Crafting with crayons

You can do more than color with crayons! So here are some DIY ideas for afternoons spent at home.

Fun crayons

When you find yourself with a bunch of little bits of unusable wax crayon, it's time to do some recycling. All you will need to make these fun new crayons is a silicone mold (e.g. for muffins). These recycled pencils, easy to hold, will delight your children.

1. Sort the pencils according to the combinations that will be melted. Crayons resulting from pairing similar colors look more beautiful.
2. Break the pencils into small pieces, taking care to remove any scraps of paper.
3. Preheat the oven to 300°F and place the pans in the oven, for about 5 minutes.
4. Once the wax has melted, remove the molds from the oven and set them on a cooling surface. If needed, add more crayon pieces to fill each mold to the brim.
5. When the molds are full, carefully remove them from the oven and let them cool for 20 minutes.
6. To finish cooling and seize the shape, place the molds in the refrigerator for about2 hours.

This craft requires adult supervision at all costs. Hot wax can indeed cause serious injury.

Pretty charm

Here is another very original way to recover scraps of wax crayons. But beware: this craft also requires adult supervision. In addition, melted plastic gives off a rather unpleasant smell. It's best to do this craft when it's not too cold outside, so you can open the windows a bit.

You will need an old medicine bottle (empty and unlabeled), some crayon scraps and an aluminum plate.

1. Using scissors or a sharpener, fill the container with crayons. Do not mix too much color, otherwise the jewelry will be brown.
2. Place everything on an aluminum plate to melt in the oven. You can of course use the conventional oven, but if you have a small pizza oven, it will be faster.
3. Allow the plastic and wax to cool completely before touching it. You can pass a string through the jewel, to make a necklace, or glue a brooch, at the back.

Abstract Canvas

Make small abstract paintings with your child that he can hang on the walls of his room, to decorate it, or give as a gift. Everything you will need: pencil scraps, small canvases, paperwaxed, an iron.

1. Using scissors or a sharpener, cut the pencils.
2. Place them on the canvas, matching the colors nicely. You can also sprinkle the canvases with sparkles.
3. Cover the canvas with wax paper and pass the iron (not too hot) over it.
4. Allow canvas to cool before handling.

You can also do this craft on a small piece of white cardboard. When the wax is solid, you can add some decorative elements to it and make a pretty greeting card!

You can also use a hair dryer to melt the pencils, but this technique, although very fun, requires more time.

Scratch Card

Here's a fun way to draw with crayons. The result is quite surprising and children always have a lot of fun making scratch cards. You will need a piece of cardboard, wax crayons, black paint (gouache, acrylic or Indian ink) and a scraper.

1. Start by coloring the entire surface of the card stock. You can use multiple colors.
2. Cover the whole thing with a coat of black paint.
3. Let dry.
4. With a scraper, draw in the paint.

Leafprint

Here is a very easy DIY, which can be made with young children (from 2 years old). Simple, theresult is very nice. You will need tree leaves of different sizes. Prefer sheets that have strong veins and are not too dry.

1. Place the leaves on a sheet of paper. The veins should face you.
2. Place a second sheet of paper on the sheet.
3. Remove the paper covering the crayon. Rub the pencil lying on the sheet. Feel free to layer the colors!
4. You can use these sheets to make a greeting card or herbarium.

Rainbow Canvas

Your children will have a blast and will also be very proud of the result of this unique DIY, which they can display in their room. You will need crayons, canvas, newspaper, hair dryer, glue gun.

1. Glue the crayons with a glue gun to the top of your canvas. Some people keep the paper around the pencils, others remove it, both methods work well. However, if you plan to remove the pencils before exposing the canvas, it is best to remove the paper and cut the pencils in half: this way you will avoid ending up with an empty white space at the top of your canvas.
2. Tilt the canvas so that the wax flows well. If you place the canvas vertically against a wall, stick newspaper on it, in order to protect it well. Don't forget to put some on the floor.
3. Direct the hot air from your hair dryer onto the pencils. Better to point your hair dryer down to get the wax flowing.
4. This process takes time – between 5 and 8 minutes per small section of pencils. Be patient!
5. Let sit and dry.

Pretty greeting cards

Here is another fun and easy technique! You will be able to make pretty original and unique crafts with your children! You will need white cardboard, tissue paper, water, a paintbrush and a white crayon.

1. With a white crayon, draw a simple shape (heart, star, planet, etc.) in the center of your white cardboard. You could also write a few words, like a cute "Happy Birthday!" »
2. Cover the surface of the white cardboard with sheets of tissue paper, of any color.
3. Using a brush, moisten the tissue papers with water. Allow the colors of the tissue paper to soak into the cardboard before removing them.

It's rare that tissue paper colors don't bleed, but it's still possible. It is therefore preferable to do some tests before starting the activity.