Isn’t it amazing how fast a crayon can go from long and pointy to short and dull? And what fun are dull crayons? None of my students like to use them, and neither do I! But before you go tossing all your unwanted crayons into the trash, try this fun activity with the kids- you’ll never throw away another crayon again!
Materials:
Old, broken crayons
Mini Muffin Tin
Cooking Spray
Toothpick
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
2. Spray your mini muffin tin with cooking spray.
3. Collect your crayons. I have a small bucket that sits on the center of my preschool tables and I encourage the kids to toss the tiny crayons into the bucket.
4. Take off the paper (if the kids haven’t already done so!) and break the crayons into smaller pieces. This is the only time kids can intentionally break the crayons without getting into trouble, and they love it!
5. Sort your crayons by color. This makes it easier to choose the color combinations of your new crayons.
6. Divide your crayons into each muffin spot. Mix like colors to make solid color crayons, or get creative and mix a variety of colors. I wouldn’t suggest using more than 3 colors, otherwise it just makes the whole crayon dark and yucky. Add more crayons to the muffin spots for bigger crayons, or fewer for smaller crayons.
7. Place the muffin tin into the oven for about 5-7 minutes, or until the crayons are melted. Remove the pan from the oven carefully. You can mix the colors while they are still melted with a toothpick if you want the colors to be swirly. Then, let them cool completely! I got impatient after a while and popped mine in the freezer.
8. Once the crayons have cooled, they pop right out of the tin with very little effort!
Let your little one’s imaginations run wild!
To have your ideas featured on somewhat simple, click HERE
For those I have featured, please feel free to grab my button.
About Stephanie
What a great idea and nothing goes to waste!
I think I want to make these for my little cousins for Christmas! You can buy really fun ice cube trays at the Dollarstore which would make cute crayons! Also, I used to have a pencil sharpener which I used just for crayons…because like you said, no one likes dull crayons!! lol
Or you could spend $39 for the Crayola Crayon maker!!! What a waste when you can do it with some cupcake papers or simple molds.
What a great idea.i am a grandma now,and to think of all the crayons I have pitched