Crazy Crayons

Take leftover crayon pieces and make your own crazy crayons. Kids will enjoy this activity.

Very often children break their crayon sticks into small pieces when they are coloring or when they are just being naughty. All mummy can do is scold them with a warning that they will not get a new set if they break their crayons again. A few weeks later she finds the same mess. Once again, bits and pieces of crayons are ready to be thrown into the dustbin.

Have you ever thought of doing something innovative and creative with these broken pieces of crayons? Here's a great tip to help you end up with something useful, and keep the children busy at the same time. So start collecting broken and end pieces of crayons and get ready to get creative!

Crayons are made of wax and heat makes them behave crazy. As they melt, they form swirls or other interesting patterns. Follow these simple steps to make these crazy crayons.

Things you will need:

Crayon pieces
Kitchen knife
Mini cake-tins, preferably of different shapes

Let's begin:

Chop the crayons into pea-size bits using a kitchen knife. Keep different colored bits separately.

Next, arrange the pieces in small cake-tins (the ones you use for cup cakes) using different combination of colors and designs. Allow the children to do this themselves using their own imagination.

Now pre-heat the oven to 150^o - 160^o.

Put the tins in which you have arranged the crayons in the oven and bake for 15 to 20 minutes. Children can watch as they melt.

You will see that the bits slowly start melting and form interesting designs. At times they may look like a whirlpool. Once they have melted completely, take them out gently and allow them to cool. You will find that they solidify in the same pattern.

After they have cooled, remove the blocks from the tins. If you are having difficulty doing this, keep the tins in the freezer for about an hour. The blocks will pop out on their own.

You now have blocks of beautiful multicolored crayons and can use them as and when you like. They are unique and unlike any that you can buy from the store. Also, they are easy to handle and do not stand any chance of breaking!

To make the activity even more enjoyable, encourage them to think of innovative and useful combinations such as a white and blue blends for coloring the sky or an orange-red-yellow blend for sunsets. A light and dark green combination could be useful for drawing a jungle scene. And you never know-- some of these blocks may form some unique color which you may not have seen ever!

This is a simple activity, which doesn't require too much preparation. At the same time, it will put your child's creative instinct to the test. Your child will also learn something about colours and combinations. So let your imaginations soar and put your ideas to test this weekend.