How To Make Crayons In Fun Shapes Kids Love (Star Shaped ...

School is out for the summer, and my kids brought home backpacks stuffed full of the past year’s artwork, old homework papers, half used notebooks and broken crayons. It took me a good hour to go through and sort it all out.

Between the three of them, they brought home at least a hundred used crayons. I decided to do something I haven’t done in a long time: Turn those old crayons into NEW crayons shaped like stars.

It’s really easy to make your own crayons out of old, broken crayons. You can use new crayons, too, but I like to recycle any old ones we have around the house. You simply melt them down in a mold, then pop them out of the mold once the crayons have cooled and hardened. The whole process takes about an hour.

Silicone molds are the easiest way to make crayons into shapes. In the past, I have made our own crayons using LEGO brick and minifigure molds, the Wilton star silicone mold, a flower mold, heart shaped molds and even a mini muffin mold to make circle-shaped crayons. Homemade crayons are fun to give as gifts, prizes and party favors.

The directions for how to make your own crayons are basically the same, no matter which silicone mold shape you pick. This time, I will tell you how we made Star Crayons. This is a good shape for young kids because stars are chunky and easy for them to hold, and they can color with any of the star’s tips.

HOW TO MAKE CRAYONS IN FUN SHAPES (Star Shaped Crayons Craft)

You’ll Need:

• Silicone Mold in desired shape (Star)
• Crayola crayons *NOT washable crayons
• X-acto Knife

HELPFUL TIPS:

The X-acto Knife makes it quick and easy to remove the paper from around the crayon. Use the tip of the knife to cut a slit all the way down the crayon’s paper wrapper. The wrapper should peel right off.

The original Crayola crayons (not the Washable Crayola crayons) work best for this project. Washable crayons do not work at all. I have also found that cheaper, off brand crayons do not work.

Note: If you are concerned about fumes from melted crayon wax, do this craft in a well-ventilated area or outdoors. I melt my crayons in a countertop toaster oven that could be plugged in and used outside if necessary. However, I simply open my kitchen windows for air flow while I melt crayons. I haven’t ever really noticed any crayon fumes, but other people may be more sensitive than me.

Directions:

1. Remove paper wrappers from crayons. Break crayons into smaller pieces and place them inside the silicone mold cups. You’ll want to fill each mold about halfway to three-fourths of the way with crayon pieces. The more crayons you melt in the cup, the thicker the finished crayon will be.
2. Preheat oven to 220 degrees F. Place crayon-filled silicone mold in the oven and allow the crayons to melt completely. This takes about 20 minutes.
3. Once the crayons have completely melted into liquid, carefully remove the silicone mold from the oven. The wax will be extremely hot, do not touch it. Allow crayons to cool and harden completely in the mold. This takes about 20-30 minutes.
4. Once the crayons are completely cool in the mold, carefully remove them from the silicone mold. The crayons are ready to use.

Crayon Color Ideas:

Make Rainbow Crayons: Use a mix of broken red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple crayons in the same mold to create one crayon that contains every color of the rainbow!

Make Red, White and Blue Crayons: Use a mix of broken Red, White and Blue crayons to make a pretty patriotic crayon! I like to make this crayon in the star shaped mold for kids to use when they color at patriotic holidays like the Fourth of July.

If you have any questions about the process, please leave them in the comments below. I am happy to help, and will answer any questions as quickly as I can.