Two pieces of work: Removing Crayon from Untreated Wood

This morning before I was up, J asked if she could use the iPad. I told her no, suggested she go color, rolled over and drifted back to sleep. Not too long later, I heard... 

K, weeks away from 4 years old

J, 5 years old

... what I later realized was the sound of crayon on wood. 

We have this whole "crayons are for paper" mantra and thought the girls were past the point where they needed constant supervision with crayons. After putting breakfast in the oven, I promised K that I'd come see her coloring. I stood at the table, looked at the chairs and asked, "What happened?"

"No, mommy. Not that. Look at my paper."

As the panic, horror, disappointment and anger settled into my chest, I turned around and walked away to tell Daddy-o that I couldn't deal with it. Sometimes (rarely, let's be honest) I'm as cool as a cucumber. I mean, I want to be that way, but I'm really having a hard time putting it in perspective and playing the Enlightened Mother who talks in the calm voice and focuses on the teachable moment. 

So Daddy-o took a look and came back with the kidlets and asked them to apologize to mommy and informed them that they would scrub the chairs until the crayon was gone. We queried the Internet to figure out how to remove crayon from untreated wood. Luckily, Crayola had us covered: 

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Removing crayon from unfinished wood

Supplies needed

• Rubbing alcohol
• Spray bottle
• Soft cloth

You'll also need your culprits. Decided to set the timer for 15 minutes and asked them to pose with a sad face once they were done. As you can see, the marks are still present but much lighter than in the original pictures. 

Would you like some cheese with that ham?

After 30 minutes, the marks are lighter still, however, they're still noticeable enough to serve as a reminder of the crime. Looks like eventually the girls will have a painting project, but for now we'll try to keep the crayons on paper.

What are your favorite uses for rubbing alcohol?
Suggestions on how to focus on the teachable moment?