For some reason crayons love to break and most probably you have also found a half-used box of crayons and thought “what a waste of money”? But don’t throw those crayons away!
Recycle them and give them a new life with a fun and creative activity by melting crayons in oven. So if you are tired of broken crayons and wondered what to do with old crayons, just get them in shape!
Before you turn on the oven and start your melted crayon crafts and create colorful masterpieces, there are some safety tips to keep in mind.
Be sure to supervise children while working with a hot oven. Make sure they understand the importance of safety.
Additionally, don’t forget to wear heat-resistant gloves when handling hot items during the melted crayon project!
What Do You Need for the DIY Crayons?
🖍️ Crayons
🛢️ Cooking spray (for a muffin tin)
How to Melt Crayons in the Oven?
The crayon melting process is quite easy and requires only a few steps to reach the desired melted crayon art.
You can demonstrate to your kids the science of the crayon melt art and explain what are crayons made of while you are having fun creating something new.
Preparing the Crayons for Melting
Simply collect all your old, broken crayon pieces and clean them by peeling off the paper. We could easily remove the paper from the crayons, giving our daughters a little fine motor activity.
In case the paper doesn’t want to come off, soak the crayons in warm water for a few minutes, then rub it off, some will fall by themselves.
Break or cut the crayons small enough to fit into the silicone mold or muffin tin, then put the small crayons into place. Try to fill in as many as you can. You can separate the colors or mix them as you like.
Preparing the Oven for Crayon Melting
Preheat the oven to 50-75 °C (120-170 °F). Make sure to use oven-safe silicone molds for the crayon melting art.
Melting the Crayons
Put the crayon mold on a baking tray then put it in the oven for about 10-15 minutes at 50-75 °C (120-170 °F) until fully melted.
Since each oven is different stay in front of yours and keep watching the process. This way you will be able to take the melted crayons out on time before they start bubbling.
The final product – Melted Crayons
Take the melted crayons out of the oven and wait for them to completely cool down until they become solid again.
Take them out of the mold and try the resurrected, recycled crayons.
Different Methods for Crayon Melting
There are different methods for melting crayon art. A microwave, a hairdryer, and even a glue gun can melt the wax. The crayons should fit into glue guns and you can make different shapes by dripping the melted crayon on a piece of parchment paper.
We prefer the oven method since it seems to be the least complicated way to create home made crayons. When deciding to melt crayons in the oven the right mold is the most important part of your project. How to make crayons in molds? You might already have it available in your kitchen.
Melting Crayons in Oven Silicone Mold
I had a cute robot shape silicone crayon mold at home, and we used those to make our very first recycled crayons.
But if you are planning to buy one, there are plenty to choose from like, but make sure they are oven-safe molds:
- alphabet letter molds for crayon letters
- animal shapes
- cute and spooky
- heart shapes for Valentine’s day
- Easter themed for basket fillers
- Reindeer shapes for Christmas
You can even melt all the crayons you have into one big crayon using a unicorn cake mold.
Melting Crayons in Muffin Tin
If you don’t have silicone molds but you have an old muffin tin on hand, you can use that too.
Use cooking spray before filling it with crayon pieces, it might help the crayons come out after turning solid.
Melting Crayons in Oven with Cookie Cutters
There is another creative crayon melting idea where you actually create a crayon mold from metal cookie cutters. Place a sheet of baking paper onto a baking tray, then arrange metal cookie cutters on the tray, and use it as a mold.
How to Make Melted Crayon Art with Unique Colors?
Experiment with different melted crayon art ideas, combinations of colors, and designs to create different effects.
Make individual colors or combine similar ones, or randomly mix multiple colors and watch while they swirl and melt together creating an abstract look.
Aniko came up with an amazing idea for melting colors. She had an elephant silicone mold, where she lined up the broken crayons. They melted into cute patchwork Elephants just like Elmer. This is an inspiring idea for the next World Book Day, followed by some Elmer the elephant activities for toddlers.
Conclusion
Melting Crayons in ovens is a simple and enjoyable activity that anyone can try. It is a creative way to recycle crayon leftovers and create something useful. Experiment with different shapes/molds and colors.
Remember to always use caution when dealing with hot wax and never leave young children unsupervised.
Don’t forget to explore our website for additional information and other creative ideas.
