Did you know you can recycle crayons? A favorite project of ours is to give crayons a new life by recycling them into new ones. The beauty of this project is that it is quick, easy and you probably already have the materials on hand. It is never too early (or too late) to teach your children the importance of protecting our planet and showing them ways that they can help to preserve it. Small changes can make a big difference. If everyone shopped a little smarter, consumed a little less and recycled a little more, the overall impact would be significant. In our household we’re always working on consuming less and making smarter buying choices. We buy a lot second hand and try to minimize waste by investing in high-quality, long-lasting items. We still have a long way to go in reducing our carbon footprint, but we’re working on it. We try to repurpose as many items and materials as we can.

Materials:

– silicone mold dedicated to crafting(I’m using this one but you can use any mold you already have)
– pieces of old crayons (we’re using a full box since we had an extra one lying around that Elliot received in an Easter basket)

Instructions to make recycled crayons:

Step 1: How to prepare the crayons

Preheat your oven to 200 degrees F. Remove the paper wrappers from the crayons and break any larger ones into small pieces. I used an exacto knife to cut the paper lengthwise on each crayon and let Elliot remove all of the wrappers. I then scored the crayons with a knife and let Elliot break each crayon into pieces. Next, fill each mold with the small pieces of crayons, slightly overfilling each mold. The crayons will melt down and they should then be at a good height. You can group similar colors together and mix colors together for a marbled look.

Step 2: How to make new crayons

Place the mold on top of a cookie sheet and place in the pre-heated oven for 20-25 minutes or until all of the crayons are completely melted. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and let cool at room temperature until completely hardened. Once they’ve cooled, flip the mold over and remove each crayon. Use a sharp knife to shave off any unevenness on the backside of the crayons if desired.