Pencils have been around for hundreds of years, and still show no signs of fading away.
Their most obvious usages for pencils are writing, erasing, and drawing, but there is so much more to this simple invention.
For example, pencils could be used for:
- racing. I clearly remember having pencil races in grade school, seeing which pencil was the fastest one to roll down from the top of a desk. Ridged yellow pencils stood no chance against its smoothed surface cousins.
- throwing. Another grade school past time; trying to see who could throw their pencil up in the air and get it stuck in the ceiling. In an odd twist, if you won, you also kind of lost.
- drumming. who hasn’t beat their pencil on a tabletop in tune to their favorite song?
- chewing. I am a notorious pencil chewer. I remember in grade school chewing pencils so much that they would eventually break in half.
- scratching. both ourselves and lottery tickets.
- stirring. paint, coffee, lemonade, you name it.
- poking and stabbing. I guess every great invention has a dark side.
- popping. balloons or package filling, the sharper the point, the better the popping.
- spelling out words. if you’re stuck on a remote island, and all you’ve got are thousands of pencils, you could use them to spell out “HELP” in large letters.
- avoiding school work. Another grade school memory. I can recall asking all of my classmates if their pencils needed sharpening, and then once I had accumulated enough and was bored enough, I could go to the back of the room and sharpen them.
And using this post as an example, when you can’t think of anything to write about, pencils could serve as the subject of a frivolous essay.
Borden's Blather 
Pencils should surely make a comeback with their plastic free selves, though I’m not sure if there are any issues with graphite mining. Your pencils at school had a happier fate than some in our classroom. I believe we had to ask the teacher’s permission to use the industrial pencil sharpener fixed firmly on the edge of her desk and caution was necessary- I recall one boy inserting his pencil and vigorously turning the handle till he was left with only a stub.
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those good old pencil shrpeners; I had completely forgottenabout them. Your comment made me go back and add another item to my list! thanks for the reminder!
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They can also be used for tattoos. I had a classmate jab my finger with a sharp pencil when in grade school. The injury was minor, but a small amount of graphite remains to this day. A small grayish dot that would have to be considered my first, though unwanted, tattoo.
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it probably also made you the class tough guy, alwys a nice honor to walk around with.
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We used to have Hobby Day in my classroom when I was teaching elementary school. There were always a few kids who had elaborate collections. We also had a pencil vending machine in our library so that kids could add to their collections for a quarter. One year I had a student who decided he wanted to collect pencil shavings. Kind of an odd thing to collect, but he was a quirky, interesting child. He used to empty the classroom sharpener and dump the shavings into a large grocery bag. 😂
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that is an odd thing to collect, but sometimes those quirky kids are the ones who discover or create something great.
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I can remember a lot of those things on your list from school days, and like one of your other readers, I also have one of those pencil tattoos!
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it’s nice to know that some experiences are universal. although I don’t have a pencil tattoo…
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No pencil tattoo? You’re missing such a joyful experience.😂
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I guess I had a sheltered childhood!
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You didn’t miss much, really.
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Sticking pencils in the ceiling lasted way past grade school for some who will remain unnamed.
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🤣🤣🤣 We’re all a bunch of a little children in big kids’ bodies.
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and I hope that never changes!
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you are my kind of guy!
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I was a big gnawer of pencils – lead – in grade school. What I left encased in the wood, I’d draw with endlessly for hours. The real magic starred when I discovered color pencils. Let’s keep pencils around forever.
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I ate the same kind of pencils; I think I survived OK. and color pencils were always a big deal. long live pencils!
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🙂
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An excellent choice. They have almost as many uses as duck tape
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every house should have an ample supply of both…
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survival tools in the extreme
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As an enthusiastic puzzler I keep a good supply of pencils on hand. It’s a shame tha rubbers on the end never last as long as the pencils.
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yes, puzzles and penciles go together quite nicely.
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Anything is a topic to write on you just have to try hard enough!
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and be desperate enough!
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Haha of course that too!
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A bit of pencil humor just happens to sharpen the fun. I needed a laugh or two. I appreciate your insights into the ordinary world of the pencil.
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I’m glad you were able to get my point…
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Since you mentioned grade school, I hope you’ll only roll your eyes a little at this old joke:
Knock knock!
Who’s there?
Dull Pencil!
Dull pencil who?
Never mind, it was pointless 🤓
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I love knock-knock jokes – thanks for sharing a perfect one to go with the post!
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It’s important to note that all standardized test in the public school system requires the use of the number 2 lead pencil that was many years ago when I was in middle and high school. I wonder do public school use the number 2 pencil or is it done electronically. Also, the use of the jumbo pencils for elementary students.. thanks for taking me back Jim
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ah, yes, LaShawn, I had forgotten about the link between pencils and standardized tests (and I’m happy to have forgotten 🙂 )
I also forgot about those jumbo ones – now I want one!
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