It is INKTOBER!!!!
Our longtime fan Ajax L. just told us that October is also Inktober (and sent us his own cool ink drawing of dragons and Minecraft Creeper!). The challenge is to draw an ink drawing every day this month. People all over the world are drawing ink pictures, and taking photos of them to share with others. Drawing in ink isn’t new: the oldest cave paintings were drawn over 40,000 years ago, using everything from vegetable juices to tree sap to crushed rock.
Only about 5,000 years ago did people start using ink to write; before then, they used ink only to draw people, animals, and the natural world. The ink you find in your pens today isn’t too different from paint. It’s a mix of chemicals with dye added to make different colors. Since it’s Inktober, try drawing with as many as you can!
Wee ones: When you draw with a pen, what’s your favorite color to use? See if you can spot 4 things in your room in that color.
Little kids: If you draw a crazy zebra with a blue stripe, then a black stripe, then a red one, then blue to start over, what 3 stripes come after that blue one? Bonus: How many more stripes do you need after all those to have 10 in total?
Big kids: If cavemen started drawing 40,000 years ago and writing 5,000 years ago, for how many years did they just draw? Bonus: If instead of drawing daily, every 3 days starting Oct. 3 you draw 4 ink drawings at once, how many will you draw in Inktober?
The sky’s the limit: If you draw a picture every 5th day starting on a Monday, will you ever draw on a Wednesday? Why or why not?
Answers:
Wee ones: Different for everyone…find 4 things in your favorite ink color.
Little kids: Black, then red, then blue again. Bonus: 3 more stripes, since you have 7 already.
Big kids: 35,000 years. Bonus: 40 pictures, since you’ll draw 10 sets ending on Oct. 30.
The sky’s the limit: Yes. You’ll draw on Mon, then Sat, Thurs, Tues, Sun, Fri, Weds, and back to Mon. In fact, you’ll draw at some point on every day of the week. Because 7 isn’t divisible by any numbers other than 7, any number that isn’t 7 or a multiple of it will cycle you onto every weekday.
Only about 5,000 years ago did people start using ink to write; before then, they used ink only to draw people, animals, and the natural world. The ink you find in your pens today isn’t too different from paint. It’s a mix of chemicals with dye added to make different colors. Since it’s Inktober, try drawing with as many as you can!
Wee ones: When you draw with a pen, what’s your favorite color to use? See if you can spot 4 things in your room in that color.
Little kids: If you draw a crazy zebra with a blue stripe, then a black stripe, then a red one, then blue to start over, what 3 stripes come after that blue one? Bonus: How many more stripes do you need after all those to have 10 in total?
Big kids: If cavemen started drawing 40,000 years ago and writing 5,000 years ago, for how many years did they just draw? Bonus: If instead of drawing daily, every 3 days starting Oct. 3 you draw 4 ink drawings at once, how many will you draw in Inktober?
The sky’s the limit: If you draw a picture every 5th day starting on a Monday, will you ever draw on a Wednesday? Why or why not?
Answers:
Wee ones: Different for everyone…find 4 things in your favorite ink color.
Little kids: Black, then red, then blue again. Bonus: 3 more stripes, since you have 7 already.
Big kids: 35,000 years. Bonus: 40 pictures, since you’ll draw 10 sets ending on Oct. 30.
The sky’s the limit: Yes. You’ll draw on Mon, then Sat, Thurs, Tues, Sun, Fri, Weds, and back to Mon. In fact, you’ll draw at some point on every day of the week. Because 7 isn’t divisible by any numbers other than 7, any number that isn’t 7 or a multiple of it will cycle you onto every weekday.