No batteries required, because play should be easy.
No batteries required, because play should be easy.
Before we could get started on upcycling our crayons, we needed to remove their wrappers. I was amazed by how committed my kids (3.5 and almost 6 years old) were to this process – I was much more frustrated by it than they were! I found that the trick that worked for me was to run a pushpin along the length of the crayon. This created a slit down the wrapper, making it much easier to remove in larger pieces. This did leave a scratch on the crayons, but for the crafts we did, it didn’t matter. Once the crayons were all unwrapped, we repurposed them in three different ways.
The most classic thing to do with old, broken crayons is to make new ones!! This is a great activity for even young kids. All you need to do is break the crayons into small pieces and fill the cavity of a candy mold or muffin tin. We mixed colors to create tie-dyed crayons, but you could make them monochromatic as well. Bake them for 20 minutes at 200o F, until all the pieces are melted. Let the new crayons cool completely before removing from their molds.
A few thoughts/suggestions:
My kids love to paint rocks and leave them around the neighborhood. Instead of paint, you can use melted crayons! Choose your rocks, and bake them for 15 minutes at 350o F. Using tongs, take a rock out of the oven and place it on a baking rack that has wax paper below it. Press a crayon onto the hot rock, and as it melts it will “paint” the rock. The harder you press, the darker the color will be. Be careful not to touch your fingers to the rock! Allow the rocks to cool completely before handling, then hide them around your neighborhood or display them in your garden.
A few thoughts/suggestions:
This is another variation on a craft my kids love to make – suncatchers! Place a piece of wax paper on a baking sheet and add tiny pieces of crayon. We used a plastic knife, but a pencil sharpener or grater would work, too. Once you add the colors that you want, add a second piece of wax paper on top. Bake at 200o F for 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and press to fully melt the crayons and fuse the wax paper pieces. It will be too hot to use your hands for this; the back of a spoon works perfectly! I bet a rolling pin would, too. Allow to cool completely. Cut to whatever shape you’d like and hang them in a window.
A few thoughts/suggestions:
I hope you and your kids enjoy giving life to your old crayons by trying one (or all!) of these crafts. Do you have other ways that you like to use broken crayons? Please share them in the comments!
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