So, I have one of those kids who loves to break crayons. Not always intentionally, but sometimes. No matter how many times I say, “be careful, if you push too hard it will break”, she still presses on the paper with the crayon as hard as she can and SNAP, there goes the crayon. I always end up with craft boxes full of broken crayon bits, and of course, kids don’t want to use the broken ones, they just want the new sharp and perfect ones. So here’s the solution to all those unused and unwanted little crayon bits. Making melted mesh crayons. You get silicone molds in any shape you think they might like. Dinosaurs, stars, hearts, bugs, Mickey Mouse, you name it. Just don’t get the molds that have small details or very thin areas because the new crayon will likely just break again and you’ll be back where you started. Set the silicone mold on a sheet tray lined with parchment paper. Preheat your oven to 200 degrees. Then you have to prep the crayons. If any of the bits still have the paper attached, you’ll want to remove it. Once you do that, take the bits and fit them together into the silicone molds. You can do all the same colors together in each mold, or you can mix the crayon pieces to make new rainbow crayons, it’s up to you. If you have all the molds filled with crayon bits, you can place the tray in the oven and cook the crayons for around 15 to 20 minutes. When the timer goes off, remove the melted crayons from the oven carefully because they are now liquid wax and are prone to spilling. Let the crayons cool completely before removing them from the molds. They should pop right out of the silicone molds fairly easily. Now you have new stronger crayons that are fun for kids and less of a hassle for adults.
