital at Monmouth Medical Center
- The Children's Hospital at Saint Peter's University Hospital
- The Children's Regional Hospital at Cooper
- The Goryeb Children's Hospital
- The Joseph M. Sanzari Children's Hospital Hackensack University Medical Center
- Voorhees Pediatric Facility
For more information about The Great Crayon Cleanout, or to speak with Bedtime Math founder Laura Overdeck, contact Sandy LoPiccolo at 908-444-4532 or sandy@bedtimemath.org.
About Bedtime Math Foundation
Bedtime Math Foundation is a Summit-based nonprofit organization that seeks to put the fun and discovery back into learning math. Its core product is a zany online math problem that parents can do with their kids every day; a recent study from the University of Chicago showed that when families do Bedtime Math together, kids’ math skills improve by months. Bedtime Math is also the creator of Crazy 8s, a lively, hands-on after-school math club that has donated more than 6,000 club kits nationwide, serving more than 80,000 children. For more information, visit www.bedtimemath.org.
About The Crayon Initiative
The Crayon Initiative is a Northern California based-nonprofit devoted to promoting the arts for children by providing them access to the resources they need. The group believes that in order to grow and learn, children need the freedom to be creative and express themselves through art. The Crayon Initiative organizes crayon collections of unwanted crayons, remanufactures them, and provides them to the hospitals that care for our kids. For more information, visit www.thecrayoninitiative.org.
