The Lifecycle of a Crayon!

Crayons?  Really?  Are crayons worth writing about???  Well, in my first grade classroom, they are a BIG deal!  This is how crayons work in room 203:

At the beginning of the year, parents donate 3 boxes of crayons each.  These are stored and distributed throughout the year.  I give them new crayons every time report cards go home.  Crayons are kept in a tool caddy on top of their desks. 

When we get the new crayons, we put the crayons that are still pretty good in bins.  These are sorted by color and are great for "I can't find my brown".  I am not sure if somebody thinks the brown crayons are tootsie rolls, but I swear somebody must eat all my browns! 

The crayons that were broken or not worth saving will be recycled.  We have a "peeling party".  It's great for fine motor skills! :)  Kids actually enjoy doing this too.  Kind of weird if you ask me!  After the crayons are naked, they are sorted in Ziploc bags by color. 

I take the crayons home and make crayon cakes.  I have TONS of silicone trays for making my crayon cakes.  Sometimes you can find these at the dollar section of Target.  Wilton makes some nice ones but they are more expensive.  Break the crayons into pieces about an inch or two long and fill the cavities in the silicone tray.  You can use the same color or mix it up with lots of colors for a funky rainbow crayon cake.  Put the silicone trays on a cookie sheet (this will make it much easier to take out of the over).  I bake crayons for about 25 minutes at 225 degrees.  Crayons are done once they are melted in the center and the wax is completely melted on the top of the crayons.  Take them out and let them cool.  I have TONS of fun molds for every holiday.  The kids LOVE them and I don't feel like I am being wasteful by throwing out old crayons.  :)

I will blog about the many fun uses for crayon cakes very soon!