8 Super Easy Steps to Make Old Crayons New Again

This past Saturday night, the kids and I were at home and they kept begging me to do a “project”. Since we homeschool, they’re always eager to do projects, but sometimes I don’t always have the energy (or patience) to do big ones. So I love when I find projects that are easy, fun and require little clean-up. I’ve shared several projects here, here and here. Well Saturday was one of those nights! I was happy to recall hearing or seeing on Pinterest or YouTube the idea of melting old crayons to create new ones.

Now since this was a last minute, late evening projects, we used what we had. But it was such a big hit with the kiddos, that we’ll be purchasing some character molds (listed below) for the next time. This time around, we used a mini cupcake/muffin pan since we don’t really use it for anything at home. I also loved that this was a project the kids could, for the most part, do independently. In addition, I’m always trying to fit homeschooling in where I can, so this was a great learning experience for them. We talked about science, and what they thought would happen once we put the crayons into the oven (which was the only part they needed me for). My 5-year-old is a budding artist, so she was super pumped to start creating artwork with these new pieces.

If you’ve been wondering what to do with those pesty broken crayons, here’s a great alternative to ditching them. So here ya go, these are my 8 super easy steps to make old crayons new again!

Step 1A: For parents: Pre-heat the oven to 300 degrees F.

Step 1: Gather all broken and old crayons

Melted crayons - momsncharge 2

Step 2: Peel all of the paper off of crayons

Melted crayons - momsncharge

Step 3: Gather paperless crayons into one pile

Melted crayons - momsncharge 3

Step 4: Separate crayons into color groups

Melted crayons - momsncharge 4

Step 5:  Break crayons into smaller pieces & place inside cupcake tin

Melted crayons - momsncharge 5

Step 6: Parents: place pan inside oven for 20 minutes then remove

Melted crayons - momsncharge 6

Step 7: Allow crayons to cool on counter or for quicker results, in the fridge for 20-30 minutes

Melted crayons - momsncharge 7

Step 8: Remove crayons from pan and start drawing

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Here’s everything you’ll need:

Here are a few more pics of how the crayons turned out. Pretty cool, huh?

Melted crayons - momsncharge 8

Melted crayons - momsncharge 9

 

Melted crayons - momsncharge 12

Comment below and let me know if you’ve melted crayons before, or what your favorite (and easy) DIY project is for the little ones.


 

This post contains affiliate links, which simply means, I might be able to buy a few cups of my favorite caramel latte if you make a purchase using them 🙂

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13 Comments

  • nadeen
    August 10, 2015 at 7:21 AM

    Oh this is very cool! I would never have thought of it! I loved to color as a child!
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  • Tanay
    August 10, 2015 at 11:05 AM

    This is super cute. Bookmarking for future reference cause … boys and crayons… Lol
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  • Holly
    August 10, 2015 at 11:34 AM

    I have seen different variations of doing this. I like the new shape you ended up with and the mix of colors.
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  • Amber
    August 10, 2015 at 1:37 PM

    This looks like tons of fun! I think my little one would enjoy it. Crayons bring so much joy to kids (and parents, too!).
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  • Emerald Lavender
    August 10, 2015 at 2:37 PM

    This is a fun project for kids! My children are always tearing up the crayons I buy them..lol!! Thank you for teaching me a way to breathe new life into crayons that I’d usually just throw away. 🙂
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  • Joanna
    August 11, 2015 at 8:56 AM

    This looks fun! My nieces and nephews love Legos Nd we have Lego friends molds. I’ll definitely try this out.
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  • Mimi "MimiCuteLips" Green
    August 12, 2015 at 9:50 AM

    This is a great idea, I will be doing this with the kids. We have so many crayons that are broken and god knows what else. This is the perfect way to bring them back to life.
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  • Patranila
    August 12, 2015 at 1:41 PM

    Such a cool idea and a great afternoon project for the kiddies!
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  • Mj
    August 13, 2015 at 4:14 PM

    I have never done this but I need to asap! So simple. Broken crayons are like finger nails on a chalkboard for me. I loath them. The kiddo may have a fit until the whole process is done. Then she will be happy.

  • LaShawn
    August 13, 2015 at 8:44 PM

    I had NEVER thought to do this! This is such a cool idea! The next time my son says he’s bored, we are so doing this!
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  • T. Espinoza
    August 13, 2015 at 9:29 PM

    Ha! This is the answer to my broken crayon collection prayers LOL. This will be perfect for the silicone Lego molds 🙂
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    • Christine St.Vil
      August 17, 2015 at 1:42 AM

      LOL It definitely was the answer to my prayers as well 🙂 Yessss the silicone Lego molds would absolutely be perfect. They would also make great bday gifts too.

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