Make Giant Crayons

I love craft projects. I love colors.

It is only natural that I want my 14-month old son to learn to color.

I went to Target to buy him some crayons last week. I was shocked at how much the giant crayons cost. So I bought the skinny kind instead.

Result: He loves to throw them and try to put them in his mouth. He gets upset if I try to make him even tough the paper with one, let alone grab his hand and help him make marks on it!

After conferring with my mom, we've determined that his chubby little hands need the fat crayons. So I decided to make my own.

All you need is an oven, old crayons (or broken, paperless ones), and an old muffin tin.

I went to my favorite grocery store and bought two packages for $0.49 each. (They were on sale with the school supplies.)

I tore the paper off and broke them into pieces. I like things to match, so I grouped them by shade (but you don't have to do that):I put them in the oven at 215 degrees F for about 20 minutes (keep checking them...) They melted completely. Now let them cool and harden. Then dig them out with a knife. I ran a knife around the edges before they got too hard but I don't think I really needed to do that.
I'm not sure this project was worth the trouble. My son tried to eat these, too.