If you are like me, you probably have a ton of half-used and broken crayons laying around. We recently found a way to upcycle these crayons into something new, super cool, and way more appealing to use.
Note: For more awesome arts and crafts ideas, see my Arts and Crafts for Kids page.
We started with a pile of broken crayons. The first task was to peel the paper off the crayons. (Yay for authentic and motivating fine motor skills practice!)
We then placed the peeled crayons into some silicone molds. On this particular day we opted to use our LEGO silicone molds and our silicone cupcake liners.
Once we had filled our molds, we placed them on a cookie sheet and popped them into the preheated oven. (Note: It should go without saying, but this part should be done by an adult to prevent children from burning themselves on the hot oven.)
I set the oven to a fairly low temperature – only 250 degrees F – and simply kept a close eye on them to watch how long it took before they melted. But it took quite a while to melt at this temperature. So I would suggest a higher temperature – perhaps 350 degrees F – but keeping a very close eye on the crayons.
Once the crayons were sufficiently melted, I removed them from the oven and let them cool for an hour. Then we came back and popped the crayons out of the molds.
The results were super cool! We are now the proud owners of homemade LEGO-shaped crayons! 🙂
It was fun to see all the layers of colors that resulted from the melting process.
And our cupcake crayons came out with a whole swirl of different colors.
So pretty. So fun.
And a really great way to upcycle old crayons.
And if you own silicone molds, you might also enjoy making your own soap with them as well!
Looking for more hands-on activities that incorporate Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math (STEAM)? Then you’ll love STEAM Kids! This book features 52 hands-on activities are helpfully identified by category (science / technology / engineering / art / math) so you know exactly what skills your kids are developing.
Grab a copy of the e-book delivered as a PDF download (or this e-book for EU residents) and in print at Amazon.
More resources for kid-friendly arts and crafts
More arts and crafts from Gift of Curiosity:
- Tape resist watercolor painting
- Coffee filter art
- Crystallized snowflakes
- Upcycled crayons
- Leaf collages
- Glue monsters
- Chromatography flowers craft
Note: For more kid-friendly craft projects, see my Arts and Crafts for Kids page and my Arts and Crafts Pinterest board.
Follow Katie @ Gift of Curiosity’s board Arts and crafts on Pinterest.
The easiest way to peal crayons is to put them in a bowl of warm water . The paper will just fall off.
Oh wow, I never knew that trick! I’ll have to try that next time. Some brands of crayons peel easily but others are so difficult!
that sure is a snazzy way to upgrade crayons! the colours must so amazing when colouring in with them!
Cute idea! One question though. Have you found a way to thoroughly clean the wax residue from the silicon moulds so that they can later be used for making Jell-O or other edible treats? I’ve make homemade crayons with silicon moulds and have never found a way to get the remaining wax off! 😕
No, any molds I use for crafts like this I do not use for baking so as not to contaminate our food with non-food products. I keep separate molds for baking and other food products.