Most pencils have six flat sides so they don't roll off the desk.
A round pencil rolls away, but a six-sided one stays put. Clever shape for a busy desk!
More facts about School Supplies
A pencil writes with a soft grey material called graphite, not lead.
An eraser makes tiny crumbs that lift pencil marks right off the paper.
Paper is made from trees that are turned into soft, mushy pulp.
Crayons are made from colored wax that can melt if it gets too warm.
One pencil can draw a line about 55 kilometres long.