I never go to digg anymore, because it is usually filled with trash, but today I went over there (and ever considered adding it back to my streamlined sidebar) and found a link to these pre-chewed pencils. The link was to the Ananova site, which did not have a link to the Concentrate site where they are sold. This British site sells products for schools that remove barriers from concentration. It’s all backed by extensive research.
They describe the pencils thus: “Pre-chewed pencils!! We know it’s a bit daft but – hey! No need to spend time chewing your pencil – Just get down to some concentrated thinking and who knows what you might come up with.”
The Ananova site has more copy describing them, including a quote from company boss Mark Champkins. “We began to look at the reasons that children might be distracted, uncomfortable or unable to focus in lessons – and we set about designing some simple, cost-effective products to address some of the problems.”
Wonder what the QA process is for these? “Johnson, we need more bicuspids.”