Turn your box of broken and worn-down crayon bits into these new homemade crayons. You can also use a box of new crayons to test out this DIY crayon recipe. It’s fun to add to a space theme, give as a party favor, make crayon art, or pull it out as a rainy day activity!
How To Melt Crayons In The Oven
What to do with old crayons? Make DIY melted crayon crayons and explore chemistry with physical changes.
There are so many fun shapes of crayon molds out there! You can even get alphabet letter molds and pair the activity with a favorite book. See here how we used LEGO molds to make LEGO crayons!
We love to use silicone molds. Yes, silicon can go in the oven! Don’t have silicon molds? Read below for how to melt crayons in muffin tins, with cookie cutters, and even in the microwave!
💡We have 100 Fun Indoor Activities for kids just like this project to try!
Supplies Needed:
You can also save some crayons to make our crayon playdough recipe!
- Silicon Mold
- Crayons
- Baking Sheet or Tray
- Oven mitt
Melting Crayons Tutorial
🛑 Adult supervision is highly recommended. The melted crayons will get very hot! 🛑
STEP 1. Preheat oven to 275 degrees.
STEP 2. Peel the paper wrappers off the crayons and cut the crayons into tiny pieces.
STEP 3. Fill each crayon mold with different colors; anything goes! Similar shades will create a nice effect, or try color mixing by combining blue and yellow!
STEP 4. Place in the oven on a baking sheet for 7-8 minutes or until the crayons are completely melted.
STEP 5. Remove the mold carefully from the oven and let it cool completely.
STEP 6. Once cooled, pop out of molds and have fun coloring! You can try out our reverse coloring art project here.
How To Melt Crayons In The Microwave
🛑 Adult supervision highly recommended. The materials will be hot! 🛑
STEP 1. You will still want to peel off the paper wrappers and break the crayons into pieces. However, your best bet is to separate by color since you will use a melt-and-paste style to make crayons here.
STEP 2. Place the crayon pieces in paper cups and heat on high in the microwave. Ours took about 5 minutes, but depending on the microwave, you may want to start checking around four minutes.
STEP 3. Then, pour the melted crayons into your silicone molds! This is when you can combine colors if desired.
STEP 4. Place molds in the freezer to speed the cooling process! 30 minutes should do the trick.
Melting Crayon FAQs
1. Can you melt crayons without a mold?
Yes! You can use muffin tins, cookie cutters, or even small containers to mold the melted crayons. Just be sure to spray the containers with cooking spray to make the crayons easier to remove once they cool.
2. Can you melt crayons in muffin tins instead?
Absolutely! You don’t need silicon candy molds to make crayons. Spray the muffin tins first with cooking spray and use them the same way you would with molds.
3. What about melting crayons in the oven with cookie cutters?
This is another great alternative to melting crayons in candy molds. Line a baking tray with parchment paper. Lightly spray metal cookie cutters and place them on the tray. Add crayons and pop in the oven!
4. How long do you bake crayons in the oven?
Typically, it takes about 7-8 minutes to melt crayons at 275°F in the oven. Keep an eye on them to ensure they don’t overheat or burn. Once they’re fully melted, remove them and let them cool completely before popping them out of the molds.
5. Can you use crayon stubs for melting?
Absolutely! Crayon stubs are perfect for melting. Just break them into smaller pieces and use them in your molds for a fun way to recycle old crayons.
6. Can you melt crayons in the microwave?
Yes! You can microwave crayon pieces in paper cups for about 4-5 minutes. Just be sure to keep an eye on them as microwaves can vary in strength. Once melted, pour into molds and let cool.
7. Can melted crayons be used for other crafts?
Definitely! After you’ve melted your crayons, you can use the colorful crayon shapes for arts and crafts, such as decorating greeting cards, creating textured artwork, or even making crayon candle holders!
8. What colors can I make by mixing crayons?
Mixing colors is a great way to make custom crayon shades! Combine primary colors like blue and yellow to make green, or red and blue to make purple. The possibilities are endless!
The Science Of Melting Crayons
When you melt crayons, you’re seeing a physical change. A physical change happens when something changes shape or form but doesn’t turn into a completely different substance. For example, when you melt a crayon, it turns from a solid to a liquid, but it’s still crayon wax. You can even melt it again to make new crayons!
This is called a reversible change because you can melt the crayon, reshape it, and let it harden again. It’s like when ice melts into water and then freezes back into ice. The crayon is still the same material; it’s just in a different form!
On the other hand, an irreversible change happens when something changes in a way that can’t be undone. For example, cooking an egg is an irreversible change. Once it’s cooked, you can’t turn it back into a raw egg!
Melting crayons is a fun way to learn how materials can change and return to their original form! Can you think of any more examples of reversible change and irreversible change?
🔎 ALSO CHECK OUT: States Of Matter Experiments and more Examples of Physical Change!
Get Your Free Printable STEAM Activities Guide!
More Fun Activities For Kids
- Make Puffy Paint
- Salt Painting
- Homemade Slime
- Fun Science Experiments For Kids
- The Best STEM Projects
Printable Science Projects For Kids
If you’re looking to grab all of our printable science projects in one convenient place plus exclusive worksheets and bonuses like a STEAM Project pack, our Science Project Pack is what you need! Over 300+ Pages!
How do you generally clean the silicone molds?
Warm, soapy water and then in the dishwasher if they are dishwasher safe.