Make It Monday: Crayon Maker Crayons

Last time we made crayons, I was unprepared by not having the light bulb. This time was different though; I had the bulb.

This time, I didn't have the directions. I did, however, have Google.

Fill the melting tray with broken pieces of crayons.
(Ever notice how there's always a half-eaten apple nearby???)

Close the lid and turn the knob to the light bulb symbol.

Try to endure the 13 minutes of waiting for the crayons to melt.

Finally starting to melt!

When the light shuts off, turn the knob to pour the melted wax into the mold.

Once cooled, pop the crayons out of the mold.

Create a masterpiece with your new crayons.

The Crayola Crayon Maker is simple to use. The lid locks as the wax is melting and cooling, preventing possible burning. And since the lid is clear, you can watch the crayons as they melt. Bonus!

What I don't like is how small the new crayons are. You can see in the picture above that the crayon barely fits in Alyssa's hand. That is the size of crayons that we broke to melt down. It does come with two plastic  pieces that hold a crayon at each end, making it easier to color with. Also, the second time we used it, the mold clogged and we ended up with only two crayons. That may have been because both times we did it, the crayons were not fully melted. We had to turn the light back on in order to finish melting them. The melting tray really is too big for how much wax will fit in the mold. The excess  pools at the top into Lego type chunks. The kids each broke a crayon while coloring, but come to find out, you're supposed to wait another ten minutes after the machine shuts off for the crayons to fully cool. I never admitted to being good about reading directions!

Those things don't bother the kids though. They just like breaking the crayons, watching them melt, and getting new ones. Works for me.