Chunky Monkey Crayons

One of my blogger friends from my ward posted this craft recipe on her web site. The kids and I tried it out yesterday and had lots of fun. Thanks, Angie! It kept the kids occupied for over an hour peeling paper, watching it cool, and then coloring on my giant note paper pad. Great summer activity to do when it's too hot to play outside and the kids say their "bored"--again. My kids especially liked mixing colors together. We have yellow and blue swirl; red, white, and blue; yellow and purple, orange and red, etc.

This comes straight from Angie's website:

If you are like our family you probably have some crayons that are short, stubby, paper gone or in shreds. Perfect crayons don’t last long...I have the perfect solution for all of those left over and unwanted stubby crayons. Here’s my version of how to make a new Recycled Chunky Crayon! We call them Chunky Monkey Crayons. Spray your muffin tin with vegetable spray and pour some crayons into each spot. The more or less you put depends on what size you want for each chunky crayon. You can also group the crayons into colors that are fun together, red and blue for purple, pink tones for girls, or blue tones for boysGet out your old crayons. Take off the paper (if it is still on) and break them up into smaller pieces (kids love to help with this.)Place the muffin tin full of crayons into a preheated oven of 275 degrees F. I used a large muffin tin. Watch them carefully, they will melt fast. Bake them for about 7-8 minutes. When they looked melted enough, carefully and slowly remove them from the oven. You can stir them with a toothpick for a swirly look, or leave them as is. Let them cool completely (can be placed in the freezer to speed up process once the tin is not so hot.) Once cooled, the crayons can be popped out of the muffin tin, tap the back to help this process. Then get the paper out and your ready to color.