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Got Kids? Got Crayons?

Hi Everyone
Slight departure from the papercrafting here but I wanted to start sharing some of the kids crafty things I have been doing.
My kids-crafting ideas are more about fun things you can make and give to your kids to play with (therefore creating more time for yourself for your own crafty stuff) than they are about doing crafty things with your kids! Of COURSE it depends on age – and mine are all pre-schoolers so attempting anything crafty with 3 of them is usually quite a mess!
Recycling Crayons
  1. Gather all your old and yukky crayons – peel off the paper (yep – i know you spend ages trying to tell your kids NOT to do that!)
  2. Sort into colours in order to take gratuitous colour photo
  3. Break up crayons and put into silicon moulds. I think this was an ice-cube tray (butterfly ice cubes – really?)
  4. Put into oven on really low heat (maybe 80 degrees Celsius?)
    Wait (be patient – lots) as the crayons will eventually melt.
    Let them cool and then press out of moulds. 

As you can see from picture 4 – some of the crayons (especially the really cheap ones!) break down into some sort of component pigment/waxy mess – but when they harden up you can turn them out and….

they look great!

I had more fun than the kids doing this – and I was really pleased with the results!

Lowri 🙂
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21 Comments

  • Reply Rachel at Sun Scholars March 12, 2011 at 1:08 PM

    So pretty! I'd love to have you link up at my For the Kids Friday Link Party!

    Stop on by!
    http://SunScholars.blogspot.com

  • Reply Rachel B. March 12, 2011 at 1:31 PM

    Those look great! I've been wanting to make some of these for my son (let's be honest, they'd really be for me . . . I doubt he'd appreciate them at only 6 months old) and I love how yours turned out!

    Rachel

  • Reply polkacabana March 12, 2011 at 4:51 PM

    This is sooo cute, now I have to add – ADORABLE, CUTE, WHIMSICAL ICE CUBE TRAYS to my shopping list! Great job on these!

  • Reply WillieburgScrapper March 12, 2011 at 6:57 PM

    LOVE this idea- I now have a plan for Lola's semi-gnawed crayons. LOVE THIS IDEA!!! Beautiful photos if the project too.

  • Reply Jennifer March 12, 2011 at 8:26 PM

    crayon butterflies? ummm perfection! These are so much fun!

    xoXOxo
    Jenn @ Peas & Crayons

  • Reply Pure Heart March 12, 2011 at 9:07 PM

    super cute! where did you get your molds?

  • Reply Stephanie Smith March 14, 2011 at 2:15 AM

    These look great! I recently posted about making heart shaped crayons on my blog

  • Reply Jenny @ Embellishing Life March 14, 2011 at 11:19 PM

    This is a fun idea. Cute butterflies! I've been saving all our little crayon bits for melting. They make great little favors in goody bags!

  • Reply Briana March 20, 2011 at 1:39 AM

    wow, that is GREAT! I want to link from my blog, check us out at

    http://www.bookwormfun.blogspot.com

  • Reply Rachel at Sun Scholars March 24, 2011 at 2:17 AM

    Thanks so much for linking up with For the Kids Friday! I'll be posting the next link party tomorrow night. I can't wait to see what you have to share this week!

    http://sunscholars.blogspot.com

  • Reply Me June 9, 2011 at 12:10 AM

    These crayons were so dang cute I had to feature them on my blog, memyselfandtena@blogspot.com

  • Reply Ani July 27, 2011 at 11:46 AM

    Hello! I'm featuring you and your wonderful crayon idea on my blog today!

    Feel free to come by and check it out!
    http://anisfavoritethings.blogspot.com

    Thanks for the great idea!

  • Reply Jodi August 7, 2011 at 3:35 PM

    Any thoughts on how to get the molds clean once you are done? I tried re-heating them and cleaning them that way but it didn't work too well. My only other thought is Goo Gone but I don't have any on hand. Any thoughts that use stuff I already have at home?

  • Reply Sra. Carro December 13, 2011 at 1:12 AM

    This is sooo cute! And a great, green activity! I am a teacher and I would absolutely LOVE for you to link this post at my new blog "Your Green Classroom" or at least give me permission to link it. Thank you so very much!

    Tabitha Carro
    FlapJack Educational Resources

  • Reply Beth (www.livinglifeintentionally.blogspot.com) December 16, 2011 at 2:47 PM

    I'm back again =-) You have so many cute ideas I am now folllowing you by email too!!

  • Reply Lindsi B January 6, 2012 at 3:36 PM

    This is fabulous!!! Would you please share this with our readers for Fun Stuff Fridays? http://www.toysinthedryer.com/2012/01/fun-stuff-fridays-5.html

  • Reply Alyson January 21, 2012 at 3:31 AM

    I love it! My daughter would love something like this. Thanks for the idea!

    alyschmuhl (at) gmail (dot) com

  • Reply Nikki January 24, 2012 at 2:28 AM

    I love these! This may be a weird question – but are all silicon ice cube trays oven safe? I know you said you thought the butterfly one you used was an ice cube tray so thought I'd ask. I have a heart silicon ice cube tray that I'd love to make VDay crayons in if I could!

  • Reply Debra Kapellakis April 13, 2012 at 1:21 PM

    This is a fantastic idea. Thank you for sharing.

  • Reply Ruthk November 1, 2012 at 11:22 PM

    Thanks for such clear instructions and gorgeous pictures, they've made me want to give these a try again. I did it once without proper instructions and I think I had the oven too high, they went very yucky and all came out the usual brown! I was planning to make them for a pre-school fund raiser, if they work I think they are ideal.

  • Reply Heidie MalavĂ© August 23, 2014 at 2:44 PM

    Thank you! Doing this for my students as a back to school gift!!

  • Leave a Reply

    Uncategorized

    Got Kids? Got Crayons?

    Hi Everyone
    Slight departure from the papercrafting here but I wanted to start sharing some of the kids crafty things I have been doing.
    My kids-crafting ideas are more about fun things you can make and give to your kids to play with (therefore creating more time for yourself for your own crafty stuff) than they are about doing crafty things with your kids! Of COURSE it depends on age – and mine are all pre-schoolers so attempting anything crafty with 3 of them is usually quite a mess!
    Recycling Crayons
    1. Gather all your old and yukky crayons – peel off the paper (yep – i know you spend ages trying to tell your kids NOT to do that!)
    2. Sort into colours in order to take gratuitous colour photo
    3. Break up crayons and put into silicon moulds. I think this was an ice-cube tray (butterfly ice cubes – really?)
    4. Put into oven on really low heat (maybe 80 degrees Celsius?)
      Wait (be patient – lots) as the crayons will eventually melt.
      Let them cool and then press out of moulds. 

    As you can see from picture 4 – some of the crayons (especially the really cheap ones!) break down into some sort of component pigment/waxy mess – but when they harden up you can turn them out and….

    they look great!

    I had more fun than the kids doing this – and I was really pleased with the results!

    Lowri 🙂
    Previous Post Next Post

    You Might Also Like

    21 Comments

  • Reply Rachel at Sun Scholars March 12, 2011 at 1:08 PM

    So pretty! I'd love to have you link up at my For the Kids Friday Link Party!

    Stop on by!
    http://SunScholars.blogspot.com

  • Reply Rachel B. March 12, 2011 at 1:31 PM

    Those look great! I've been wanting to make some of these for my son (let's be honest, they'd really be for me . . . I doubt he'd appreciate them at only 6 months old) and I love how yours turned out!

    Rachel

  • Reply polkacabana March 12, 2011 at 4:51 PM

    This is sooo cute, now I have to add – ADORABLE, CUTE, WHIMSICAL ICE CUBE TRAYS to my shopping list! Great job on these!

  • Reply WillieburgScrapper March 12, 2011 at 6:57 PM

    LOVE this idea- I now have a plan for Lola's semi-gnawed crayons. LOVE THIS IDEA!!! Beautiful photos if the project too.

  • Reply Jennifer March 12, 2011 at 8:26 PM

    crayon butterflies? ummm perfection! These are so much fun!

    xoXOxo
    Jenn @ Peas & Crayons

  • Reply Pure Heart March 12, 2011 at 9:07 PM

    super cute! where did you get your molds?

  • Reply Stephanie Smith March 14, 2011 at 2:15 AM

    These look great! I recently posted about making heart shaped crayons on my blog

  • Reply Jenny @ Embellishing Life March 14, 2011 at 11:19 PM

    This is a fun idea. Cute butterflies! I've been saving all our little crayon bits for melting. They make great little favors in goody bags!

  • Reply Briana March 20, 2011 at 1:39 AM

    wow, that is GREAT! I want to link from my blog, check us out at

    http://www.bookwormfun.blogspot.com

  • Reply Rachel at Sun Scholars March 24, 2011 at 2:17 AM

    Thanks so much for linking up with For the Kids Friday! I'll be posting the next link party tomorrow night. I can't wait to see what you have to share this week!

    http://sunscholars.blogspot.com

  • Reply Me June 9, 2011 at 12:10 AM

    These crayons were so dang cute I had to feature them on my blog, memyselfandtena@blogspot.com

  • Reply Ani July 27, 2011 at 11:46 AM

    Hello! I'm featuring you and your wonderful crayon idea on my blog today!

    Feel free to come by and check it out!
    http://anisfavoritethings.blogspot.com

    Thanks for the great idea!

  • Reply Jodi August 7, 2011 at 3:35 PM

    Any thoughts on how to get the molds clean once you are done? I tried re-heating them and cleaning them that way but it didn't work too well. My only other thought is Goo Gone but I don't have any on hand. Any thoughts that use stuff I already have at home?

  • Reply Sra. Carro December 13, 2011 at 1:12 AM

    This is sooo cute! And a great, green activity! I am a teacher and I would absolutely LOVE for you to link this post at my new blog "Your Green Classroom" or at least give me permission to link it. Thank you so very much!

    Tabitha Carro
    FlapJack Educational Resources

  • Reply Beth (www.livinglifeintentionally.blogspot.com) December 16, 2011 at 2:47 PM

    I'm back again =-) You have so many cute ideas I am now folllowing you by email too!!

  • Reply Lindsi B January 6, 2012 at 3:36 PM

    This is fabulous!!! Would you please share this with our readers for Fun Stuff Fridays? http://www.toysinthedryer.com/2012/01/fun-stuff-fridays-5.html

  • Reply Alyson January 21, 2012 at 3:31 AM

    I love it! My daughter would love something like this. Thanks for the idea!

    alyschmuhl (at) gmail (dot) com

  • Reply Nikki January 24, 2012 at 2:28 AM

    I love these! This may be a weird question – but are all silicon ice cube trays oven safe? I know you said you thought the butterfly one you used was an ice cube tray so thought I'd ask. I have a heart silicon ice cube tray that I'd love to make VDay crayons in if I could!

  • Reply Debra Kapellakis April 13, 2012 at 1:21 PM

    This is a fantastic idea. Thank you for sharing.

  • Reply Ruthk November 1, 2012 at 11:22 PM

    Thanks for such clear instructions and gorgeous pictures, they've made me want to give these a try again. I did it once without proper instructions and I think I had the oven too high, they went very yucky and all came out the usual brown! I was planning to make them for a pre-school fund raiser, if they work I think they are ideal.

  • Reply Heidie MalavĂ© August 23, 2014 at 2:44 PM

    Thank you! Doing this for my students as a back to school gift!!

  • Leave a Reply