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School chalk comes in various types, especially when discussing the 12-color variants. Each type serves a different purpose, whether in class, at home, or elsewhere. These types mainly differ in texture and application, and here are some popular ones:
Traditional Chalk
The typical school chalk comprises calcium sulfate or calcium carbonate. It is mainly used for blackboards or chalkboards. The 12 colors of traditional school chalk include white, yellow, green, blue, red, pink, brown, purple, orange, light blue, teal, and lavender. Though the colors are not very bright, they work well with chalkboards. Chalk easily wipes off without leaving any residue. Traditional chalk sticks are great for teachers and instructors who prefer simple chalk for their lessons and notes.
Semi-Permanent Liquid Chalk
A semi-permanent liquid chalk is mainly for those who want their chalk artwork or messages to last longer than ordinary chalk. Liquid chalk comes in a liquid form and is housed in a marker-like pen for easy application. It is primarily used on non-porous boards or windows. Liquid chalk can create vibrant colors not easily found in traditional chalk. Once it dries, it becomes semi-permanent, which means it won’t easily smudge, but it can still be wiped off with a damp cloth. Liquid chalk is usually preferred for art, detailed work, or messages.
Dustless Chalk
Dustless school chalk contains additives like gypsum to reduce dust when writing on boards. The 12-color options usually include white, yellow, green, blue, red, pink, orange, purple, and shades of blue and brown. The colors come in bright and deep shades for better visibility. Dustless chalk is mainly for health-conscious individuals. It produces minimal or no dust compared to other chalks. The low dust formulation makes it an excellent option for classrooms or closed learning environments.
Sidewalk Chalk
Sidewalk chalk is more robust than indoor school chalk. It, too, comes in different colors. Although it is available in varying sizes, many 12-color sidewalk chalk are large and designed for kids to draw on pavements and sidewalks. This chalk is thicker, so kids can easily grip it while making masterpieces on the ground.
Chalk Pastels
Pastel chalk has a narrower range of colors than regular chalk due to its higher pigment concentration. It is mainly used for art and drawing on paper. Chalk pastels are softer and more blendable. Artists can easily observe this and communicate, creating a wide array of shades and softer tones in their masterpieces. Chalk pastels do not show up well on boards or sidewalks. Unless fixed with a spray, they smudge easily and can be blown away by wind.
The design, construction, or even texture of 12-color school chalk depends on the type it takes. Below are details of some of its designs:
Shapes and Size
School chalk typically comes in sticks or nibs, depending on what it is intended for. Regular school chalks are in sticks. The sticks can be as small as 0.24 inches in diameter to as wide as 0.79 inch in diameter. Liquid chalks are in pen-like nibs for precise application. Sidewalk chalk, on the other hand, is thicker. It is about 0.79 - 1.57 inches in diameter. This thicker design helps it withstand the harsh outdoor environment.
Some pastels come in sharpened sticks. Others are in sets of sticks of varying widths. This enables the artists to choose the pastels in lighter or darker hues for different purposes.
Color and Patterns
The traditional chalk for school typically comes in basic colors. They are white, yellow, green, blue, red, and brown. However, the modern 12-color school chalk has more neon and vibrant shades. This is especially so with liquid chalk. Chalk pastels may come in a single shade for more professional work. Sometimes, they might include multiple shades in a single stick. This is to help create blended colors.
Ergonomic Features
Some school chalks come with ergonomic designs and blunt ends, making it easy for kids to hold the chalk without any design. Some school chalks have ridges or triangular shapes in their design. These extra designs help prevent the chalk from rolling away even before kids have had the chance to grip it firmly. Liquid chalk comes in various nib sizes for varying line widths. This makes it handy for doing fine work or bold lettering.
The versatility of 12 colors school chalk makes it useful in a variety of scenarios apart from classrooms and educational institutes. Below are these scenarios:
Classroom Learning and Teaching
School chalks are mainly for informal education within classrooms. Chalkboard is one of the most popular teaching tools in modern education, even with all the technological advancements. School chalks help teachers create maps, graphs, and diagrams while emphasizing key ideas during lessons. With a variety of colors available, they can help make lessons more lively and memorable. Chalks are a staple for every teacher to always have when they are teaching in actual classrooms.
Art and Creativity
School chalks are usually for artists who want to try out new mediums. Chalk pastels, in particular, allow artists to create intricate and appealing artwork. This is from techniques like blending and layering through the use of varied colors and opacities. Liquid chalk is great for crafting bright window designs. Sidewalk chalk is primarily for creating large outdoor drawings that will wash off after a bit of rain.
Outdoor Activities and Games
School chalk is great for outdoor activities and fun, especially with kids. Chalk is used to create hopscotch grids, mazes, or playground games on the ground. It encourages physical activity, temporary art creation, and imaginative play. Children and even adults will mark a game of tic-tac-toe on sidewalks for casual gaming.
Work and Professional Environments
Many professionals, especially in restaurants, cafes, and retail stores, use 12-color school chalks to design vibrant and unique message boards, menus, and signage. The variety of colors makes it easy for businesses to communicate with their customers. Schools, too, can use chalkboards for official graphics as part of their communications while keeping all the messages interesting and approachable.
Home and Family Activities
Chalk is an inexpensive and versatile tool for artistic and educational use at home. Parents can use it for educational games like math problems or word searches on driveways or outdoor floors. Liquid chalk can also be a way for families to bond by creating fun or artistic designs on sticky notes or in outer spaces. Chalk is also used for special events or celebrating occasions like birthdays by writing messages on pavements.
The primary maintenance for 12-color school chalk is the same, regardless of its type or the board, sidewalk, or paper it will be used on. Good care of the school chalk ensures its longevity and, hence, the service it renders to the user.
Storage
All types of school chalk should be stored in a cool and dry place. The placement chalk should not be exposed to extreme temperatures, either high or low. Fluids can wash away some of the chalks' vibrant colors. Hence, there should be no plastic wrapping when storing them, as wrapping in plastic can lead to the formation of moisture that will lead to the chalk's damage.
Keep chalk pastels in cases or boxes to prevent them from breaking. Since some pastels are in a finer hue, storing them away from any form of contamination will help the artist get the original color once applied.
Handling
Handle chalk carefully, especially when it comes to specific types like chalk pastels. They are so fragile and can easily break if gripped hard. To avoid breakages, always hold the chalk gently and avoid excessive pressure while using it. Sometimes even when careful, chalk will still break. Small pieces of chalk can be used by attaching them to a longer piece so the user can continue using them.
Keep the chalk clean when using it. For example, wash liquid chalk nibs before changing colors. This will prevent the colors from mixing and, worst, the designs from coming out the way they were supposed to. The same goes for pastels—blending tools between shades or colors to prevent immediate pastels from getting onto the ones to be used.
Cleaning and Maintenance
It is important to thoroughly clean both the chalkboards and sidewalks to remove all traces of chalk. This helps in preventing the different colors of chalk from mixing and using just one. A damp cloth or wet sponge is sufficient to clean liquid chalk from boards and other non-porous surfaces. Windows can be cleaned with a glass cleaner to remove all chalk. Sidewalks may require scrubbing with a broom and water or rinsing with a pressure washer. They may have some old chalk designs still stuck there.
Chalk holders are great for liquid chalk to prevent the nib from getting dry. The lifespan of chalk pastels can be improved by using fixatives to prevent them from getting airborne or blending with chalk before its owner is ready to use it.
A1. Liquid chalk is a bit different from regular chalk because it comes in a liquid form. It is put on boards and other smooth things using a pen. Regular chalk is a solid stick. It works best on chalkboards because it doesn’t show up on sidewalks or outside.
A2. Sidewalk chalk is thicker and stronger than regular chalk. It’s better at withstanding wind and rain because it’s built for use outside. The sticks are easier for little kids to hold with their tiny fingers, too.
A3. Old chalk drawings can be washed away using a pressure washer or scrubbing them with a broom and water. Some tools are made specifically for cleaning sidewalks.
A4. Chalk dust is not dangerous. But it can bother some people if they breathe in too much of it. Dustless chalk creates less dust to help those who are sensitive to chalk dust.
A5. Chalk pastels are really nice because artists can mix them to create different shades. The colors can be blended together to make lots of pretty new colors for the artwork.