Homemade Crayons - A DIY Project

 

After making our Melted Crayon Artwork, I was trying to think of other fun things to do with crayons and the sun. I remember seeing posts about taking leftover, broken crayon bits and melting them in the oven into fun shapes using silicone molds. I thought that little man might enjoy making some fun, chunkier shaped crayons, so we set out to peel, chop and melt!

I didn't have a lot of broken crayon bits, so I just used whole or stubbier crayons. My mom helped little man and I peel all the paper off of our crayons to get them ready for the chopping block. Little man loves to help chop with the knife (definitely under lots of supervision, of course!), so he helped me chop up all of our fun, bright colors. Then he helped me scoop up our different color piles and drop them into our heart-shaped silicone mold. 

It was another toasty, 100+ degree day, so I just set the tray outside in the sun! We quickly retreated back inside, since it was stiflingly hot outside!

About 1-2 hours later, I went to go check on the crayons and they had melted beautifully inside their molds! 

Liquid colors! So pretty!

I brought them inside to cool and let little man take a peek at his melted creation. After they were cool, they easily popped out and they were ready for paper! I love that the shape is smaller - it seems easier for little hands to grab onto. Funny enough, after an initial coloring spurt, little man preferred to put them back in the mold and pop them out, over and over and over! :)

I think that these could also make great homemade valentines gifts, party favors or stocking stuffers! I'm sure that you could find different shaped molds for any occasion - stars, cars, flowers, etc. They're easy to make in the sun (or in the oven, if it's not very toasty where you live!) and a fun project to involve little ones with!