So, as it turns out, I accidentally (maybe not so accidentally) signed up to be a Room Mother for Caleb’s Pre-K class this year. While I love it, it can be a LOT of work and I have found that Google and Pinterest quickly become my best friends as it comes time for finding ideas and planning crafts for the kids.
For one of his Valentine’s Day parties this year, I stumbled upon the craft of “crayon melting.” I loved how easy this project was and how darling the results were. And, I love that I have a new trick in my back pocket for all of the tiny crayon loving folks who may swing by at various holidays and birthday parties alike, looking for a fun craft to do or even a unique favor in their favor bag! Check out our easy tutorial below.
What You’ll Need:
Traditional Crayons (Standard Size, and Not Washable)
Exacto Knife (For an adult to help remove the crayon wrapper)
Silicone Baking Muffin Mold in Any Shape
Oven
Directions:
- Peel the wrappers off of the crayons entirely. (If you are able to use the exacto knife it is much easier and will save a ton of time!!)
- Break up the crayon pieces and fill your silicone muffin tin just below the top edge. (I broke my crayons in half or thirds. I found those sizes to be the best fit.)
- Place the silicone tin onto a baking sheet and bake in a 220 degree oven for about 20 minutes. (The goal is to melt the crayons but not cook them so long that they turn into one big brown crayon. The edges should melt and become liquid first. I pulled my crayons out of the oven when the crayon pieces in the center were almost melted, but you could still see swirled color combinations. If you are concerned, do a preliminary test run, so you can find your best cooking time!)
- When ready to pull out of the oven, let the crayons rest and cool at room temperature. Once they had cooled, I placed mine in the freezer for another 10-15 minutes to make sure they were ready.
- Pop them out of the silicone mold and you have new crayons to craft with or gift away!!
Things to Keep in Mind: I found that the best color combinations were the lighter and brighter tones. Pick colors that pop off of each other and are light enough that the tones can be vibrantly seen!
Enjoy!!!
xo,
m
Photography by my dear friend, Lucy Struve
