Yesterday, we were getting some semi-annoying squall-like rain bands, which we think came from Gustav passing by Florida. Since our options we so limited outside, I finally decided to get the girls involved in a little project - recycling old crayons!

We go through crayons like crazy, and with a family who knows the girls love arts and crafts, they get new boxes of them a lot. While I try to hold off using new crayons, you know how little ones are - as soon as they’re damaged in any way, whether broken or the paper needs to be ripped off - they’re not as “fun” anymore.

Recycling crayons is a fun and very simple project that kids can help out with almost 100%. It’s also a great lesson in color mixing and dexerity (especially if you put your kids to work pulling the paper off!). Of course, parents should always do the cutting up part!

1.   Preheat the oven to 170 degrees.

2.   Peel the paper wrapper off the crayons.

3.   Cut the crayons into small pieces, about a half-inch long.

4.   Place the pieces in a muffin tin. You can line the tin with muffin cups, or just use the tin (but keep in mind you’ll be sacrificing the tin for art’s sake). We used a mini-muffin pan, but you can use any size.

5.   Sort the crayons by color family, or just mix them up! This was one of the most fun parts for the kids. They were so excited to make their own creations!

6.   Bake for about 20 minutes, or until the crayons are melted.

7.   Let the pan cool completely. The wax will be liquid when you remove it from the oven, but will harden as the pan cools.

See above for our finished product! And thanks to Layne for asking how to make these!