I always loved the idea of recycled crayons and every year for my son’s birthday party favors I have bought recycled crayons from Crazy Crayons or on Etsy. Little did I know I could save some money and easily make these on my own!
All you need are some silicone candy molds or plain muffin tins with paper liners. The trick is to use just a couple complementary colors for each crayon so you don’t end up with a big brown mess.
Preheat your oven to 250 degrees and fill the molds with crayon pieces. Put them in the oven for about 8 minutes, checking regularly to see if they melted. When you take them out you can use a toothpick or similar to create a little swirly. They will harden best if you stick them in the fridge for a few minutes.
I was so excited with my first batch I asked the moms at preschool to leave their broken crayons in Sam’s cubby! I even told them to let their kids do the paper peeling if they were so inclined – that is the only hard part depending on your children’s willingness to help. I used to send my crayon pieces to the National Crayon Recycling Program but now I have created my own recycling program!
Important Note: A 2015 study came out that showed asbestos in several brands of children’s crayons (I know!!) In general, try to buy and use only trusted brands like Crayola. And if you do a project like this at home, be extra sure not to use any questionable crayons that may release toxic fumes. You can learn more about this craziness here: http://healthychild.org/is-asbestos-in-your-childrens-toys/
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