a valentine tutorial

we made these really cute heart crayons for our valentines this year. they are not a new idea, but i thought someone might want to know how to make them. so, here goes!

first, we peeled the paper off of the crayons.

then, we broke each crayon into four pieces and separated the crayons by color. 

next, we placed about 12 pieces in each heart of the heart shaped mold. somehow i have no picture of this step. oh no, this tutorial is going badly already! then, we placed the mold on a cookie sheet (to protect your oven & make for easier in & out) and put it in the oven at 275 degrees for approximately 10 minutes or until the crayons had completely melted.

this is what the crayons looked like as they began to harden. i say begin because, if you look closely, you can see where each of my children put a finger in one of the top molds. 

here they are once we removed them from the molds.

this was a great craft for the kids. peeling the paper, breaking the crayons and separating into the heart molds is great for fine motor, too. (sorry, that is the teacher in me!) but, beware that when taken out of the oven, it is like hot molten lava and is not a kid friendly. i think this would be fun for various holidays or birthday party favors. in fact, you may see them again in a few months!

tips & tricks:

i have received several questions so i thought i would answer them here in case anyone else was curious.

*the crayons were purchased in single color packs of 12 at www.dickblick.com.

*the silicone mold was purchased at target in the $2.50 section. i would not use the same mold for food because i doubt it would ever come clean enough. 

*i put the mold and cookie sheet out of the oven straight into the freezer to help speed up the cooling process.

*you do not want to overcook the crayons because the wax separates and some color is lost.