For the past two years we've prepared Valentines treats for school using fun molded crayons! I took the time this year to document the process to share it on the blog. This is such a fun indoor activity that is perfect for a rainy or snowy afternoon. It is a great way to include a "treat" or a little something extra with your kiddo's valentines without any allergy issues or extra sugar.
First you will need a few silicone molds. You can find these in the baking aisle, or where the ice cube trays are, sometimes you can snag some in the $1 bins at Target. Any shape will do!
We had some Lego men, Hearts and a new one I just purchased for the purpose of creating some Block Crayons (these are commonly used in my kids' school) and I wanted to make some for home. Block crayons are excellent for little ones to grasp and are awesome for shading and coloring large areas because of the wide sides, they also are much harder to break. This mold is the perfect 1 inch by 2inch size for making these specialized crayons. Its helpful to take a look at this video if you are unfamiliar with block crayons and how theirs used. If you interested in grabbing some molds for yourself. Links to the ones we used here are embedded below and above.
Start off with new or old crayons (this is a great way to recycle old and broken crayons!) and prep to peel them by placing some warm (not hot) water and a pump or two of dish soap into a baking pan. Lay out your crayons and let them soak for a few minutes. After a little bit you'll notice the paper will start to peel off of the crayon and you will be able to easily slide them out or unravel the paper. If you notice that your crayons aren't peeling try added some more warm water to your tray.
Preheat your oven to 200 degrees.
Once your crayons are peeled and dry you can begin placing them in the molds. Fill them high! If there are a bit higher than the top of the mold that is OK the crayons will settle when they melt. If you don't fill them enough you will end up with really tiny, thin crayons that will probably break when you try to remove them.
With smaller molds it may be hard to break the crayons with your hands so they are small enough. Adults can use a knife to chop them up or we use these Handy wooden choppers
that my kids used to make theirs smaller. They love these tools for helping make dinner to chop carrots or other fresh veggies, make cheese cubes and more.
that my kids used to make theirs smaller. They love these tools for helping make dinner to chop carrots or other fresh veggies, make cheese cubes and more. 
Set a timer for 10 minutes, and with your mold on a cookie sheet put them in the oven. After the timer has gone off go back and check your crayons, if your crayons seem to low in the mold you can add a few additional pieces to them. Set the timer for another 7 minutes, after 7 more minutes your crayons should all have melted. They will be ready to come out and cool. You can cool them on the counter or place in the freezer cool if if you want them ready faster. I like to use a tooth pick to swirl the melted colors before they cool to give them a marbled effect.
Once cooled carefully remove your molded crayons! Molds with more details (such as the lego men) will require more caution when removing (we had one casualty). Our finished products turned out really awesome!
If you find you have some clear wax that separated from your crayons, simply shave it off using a vegetable peeler to smooth the backside of the crayon.
We've prepped a cute printable Valentine for you to include with your molded crayons!
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