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Creating something new from something old :: 改善

Spring is just around the corner … a time to clean, refresh and enjoy anew. Why not kick-off the season with making something new from all of those old crayons?

Creating new crayons by melting and reshaping your old ones is a great way to get started: it something inside to do with kids while the days are still a bit short; it cleans-out and organizes art supplies; it encourages recycling or repurposing; can make spring gifts for younger kids; brings attention to perhaps something that has gotten overlooked (crayons) and might make them “a thing to do”; *it can be a mini science experiment – (see below)

*Please do note: (Of course 😉 the wax is very hot when you remove it from the oven, it melted (<- so cool, right!?!) It has gone from a solid state to a liquid one (*amazing*). The crayons reached their melting point while baking in the oven … ♪♫♪

I am going to try for melting and making art as well, do keep-in-touch and will post about that soon.

Great for Preschoolers, Kids, Middle Schoolers, Tweens, Teens, and Caregivers.

Prep Time: 30 ~ 60 minutes / Play Time: From 20 ~ 60 minutes ~ /

Materials:

1. Old, broken, unused crayons.
2. Bowl to hold crayons with water, bowl to hold peeled crayons.
3. Silicon Baking Molds.
4. Cookie Sheet & Parchment or Aluminum Foil.

Variations: I used cake-pop and muffin molds, however, you can use any shape. I like the cake-pops for toddlers, the result is a large crayon that is easy to grip.

Instructions:

1. Gather all of the material, and pre-heat oven to 300°F or 150°C .

2. Soak the crayons in water, for about 20 minutes, to loosen the paper wrappers prior to peeling.

3. Peel the wrappers.

4. Put the crayons into your molds.

5. Melt the crayons in the oven for about 10-15 minutes, or until mostly melted. I recommend using a cookie sheet underneath the molds to keep them steady while baking. (I used an old one, that I no longer use, however if you want to reuse your cookie sheet, put a piece of aluminum foil or wax paper down as well.)

*I believe it is possible to use the microwave for melting crayons, however, I have not tested this method, and therefore cannot offer any recommended instruction.

6. Let the molds harden overnight, then pop them out and they are ready to use.

Variation & Caution:

• My son basically only wanted to put his fingers into the hot (BOILING) melted wax from the crayons. I eventually let him dip his fingers in after the wax had cooled enough not to burn him.
• He created his own custom finger crayons, and made some scribble art with his sister.
• The crayons that molded to his finger eventually broke away from his hand, but it was a great experiment.

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