In this previous post, I wrote about a new item I was going to be using in the fall: erasable highlighters. I was so excited after learning about these that I ran out to purchase them from Office Max. I bought the Office Max brand which had 5 colors for about $4.99. When I came home however, I was a little disappointed because it seemed that the highlighter didn’t erase 100%. In fact, I was even more surprised because it seemed to use different technology in erasing than the brand name ones I used in the store.
So, I visited a Staples and bought a package of 3 Frixion erasable highlighters made by Pilot. I tore into the package when I got into the car and discovered that these were the ones of which I dreamed! 🙂 When there was a more stubborn mark that didn’t seem to come up at first, I simply erased harder and voila…it vanished! I don’t understand exactly how it works, but I do know that it uses friction to lift the color off the page as opposed to the Office Max “erasers” which appeared to be another wet kind of highlighter which wettened the paper more and didn’t erase the color completely.
Being curious about how this all worked, I read on the back of the Frixion package the following:
Thermo-Sensitive ink formula disappears with erasing friction…[and at the bottom] Do not expose to extreme temperatures (<14 degrees F; >140 degrees F). If highlighter is exposed to temperation that reaches 140 degrees F, the ink will be colorless when highlighting. To restore color, cool to at least 14 degrees F in freezer and the ink will again highlight in color.
So that got me to wondering if extreme temperatures would affect whether or not the color would stay erased once it had been erased with their eraser and underwent temperature changes. So, I did some tests so that you can see both the product comparisons as well as the results of my “extreme heat” experiment.
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Then, here is the Office Max Test:
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You can see the obvious difference and which I will choose from now on! Here is what happened after I baked this index card for 15 minutes at 200 degrees.
Nothing happened at all! So, increased the oven to 300 degrees and baked it for 10 minutes more. Still, there were no changes, even after I left it out to cool.
So, if you decide to get some erasable highlighters, I would strongly recommend the Pilot Frixion brand. As a matter of fact, I grabbed some at Target…a package of 5 for only $4.99! By the way, Pilot also makes erasable gel pens!
That was fun! Now back to the real fun…teaching!
Oooooh, I’m off to Staples today! Will look for the Pilot Frixion brand. Love these erasable highlighters…already own some. Will be looking for the erasable gel pens next! (Feeling as excited as a little kid with a new pack of crayons.)
Wendy, thanks for the scientific experiment! I had commented on the Piano Club forum that the Office Max brand was so-so. Now I know there’s something better . . . will definitely look for those on my next shopping trip.
I’m so happy to read this. I have used the office max brand and was sorely disappointed. I will definitely try the pilot brand. Thanks!
Wendy, Thanks for recommending these. I need some new ideas to start the teaching year. Don’t worry about a minor spelling error on another post. You are so great to unselfishly help piano teachers.
I want to make a large chart for my studio with
divisions for each students progress;
IE scales, cndences, memory, theory, practive and the like. Thought I would pick some brains. Is this really a motivational tool? I have never done it before but need to put some pizzazz into my studio.
Priscilla,
There are lots of ways to get pizzazz in the studio! I’m sure your students will thank you for whatever pizzazz you insert! Certainly seeing other student’s progress on the way is motivating for many students. I’ve found that the best motivational programs are ones that are very specific in the areas in which are to be improved and very specific about HOW those areas are to be improved. So, if you can make specific goals for your students in these areas, and then use the chart to showcase their accomplishments, not only will they be motivated by the chart, but also the improvements they see in their own skills.
I just wrote a little post on the pianoteaching.com forum about this. I’m going to paste it below, but the most useful part is this, “…if I use an extrinsic reward, it works best if it awards what feeds the internal motivation…making beautiful music.”
“Last year, I had an incentive contest that allowed students to buy things in a store where there was a large variety of items. What was super interesting though was that after the contest, many of my students kept asking me if they could still try to earn the “Caught Ya Makin’ Music Cards” that had been part of the contest.
That year, one of the goals in my studio was to help all students play more musically, so I made those cards to draw attention to students who performed a piece very musically. What we all know is that when they play musically, students LOVE the music more, and THAT is what keeps them practicing and playing.
So this year, instead of an official contest, I just made a different set of cards as incentives for playing musically. They are mini “Certificates of Artistry” and all of my students are loving them! You can print your own mini-certificates here if you’d like: https://composecreate.com/archives/3658
The point is, I’m learning that if I use an extrinsic reward, it works best if it awards what feeds the internal motivation…making beautiful music.”
Actually, you should leave the index card in the refrigerator. It will come back. I tried it- when you place the writing near heat, the ink disappears. When you put it in the refrigerator, it reappears.