There are two great ideas included in this craft. First, we will cover the microwave version which was super fun and my grandson Phillip decided not to go with traditional hearts. He wants to give his friends multi-colored dinosaur-shaped crayons. So here we go!
Microwave Directions:
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Peeling the crayons is a little harder than it sounds. I decided to get a box knife to score the crayon its entire length. This made it easier for my grandson to help. He receives therapy to strengthen his hand muscles so this was a great activity for him as was the breaking of the crayons. This is great strength-building fun!
Great coordination and problem solving come with filling the silicone mold and it is so much fun to combine the colors and wonder how cool it will look after it is melted.
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It is so much fun knowing how proud my grandson will be when he brings these beauties to class for Valentine's Day! He handle the creativity and I handled everything hot which was a lot!
Microwaving saved us a little time and I want to share that the most important step in the directions is to put water on the plate to let the mold have contact with the boiling water. The crayons will have a very hard time melting without the water. Also, check them every 3 minutes or so, microwaves have varying wattages and will take more or less time to fully melt the crayons.
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And here is the finished product! I hope you have lots of fun! The next part of the article will focus on traditional hearts and the use of an oven. Also, the number of crayons that you saw in our picture made 24 dino crayons which was a great lesson in math-how many groups of 6 do you need to have enough for 21 students! Multiplication at its finest!
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Oven Directions:
If you’re looking for unique Valentine’s Day gifts this year, these adorable heart-shaped crayon valentine’s hearts are a simple, fun, and affordable idea. Plus it’s a fun activity for the kids, so it’s a two-for-one in my book!
Heart-Shaped Crayons
What you'll need:
- Used crayons (you will need quite a few)
- Silicone heart molds
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 250 degrees.
- Peel crayons from wrappers.
- Break crayons into small pieces (no bigger than ½ inch long).
- Place crayons into molds and place molds on a baking sheet.
- Place the baking sheet in the oven for 20 minutes.
- Cool for 4-6 hours. Or place in the freezer for 30 minutes.
You can make your hearts with any combination of colors! These make a great, easy Valentine's gift for classmates and friends, or simply as a way to recycle old crayons around your own house.
Oven Version by: Melissa Basgall is the publisher of Macaroni Kid Downtown/South Kansas City, Kansas.
