Recycle Broken Crayons!

Ever wondered what to do with the old broken crayons laying around your house, in the bottom of drawers or boxes, rejected by kids because they are broken but since - you know - they're CRAYONS they still have lots of use left in them?

Peeled, broken crayons

We had an abundance of broken crayons from one of my over-eager coloring toddlers, so today I collected all the broken pieces and asked the kids to peel the paper off. The unintended bonus to this was that the kids were on task and focused on peeling all the crayons for a good 30 or 40 minutes this morning - working on those fine motor skills!

Peeled, broken crayons in a heart-shaped tin

We arranged the peeled, broken crayon pieces in muffin tins. We just randomly tossed them in with no rhyme or reason to it, but you could certainly sort by color family or make specific color combinations. Ours are a mix of giant, jumbo, and regular crayons.

Bake the crayons in the tins at 275ºF for 12 minutes or until they are melted. I let them sit at room temperature for about 15 minutes after I pulled them out of the oven, then I put the trays in the freezer for a few minutes.

The freezer cooled the crayons enough so that they just popped right out of the tins. I turned the tins upside down over a dish towel (to avoid them falling onto my counter top and potentially breaking).

Finished recycled crayons! 

Next time I will purchase some fun mini-muffin or chocolate molds in different shapes to make the crayons - I bet silicone tins would work well also, and since crayons are non-toxic it's fine to use them in the same tins you use to cook or bake :) You could even package them in little baggies to use as gifts, party favors, or send to school for treasure box prizes.

This was a great, fun, EASY activity and the kids LOVE the new crayons.
Do you have any other suggestions for using broken crayons? Leave your ideas in the comments!


Recycled Broken Crayon Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 275º F
• Peel crayons
• Arrange peeled crayons in muffin tins (be creative! use different shapes and sizes!)
• Bake in 275º oven for approximately 12 minutes, until crayons are melted
• Cool on the counter
• Stick the pan in the freezer for a few minutes and the new crayons will pop right out!