Crayons - 100+ Years Old

In 1903, the first box of 8 crayons sold for 5 cents. It contained the colors:  black, blue, brown, green, orange, red, violet and yellow.  Today - there are so many colors to choose from and the names of these colors are as unique as the colors themselves.  

Besides simple coloring or drawing, there is much more you can do with crayons. 

Crayon Rubbing:  Put an object underneath a piece of paper and rub a crayon over it and see what emerges.

Recycle old crayons:  Take the paper off the crayons and put in a muffin tin cup lined with aluminum foil - filling only about halfway.  Experiment with the colors you group together.  Bake in a preheated 300 degree Fahrenheit oven for about 5-7 minutes or until they melt.  Let them cool completely before using.

Melted Crayon Paintings:  Melt the crayons by placing a muffin tin with the cups filled with crayon pieces in a pan of water and heating over a low heat until they crayons are melted.  Use cotton swabs or paint brushed, dab the melted crayons on paper.  Let dry completely before handling.

Sun Catchers:  Shave your crayons with a grater.  Arrange the shaving between 2 sheets of waxed paper.  Iron it on low until the shavings melt.  Cut it into the desired shape, punch a hole on top and use a sting to hang in a sunny window.

Crayon Batik:  Draw a thick crayon design on a heavy piece of paper, crumble the paper into a ball and then smooth out again.  Paint a wash of color over the crumpled picture.  Dab the wash with a paper towel to get the excess.  The goal is for the wash to color the paper where the crayons did not.  Iron the artwork flat by turning it over onto another piece of paper.

Have fun and color outside the lines!