One of my favorite activities to do with my children when they were younger was to make our own shaped crayons. It is a great way to recycle their old, stubby crayons.
All you need is a metal form - like an old muffin tin, preferably a disposable one or recycled one you could throw away after the project - and a low temperature oven.
Prepare the Crayons
- Remove the paper wrappers from the crayon pieces. (To make this easier, put the crayons in a bowl of cool water. After about 20 minutes, the wrappers will loosen. Lift the crayons from the bowl and remove)
Melt the Crayons
- Preheat the oven to 300F
- Spray the muffin tin with a light coat of cooking spray.
- Put the muffin tin on a baking sheet and then place the crayon pieces in the molds. You may have to break some of the crayons to fit. Fill the molds nearly to the top, leaving as little space between the crayons as you can.
- Bake the crayons for 5 to 8 minutes, or just until they are melted enough to blend the colors and hold them together. If you cook them until liquefied, they could meld into one dark color. Be sure the room is well ventilated whenever crayons are being melted. Overheating wax crayons during the melting process may release irritating fumes.
- Remove the molds from the oven. This should be done by an adult with pot holders. Put them on a heat-resistant surface and let them cool for 30 to 60 minutes. The time will depend on the size of the mold.
- Remove the crayons from the molds. They should pop out easily. If not, tap them gently on the counter.
