I got this idea a few years ago and have been saving leftover crayons. At the end of last school year, our district came down with a new rule that said we can no longer give out any candy. I suddenly got motivated to put my plan in place.
Any teacher can make these wonderful molded crayons for their classroom. I definitely have my work cut out for me since I am a music teacher and have over 500 students.
Every year, I have a theme of the year and my student of the day sits on my VIP chair and gets special privileges, such as leading games and helping the teacher. They used to get a piece of candy. They will now get one of my molded crayons! Check out my post about my VIP chair.
I also do a raffle for my 5th and 6th grade classes and choose a couple of tickets a day. I am amazed at how much they learn and how many things they will do, such as sing a solo to earn a raffle ticket. They also used to get candy and will now get a molded crayon! Read about and get my superhero raffle system free here.
I have streamlined my molded crayon making system. Hopefully, my trial and error will help you avoid some problems.
STEP ONE: Gather or buy crayons
EDIT: I actually got a donor's choose grant for 250 boxes of crayons this year.
STEP TWO: Get silicone molds
Here are ones I bought:
Here is where I got molds:
Edit: Since I posted this, some of these items are out of stock, so go to ebay, amazon.com, and etsy and search for silicone molds to find some fun ones. I did buy some really inexpensive ones from china that ended up being super tiny and wouldn't work, so be sure to check the size of the mold in your description. If you have funds, people on etsy sell these molded crayons as well.
***IMPORTANT- Even if a mold says silicone, be sure to check to see that it will work in an oven. I found two molds that said silicone that melted. When I went back to look at the description, it said not to put them in the oven.
Lego Molds (affiliate link)
Dinosaur Mold
Skull and Crossbones
Animals (bear, hippos, lion)
Guitars
Treble Clefs - From ebay but now out of stock
Hearts- I can't remember where I got these. It might have been Walmart or Hobby Lobby. If you look online, you can find them in other places.
STEP THREE: Sort crayons into like colors
STEP FOUR: Take off the paper
I actually invited a few choir students to come and help with this. They had a blast and even had races to see who could do it the fastest!
New Crayon paper quickly comes off in warm water
STEP FIVE: Cut them into small pieces
U-Line Utility Knife with Razor Blade
Crayon pieces ready to put into molds
STEP SIX: Put the crayon pieces in molds
STEP SEVEN: Put the molds in the oven
STEP EIGHT: Let cool and remove from mold
Some fun crayons I made
The newest batch I made tonight
Some Star wars, stars, and fun hats, sunglasses, mustaches, and bow ties
STEP NINE: Clean up the mess
EDIT: We have found that getting a box lid, putting parchment paper (newspaper would work too) under the cutting board, and then cutting that makes a big difference to keep the mess down.
STORAGE IDEA
Small bin from Walmart
Once you are done, enjoy! I can't wait to give them to the kids!
Edit: I am now a few weeks into school. The kids absolutely LOVE these, even my 6th graders. They treasure them and show them to other students. Other teachers and administrators are telling me how much the kids love them. It is a big hit. I just ordered a Pikachu mold on amazon. Get it here.