How to Melt Old Crayons and Make New Swirled Crayons

Recycle broken crayons into fun new swirly colors.

Recycle old and broken crayons to make new swirled crayons that your kids are sure to enjoy. Melt crayons in the microwave, swirl colors together and allow to harden into new crayons. Let the kids help you prepare the crayons but don't let them handle the hot wax.

Difficulty:

Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Paper cups or muffin liners
• Molds (optional)

1. Gather old and broken crayons. Remove the paper and break them into small chunks.

2. Separate the crayons into color groups and place them in paper cups. For example, place all the red and pink crayons into one cup, all the shades of blue into another and greens in a third.

3. Place the paper cups of crayons into the microwave to melt. Heat them on medium about 20 to 30 seconds at a time. After each increment, check to see how the crayons are melting, and swirl or stir the colors a little with a plastic spoon. Do not overheat the crayons because they can put off irritating fumes.

4. Pour the melted crayons into silicone molds, ice cube trays, a muffin pan or any other containers you have available. Silicone molds are especially nice because the new crayons are easy to pop out, and you can buy them in a variety of shapes. Pour each color group into the mold slowly to keep the colors from mixing completely. To make layered crayons, pour one color, let it cool and then pour the next color.

5. Cool the new swirled and layered crayons in the freezer for 15 minutes. When the crayons have completely cooled and solidified, pop them out of the molds and start coloring.

Tips & Warnings

• Don't microwave crayons that contain glitter. Glittery crayons can be melted in the oven or double boiler.

References

• Crayola: Frequently Asked Questions