Fun & Easy Rainbow Upcycled Crayons Craft for Kids

Inside: Easy Rainbow Crayons are a fun way to upcycle loose, broken crayon pieces. A great craft project for preschoolers and elementary-aged kids.

During our last snow, Agnes Hsu's book arrived in our mailbox. We had just driven around all afternoon doing errands and the bright, cheerful cover delighted all of us. "My Color Is Rainbow!" our oldest squeaked from the back seat, "What does that mean?" Luckily we were heading home, so I promised a proper first reading with warm blankets and refreshments.

Hot chocolate and cookies, naturally.

Our day had turned the shade of grey that occurs when three sibling in heavy coats share a back seat for far too long. It was nice to have a rainbow on the horizon. Following them into the house I averted my eyes from their trail of coats, scarves, and boots as I headed straight for the stove instead. With fragrant cups of hot chocolate in hand, we settled down for a long snuggle. Leaping into the colorful pages, we weren't disappointed!

Journeying through the book with Little White Arch, we debated which color he should be. We finally agreed with his choice in the end- to become all of them.

Our snow's now melted away, but we're still just as enchanted. This isn't just a beautiful book about colors- it holds lessons about the different feelings that make up each of us. Each color holds a different emotion- all positive- and Little White Arch becomes all of them. This has prompted some great conversations, especially with my oldest who struggles with strong emotions. 

A reminder that you contain your own rainbow of feelings. And that's okay.

We wanted to make an easy craft to go with the book. We've upcycled crayons before, but I wondered if we could layer them to make rainbows. And it worked! The easy instructions are below- a fun activity to do together and pretty enough to gift. Enjoy!

Easy Rainbow Upcycled Crayons

inspiration: "I Am A Rainbow" By Agnes Hsu (Author) and Yuliya Gwilym (Illustrator)

MATERIALS

- broken crayons

- cupcake pan (this disposable would work)

- cooking spray

- tin cans- 14.5 oz or smaller work great

- saucepan

STEPS

1. Working together, take the labels off the crayons and break/cut into 1/2" pieces. I used an art knife to cut the labels for easier peeling, definitely a grown-up job.

2. Using one crayon color per tin can, assemble together in a saucepan. Add a few inches of water and, optionally, place a cake pan or large plate on top to keep them from rattling. (This will get hot- be careful!)

3. While they're melting, prepare your muffin tin with cooking spray. This should be muffin tin just for crafts. They're easy to find at thrift stores or dollar stores. If you have only one, and it'll be used for food afterwards, I'd recommend aluminum baking cups in each compartment.

4. Once melted, pour in the red first. Let cool for a few minutes before the next color. We don't recommend cooling in the frig or freezer, because this can cause colors to separate later. Just wait until it's solid on top then pour in the next color. Here's the order:

• Red
• Orange
• Yellow
• Green 
• Blue 
• Purple  

5. Let sit overnight to cure, then they're ready to color!

Extra color will build up on the sides, which can be part of their charm. To even sides, so all layers color at once, carefully scrape down sides with a butter knife. Or you can rub the sides carefully on sandpaper until they're worn to an even layer. 

Either way, they're a great way to add color to any day- especially those grey ones :)

 

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