Recycled Chunky Crayons

I'm not usually "allowed" to color with my kids, because I have a serious history of breaking their crayons. It pretty much happens every time. I'm a lefty, and then I think I push too hard or something, and they always snap. So because I can't blame ALL the little broken chunks of crayon on the kiddos, I came across a fun "recycling" idea from Make and Takes that I thought I would try with the kids. It is a great way to use up all those broken crayon bits and the kids can help. My daughters were busy peeling crayon wrappers for almost 2 hours straight! It kept them very busy and they were quite determined. :) Their little fingernails were just stubs by the end, but they thought it was worth it. My oldest said that, "This is the best day of my life!" It doesn't take much to please them, does it? They love their new crayons- their favorite feature is that they stack. Easy project and your kids will love you for it! :)

*I used my old muffin tins because I was a bit nervous, and it did leave a bit of residue even after my vigorous scrubbing. The Make and Takes gal did this with silicone ones, and I think they would probably pop out a lot easier, but it did work. The freezing idea would probably really help too.

Recycled Chunky Crayons
1. Get out your old crayons. Take off the paper (if it is still on) and break them up into smaller pieces (kids love to help with this.)

2. Spray your muffin tin (below is a mini muffin tin) with vegetable spray and pour some crayons into each spot. The more or less you put depends on what size you want for each chunky crayon. You can also group the crayons into colors that are fun together, red and blue for purple, pink tones or blue tones.

3. Place the muffin tin full of crayons into a preheated oven of 275 degrees F. I used both mini muffin tins and large muffin tins. Watch them carefully, they will melt fast. Bake them for about 7-8 minutes. (We did big ones and it took a little longer.) When they looked melted enough, carefully and slowly remove them from the oven. You can stir them with a toothpick for a swirly look, or leave them as is. Let them cool completely (can be placed in the freezer to speed up process once the tin is not so hot.)

4. Once cooled, the crayons can be popped out of the muffin tin, tap the back to help this process. Then get the paper out and your ready to color.