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I don’t know about you, but I have a TON of broken crayons lying around the house. When my son was younger, he was obsessed with making the crayons “naked” and then breaking them!
If you can relate, then these recycled crayons are the perfect Earth Day project for you and your kids! It’s a fantastic way to demonstrate how to reuse and recycle things. Plus, these Earth-shaped crayons are so fun to color with!
What is Earth Day?
Earth Day is celebrated every year on April 22nd. It’s a day to celebrate our beautiful planet and to bring attention to environmental issues that affect it.
Earth Day is the perfect opportunity to teach your kids about caring for the environment and how we can make our home a better place.
Earth Day books for kids:
These are great books to read to your kids for Earth Day!
Discover a fun and colorful guide to taking care of our planet. Through bright illustrations and simple text, kids learn easy ways to help the Earth, like recycling and saving energy. Join in and discover how we can all make a difference!
Discover how to protect our planet! Through engaging storytelling and colorful illustrations, young readers learn simple ways to make a difference for the Earth. Join the journey and become an environmental steward!
What else can you do with old crayons?
There are lots of cool craft projects that can be made with old crayons! Check out We Are Teachers for some awesome ideas!
Old crayons can be donated to schools, daycare centers, or hospitals. Or, they can be sent to The National Crayon Recycle Program.
If you live in or near Portland, Oregon, check out Scrap Creative Reuse! Not only can you donate crayons and other art supplies, but you can purchase (used/donated) supplies for almost nothing! What a great way to help to reduce waste!
How do you make Earth-shaped recycled crayons?
Supplies:
- blue, green and white crayons (use peeled, broken/unwanted crayons)
- mini muffin tin
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 250º F. Then, cut the crayons into small pieces, keeping the colors separate. You will need just a little white, about 2-3 times as much green, and mostly blue crayons to create the Earth effect.
Step 2: Layer the crayons into the muffin tin in this order: white, green, then blue. I sprinkled the extra shavings (mixture of colors over the top) just to use them up.
Step 3: Bake it in the oven for 10-15 minutes, or until the crayons are completely melted. Remove the muffin tin from the oven and let it cool completely. (Be sure to handle the muffin tin very gently, so you don’t disrupt the design.) It can be placed in the freezer (about 20 minutes) to speed up the process.
Step 4: Once the crayons are cooled all the way through, turn the muffin tin upside down and give it a good “whack” or two to remove the crayons. Do this over a cloth or something soft so the crayons don’t crack. Or, you can turn the muffin tin upside down and run it under warm water to release the crayons as well. Now, you have Earth-shaped crayons! Have fun with them!
Notes: I made these recycled crayons to resemble the Earth (for Earth Day, of course!), but you can follow these same instructions to make any shapes or colors you’d like!
I also made the Earth in heart shapes using a silicone mold.
My son had fun cutting the crayons. We LOVE these kid safe knives.
Try these other Earth Day crafts and recipes!
- Easy Fruit Scraps Bird Feeder for Earth Day
- Kids’ Upcycled Stamping Craft for Earth Day
- Playdough Earth Activity with Free Printable
- Easy Self Watering Milk Jug Planter
- Fun and Easy Earth Cookies for Earth Day
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