K is now almost 3 and LOVES coloring. Problem is we end up with a lot of broken crayons. This is a problem because E will eat anything that will hold still long enough. I am sure a bright, pretty crayon looks very appetizing to a 1 year old. So I have been collecting broken bits of crayon for a special project. Now for the life of me I can't remember where I first saw this but it definitely isn't a new concept. It has been around for a while. I went to the craft store and picked up a cute candy mold. I found a perfect car mold for my little guys. Now I forgot to take pics of the melting process but I found this tut with a few pics to give you an idea http://homemadebyjill.blogspot.com/2010/10/diy-molded-crayons.html Homemadebyjill is an awesome blog by the way. You should check her out! You start with an empty tin can and a simmering pot of water. I made sure to get all the little bits of paper off my crayons. Then separated all my colors and started melting. Put your broken bits in the tin can and let it sit in the simmering water until all the crayons have melted completely. (Make sure not to use a Teflon coated pot because the can will scratch the bottom.) This was pretty quick and simple. After all was melted I carefully filled my molds and let them set. If you will be doing a whole bunch of crayons I suggest buying a few molds.
After they were set I put them in the freezer to make sure mine were nice and hard. I left them there for an hour. Make sure after pulling out of the freezer to wipe any condensation (if there is any) off from the thawing process. Then make any little boy or girls day. K loves these!
You can also bake your bits in silicone molds. This works better if you want a multi colored crayon. Here is a tutorial on baked crayon molds from Martha Stewart... http://www.marthastewart.com/267304/crazy-crayons
We are going to try this soon. I hope you all make some fun crayons for your little ones to enjoy!
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