There’s nothing like a fresh box of crayons. But what happens when the kids bring broken crayon stubs home or you accumulate a box of crayon bits that no one wants to use? You could throw them away but, why not reuse them? Here are 5 things to do with broken crayons.
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Make Chunky Crayons
There’s several ways to do this. Probably the easiest way is to take a muffin tin, peel any remaining paper off the crayons, break the crayons into small pieces, and place them in the muffin tins. The smaller the pieces the quicker they’ll melt. Bake in the oven at 200 degrees for about 15 minutes. May need to put in longer if you have bigger pieces. Once melted, allow to cool slightly then place pan in the freezer for about 15-20 minutes. Chunky crayons pop right out.
Some other options: use candy molds, soap molds, or other molds that are heat-resistant.
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Melted crayon art
Peel any remaining paper off crayons. Put them in a sealable sandwich bag. I let my kids smack them on the table with wooden spoons to make the crayons into tiny crumbs (pieces need to be very small to melt correctly). Pour onto a paper plate. Place paper plate on baking sheet and put in the oven at 200 degrees for about 10 min. Give the kids a Q-tip and let them make designs with the melted crayons on the paper plate.
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Melted Crayon Dot Art
Use supervision with this craft. Use 3 oz cups and put a different color in each cup. Place 3 oz cups on a baking sheet and melt the broken crayons for 10 minutes at 200 degrees. Use a Q-tip as a paint brush. Use a different Q-tip for each color. Dip Q-tip into melted crayon and make dots on paper to create a design. If the the melted crayons starts to harden, simply reheat.
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Crayon Candles
You’ll need an empty votive jar, a votive wick, about 5 – 3 oz bathroom cups, and broken crayons with paper removed. Place votive wick in jar. Fill each 3 oz cup with a different color of broken crayon IE: one filled with orange broken crayons, one filled with yellow broken crayons, etc. Place one 3 oz cup on a baking sheet and melt in the oven at 200 degrees for about 10 minutes. The smaller the pieces the faster they will melt. Once melted, pour that color into the votive jar containing the wick. Allow to dry Repeat with each color. If you don’t have empty votive jars you can use other heat-resistant glass jars such as mason jars, baby food jars, etc.
5. Crayola Crayon Maker
Ok so this one is not homemade but Crayola actually make something called the “Crayola Melt and Mold Factory” . They even have kits to make crayons shaped like crayon jewelry and other options. Though you would have to buy it, it could come in handy for the future to reuse old broken crayons to make new crayons in actual crayon shapes.
Helpful Hints:
There are several ways to get the crayons into small enough pieces to melt fast. You can use a cheese grater or mandolin slicer (adults only), Or put the crayons in a sealable bag and let the kids smack them with spoons until the crayons are pulverized.
I have been re-making my son’s crayons in the muffin tins since he discovered how to break them and we have many of these multi-coloured crayons. I am going to try the crayon candles with some of them, I just love the idea!