This is a great activity to re-purpose all those broken, unloved crayons every family has in their art closet. And having done it as a rainy-day activity myself with my kids - I have the dos and don'ts for...making recycled crayons.
What you need
An assortment of previously loved crayons
baking tins
paper cupcake liners
oven
cooling rack
Directions
Turn on some music (Michael Jackson's "HisStory" was our choice), settle round the kitchen table and have kids peel paper off crayons.
Then have kids break crayons into smaller bits (depending on how much you love your tablecloth - you might want to put down an art mat).
Have kids place paper cupcake liners in muffin tins. (Note: we originally made recycled crayons in a snowman shaped silicone pan. We found most of the crayons broked when popped out. The paper liners are much easier to peel).
Have kids fill the paper cupcake liners with the broken crayon bits. Mix colours, mix shades or keep to the same colour. Your choice.
Bake in the oven at 275F for 8 -10 minutes (depending on how hot your oven is).
Let cool entirely (at least an hour) on the cooling rack.
Then have kids peel off paper liners.
Voila! New Crayons. Now, send the kids and new crayons off to colour together...while you check e-mail, tweet with me and google.
Also good for a homemade #Birthday present or #TeacherGift.
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