The Many Uses For Old Crayons

Crayon Magnets

Rainbow Disc
Turn your kid’s old broken crayons into fun rainbow colored discs. Have your kids help remove the paper from their old broken crayons, and randomly arrange them in paper lined muffin tins.  Heat them in a lined muffin tin,  200-250 degree oven, until the wax is melted and smooth. Let the discs cool completely inside the paper lined muffin tin. After they’re cool, peel back the paper, and give your kids colorful crayon discs made from their old broken crayons.
Optional:  Add Glitter

Do your kids love glitter crayons? Help your kids make a set of rainbow glitter discs by having them sprinkle glitter in the muffin cups before placing them in the oven. The finished rainbow discs will be embellished with flecks of shiny glitter.

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Wax Paper Shapes

Make plaques by melting crayon shavings between 2 sheets of wax paper with a warm iron and let that dry. Then outline a shape - like a star- and cut it out of the shavings after they hardened - then peel the wax paper off.

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Sandpaper Art

I did this great project with 5 and 6 year olds using old broken crayons and sandpaper. Cut out a piece of sandpaper, the more coarse the better. Allow the children to draw a picture on the rough surface with leftover crayons. Once the sandpaper is all colored, place in the oven on an old cookie sheet at low heat. It makes a bit of a waxy smell, but once the pictures are melted on the sandpaper, let dry and you have an art piece to cherish

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Stained Glass Effect

 With the crayons broken in small bits and shavings, make  a picture on a sheet of drawing paper. After that, cover the crayon shaving picture with a sheet of paper and iron the design in, by carefully moving over it with a warm iron and slight pressure. Very like a stained glass effect and fun to do.

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Sun Catchers – similar to above (Needs supervision!)

You can make sun catchers using wax paper, an iron and crayon shavings. Use a sheet of heavy foil over the wax paper when ironing so you don't smoke up the place or ruin your iron. I use old muffin tins and pencil sharpeners to make shavings grouped by color. Kids always want to help make the shavings. Take a large sheet of wax paper and fold it in half, sprinkle shavings (sparingly, they spread a lot!) over 1/2 of the sheet, then fold over & iron on medium heat - it only takes a few seconds. Cool and cut into shapes. We made wings from construction paper to make bees and butterflies. Then tape your creations onto windows for the light to shine through. You can also draw or write on the wax paper with sharpie markers.

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Furniture Scratches

Use the browns and blacks to cover scratches on your furniture. Works well.

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Seals for Envelopes

Use them for sealing envelopes. Melt them down in a lined muffin tin (oven 200 F), or melt in a dixie cup in a microwave, and then drip the crayon wax into patterns or just a drop onto the envelope. Then you can use a metal stamp after the wax has cooled a little to add more texture or your initials.

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Different Shapes

Looking for something to do with those old broken crayons? Take the wrappers off of old crayon break them into pieces mix all together and put to the side.  Take two muffin tins, line them with either foil muffin cups or spray with just plain non stick baking spray. Put pieces of crayons in the muffin tins filling it halfway.  Heat oven to 200 degrees F. Put the muffin tin in the oven. Take out after the crayons are melted. It usually takes about 9-11 minutes but watch them since oven temperatures vary.  After they are melted take out of the oven put to side. Let cool for about an hour but if you are in a hurry put them in the fridge to cool. After they are cool you have fun new crayons for the kids.

Optional:  For fun holiday ideas, take a flat cookie sheet lined with easy release foil. Use metal cookie cutters. Press the cookie cutters down a little bit. Put crayon pieces in each cookie cutter and melt the wax. Let cool and you will have crayons in neat shapes.  Or take plastic candy molds and dixie cups. Put crayon pieces in the cup. Melt the crayons in microwave for about 5-8 minutes pour into the molds let cool in freezer for 20-30 min and they will pop right out of the mold.

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Microwave Crayons

Remove paper and put several crayons of similar color families (i.e. red purple and blue or yellow green and blue) in a small bathroom-size paper cup. Put several of these cups on a plate and micro until melted enough for at least some to be liquid. DO NOT MIX. Allow to cool and peel off paper and you have a multi-colored chunky crayon for little hands or just fun because of the multi-color.

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Crayon Paintings

Use an old warming tray and wrap the tray top with heavy foil to protect it. Then place a sheet of paper on the tray and 'paint' with the crayon stubs - which melt as they touch the paper. For even more fun, place another sheet of paper on top of the 1st and rub evenly, then peel off. You'll have 2 pieces beautifully patterned paper you can use for collage, etc. Paper with a smooth finish works best for this.

 Another Option Crayon Paint:

Place the stubs, grouped by color in a muffin tin and place the tin on a warming tray (remember the foil), then use old paintbrushes (the cheapest plastic ones are fine) to paint with the melted wax. You can paint the melted wax onto fabric for a batik project.

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Wet Drawing Technique

Mineral spirits or turpentine will dissolve the crayons. You can make washes by painting a drawing with a brush full of spirits, dissolving some in a small container and also try dipping the crayons in a little cup full of spirits for a 'wet drawing' technique.

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Crayon Magnets

We also made unusual magnets by arranging crayon shavings and small pieces on metal juice can tops and placing these in the hot sun until crayons melt and swirl together. On a hot summer day, this happens quickly! Once cooled the wax hardens and lasts fairly well - as long as you don't drop it.

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Coloring White Candles

Melt down crayons with a little wax and then dip white candles into the mixture to create colored candles. Buy plain white candles - about 99 cents for 1 dz. (e.g. in the ethnic food aisle of the grocery store - Shabbat candles.)  Melt a little bit of wax with crayons in a tin can set in an old saucepan with hot water in the pan... a substitute for a double boiler.

Use tongs and be very careful. Dip the white candle in the wax, then into a tin can of cold water, then back into the wax - do this until you get the desired coating, then let them cool. You can make any color of candles and it's a lot of fun to experiment.

Optional:  The crayon stubs are also great to color wax candles. Just add them to the wax when you are melting it down.

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Decorating Easter Eggs

You could store them in with your Easter stuff and bring them out when decorating Easter Eggs. Draw on the egg before dipping it in the egg dye.

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Donate Crayons

Donate your crayons to Crazy Crayons. Crazy Crayons melts down old crayons and recycles them into new ones.  For every pound sent to LAF Lines, Ltd. for crayon recycling, you will receive one CRAZY CRAYON™

Crazy Crayon/LAF Lines Ltd.

6794 Highway 394

Craig, CO 81625

1-800-561-0922

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