"Upcycled" Crayons

My son loves crayons.  He loves breaking them, eating them, peeling them, and stabbing things with them.  He really doesn't care much about coloring with them, but he can certainly destroy them.  So I have ended up with an entire box of broken crayon bits.  I had been planning on melting the bits and making "new" crayons for a while but today we finally did it.  So, here's the steps:

Start with a non-stick muffin pan, preferably in a cute shape.  I had hearts.  Disregard the potatoes, they have nothing to do with the crayon project!

Liberally coat pan with cooking spray, unless using a flexible silicon pan.  It will help them come out easier.

Fill each cup in pan about 3/4 full with broken bits of crayon, paper removed.  Put those kids to work sorting the crayon bits!  I told you I had a lot!  It helps to use a variety of colors in each cup so that you come out with rainbow crayons. Heat oven to 225 degrees and about 15 minutes or until soft and partially melted.  Turn oven off and remove crayons.  They will continue to soften and cook on the counter.  I have made the mistake of over-cooking before and this will make the crayon solids separate from the oil, pretty much ruining your "easy" project.

Let crayons sit and cool for at least 30 minutes.  Be patient, taking them out too early will also ruin your project.  Clearly, I have some "trial and error" behind me here.

When crayons have fully cooled, slip a thin knife into the side and gently pop crayons out.  Arrange nicely on a plate and marvel that they actually turned out really well.  Or maybe that's just me...

Give to kids and watch them have an entire new set to maul.  Enjoy!

Here's a bonus tip:  I store the kids' crayons in an old wipes container.  It works really well because it allows the kids to reach their hands in to get the crayons without spilling easily.  Really, these little babies are great for storing all sort of stuff!