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I’ve been trying to find new ways to engage my baby artist, age 13 months, in mark making. Changing the form of the crayon has been a fun new thing for her to explore. And my four year old thinks it’s fun, too!
I’m sure you have as many old, broken crayons laying around as I do. This is a fun way to use them up!
Melting down crayons is kinda tedious at this scale. Here’s how to do it:
Instructions
- If your crayons are still wearing their papers, briefly soak them in boiling water to peel them easily.
- Use a double broiler to melt the crayons, color group by color group, on your stovetop. I used a metal mixing bowl over a small saucepan of boiling water.
- Pour hot crayon wax into the mold, layer by layer. Make sure you let each layer harden completely before pouring in the next layer. (I used a plain old popsicle mold for the crayonsicles and an ice sphere mold for the crayonspheres).
- If making a crayonsicle, plop the stick or handle in on the first layer—hold it center using a prop until the wax hardens enough to hold it in place. I used actual sticks in place of popsicle sticks.
- If making a crayonsphere, you can attach a loop by dunking art wire or string into the top hole when the sphere is about halfway full.
- My crayonsicles and spheres were very easy to pull out of the molds once hard.
Cleaning the crayon wax off everything is a pain in the buns. It really shouldn’t go down your drain. Try popping the utensils in the freezer and then chipping as much wax off as you can. Or, get them hot and wipe off with a paper towel. Or both.
Both of my children love mark making with these fun, layered, colorful crayon forms. They make drawing a whole new adventure! These crayon forms would make the perfect handmade gifts for a little loved one in your life, or for your own little artists to use at home. Enjoy!
