March 31st is National Crayon Day, which is the perfect way to wrap up National Craft Month. Anyone who provides child care either professionally or for their own children knows that crayons are the MVPs of the craft world. Binney & Smith, a company that produced writing and drawing utensils for schools, formed their Crayola division in 1903 especially to make wax crayons for children. Teachers across the United States requested “dustless chalk,” and Binney & Smith delivered a product that was a near-instant success. Teachers and parents alike still love crayons because they are a (nearly) mess-free way to let children express their creativity.
In charge of child care this weekend? Try this fun activity that combines crayons and crafting! Melt down your broken crayons and remold them into new artistic creations.
Why Remold Old Crayons?
One of the best things about crayons is that you can still use them if they break, so why bother remolding your broken crayons into something new? First of all, it’s fun! By using novelty silicone ice molds, you can make your crayons in fun shapes. You can also combine multiple colors into your remoloded crayons so kids can see what happens when different colored wax melts together. Additionally, kids also learn about the effect of heat on different materials, making this craft a mini science experiment.
Make New Crayons in 5 Easy Steps
Making new crayons from broken pieces is easy. Start by preheating your oven to 250ºF. Next, place your broken crayon pieces into your molds. You can separate them by color or mix different colors. Put the molds in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes or until the crayons are completely melted. Let the crayons cool until they solidify. You can put them in the freezer to speed up the process. Once the crayons are cool and solid, pop them out of the molds and color away!
Child Care in Bangor, Maine | Watch Me Shine
At Watch Me Shine, we understand that child care is so much more than a place to drop off your kids while you’re at work. Child care is a place where kids can learn and thrive. Our Watch Me Shine team provides speech and language therapy services, early intervention, and other programs to help your children meet their developmental milestones.
