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Ready to upcycle your crayons? This DIY project is EASY and FUN (I promise)!

A quick note…

I am NOT a crafty person by nature. I do however LOVE this crayon project and have been asked to share the ins and outs on how to make them 🙂

If you're also non-crafty, I hope this post helps you. There are so many youtube videos out there to watch (that's how I started), too!

I do this project at the end of every school year – I like to restock my school supply inventory BEFORE I pack up my room to head out for summer. My students and I quickly sort out the broken crayons (I save the “intact” crayons and then replenish wherever needed), glue sticks, and dry erase markers. These are the staples we use almost every school day.

Once you've collected the crayons, here's the rest of the supplies you'll need:

STEP ONE – Soak crayons

Positively Learning Blog How to Make Crayons from All Your Broken Crayons!

Best Tip EVER – do not peel the paper off! Simply soak your crayons in water. After ten minutes, you'll see that the liners will literally fall off!

Do NOT fight the paper – you will not win.

As I soak and prepare the crayons, I've learned that some paper just doesn't want to come off, haha. Unfortunately, you won't be able to use those crayons for this project.

  • I highly recommended watching Netflix or Youtube vlogs during this process to pass the time 
Positively Learning Blog Easy Steps to Make Crayons

 

What brand of crayon should you use?

As a teacher who purchases supplies for my resource room, I welcome ANY and ALL generous donations. All brands of crayons melt really well, however the paper on Crayola crayons comes off the easiest. If you end of up purchasing crayons specifically for this project, I highly recommend brand name (and I learned from experience!). Also, glitter crayons (any brand) do not melt as beautifully as you might think – they work out okay, so I don't avoid them, HOWEVER sometimes the glitter  “clumps” together when melted and looks like silver specks.

Quick Note: I recommend using cool water. Warm water won't affect the process, but makes the crayons a bit melty and they are already slippery enough to handle!

STEP TWO: Preheat the oven to 225 degrees

Positively Learning Blog What to do with all those broken crayons!

STEP THREE – Fill up the crayon molds

Upcycle your crayons by Positively Learning Blog

I always start off carefully matching colors and then five minutes later, I'm placing crayons wherever they fall! No need to be fancy, I've never had a crayon that hasn't turned out! The smaller the broken crayon piece, the better (in my opinion). You want to “over fill” as much as you can – they will melt down lower much more than you expect.

Recommendation: Purchase two of the same crayon molds, so you can fill and make two cookie sheets at the same time. Please note: your crayon molds and cookie sheets will definitely be colorfully splattered with melted crayon specks. I use those super inexpensive cookie trays and keep them stored alongside the crayon molds to use again next year.

STEP FOUR: “Bake” the crayons!

How to Upcycle Your Crayons by Positively Learning Blog

How long should you bake them? I can't give you an exact time…I usually wait about 25 minutes and then start impatiently checking on them.

Resist the urge to stir them! I've tried it and it just doesn't look as nice as they do when I leave them alone! I will use a coffee stirrer (or something disposable) to push down any little crayon bits that aren't melted, but this isn't necessary at all.

After the crayons look 100% liquid, carefully remove them from the oven and let them cool completely.

STEP SIX: Enjoy your new crayons!

Positively Learning Blog How to Make Crayons

So cute and SO easy!

I've tried out a few different candy/crayon molds and I've really liked the gingerbread and heart shaped molds by Wilton. They are adorable AND easy for my students to grasp and use for their artwork. I've seen them available at Michael's and on Amazon, and I'm sure they can be found in most candy-making supply sections at your favorite store.

I hope this post shows how fun and easy it is to upcycle your crayons! It's a project I enjoy every year and now I don't cringe as I watch my students drop their crayons and then step on them by accident (alright, maybe I do still cringe).

If you found this helpful, please pin to share! Thank you 🙂

Hi there.

I'm Jennifer!

I’m Jennifer and I was a special educator in the elementary school setting over the past decade. I entered the classroom every day dedicated to making learning inclusive AND engaging.

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