Drawing on our Imagination! (DIY Star Wars Crayons)

One of the marvelous things about the Star Wars franchise is how it engages people’s imagination. Just like countless other kids in the late 70’s, the hubby spent a good chunk of his time drawing TIE-fighters and pretending to be shooting at stormtroopers. Now a generation later, our kids are drawing X-wings and having Lightsabers fights.

One of the things we have noticed is that the kids don’t need, or even prefer the licensed items (as cool as many of them are) to have fun. Our daughter is making plans for a Sabine costume with foam and acrylic paint, and our son is usually armed with a bubble wand and a glow stick lightsaber. We have TIE fighters and star destroyers being built in colorful Duplos and Legos, as well as various robots being made with cardboard boxes. And of course Star Wars drawings in all colors and sizes.

We try to encourage the kids’ imagination and creative sides, and are thrilled when they want to make things themselves. So to set a good example, on a rainy Saturday we decided to make our own Star Wars Crayons.

They make awesome Christmas gifts, or perfect favors for a Star Wars themed birthday party.

Needed:

Crayon Bits and Pieces
Assortment of Star Wars Silicone Molds (I highly recommend the Kotobukiya brand, they cost a little bit more, but are MUCH better)
Microwaveable Plates or Cups (or small pitcher if you are only doing 1 color at a time). They might end up getting stained, so don’t use your fancy china! We used Corelle Livingware plates.
Disposable Wooden Chopsticks
Cutting Board
Wax Paper
Sharp Knife
Something to protect your hands

How To:

Set up your workstation. We made a big mess, so it was a good thing we had covered our whole countertop with wax paper.
Sort crayons by color.
Remove all the paper from crayon pieces. (great project for the kids)
Break/cut crayons into small bits, and place on a plate (1 for each color).
Taking 2 or 3 colors at a time, run in the microwave for 30 seconds, take out and stir with a chopstick. Repeat until entirely melted. Since some crayons melt much slower than others, you may have to repeat a few times.
Carefully pour into the molds.
Note that the plates and the liquid crayons will be extremely hot, so make sure you protect your hands.
Let cool. (I can’t remember how long it took, but it was quite a while)
Take them out, grab some paper and let you imagination flow!

Tips:

Steps 1-4 are great for kids, after that an adult needs to to the work.

It was a bit messy to melt crayons in the microwave…

We used Corelle Livingware, and it worked great, no staining! Once you have poured the liquid in the molds, wipe the plates off with paper towels – BEFORE the crayon hardens. If it does harden, just pop it back in the microwave for few seconds to melt it again.
I’ve since seen you can put the broken crayons directly in the mold, put the mold on a baking sheet (covered in wax paper) and put the whole thing in the oven. Less mess, but it is much harder to get the crayons sized correctly.

Just like with the Star Wars soaps, once you use the Silicone trays for crayons, I recommend that you do not use them for food again.

And if someone “accidentally” draws on something – like my son “accidentally” drew on our table…on our wall…and (I still shudder to think about it) my sister-in-law’s beautiful white couch. Well, let me tell you that a “Magic Eraser” will remove just about any crayon mark. Way better than the iron or scraping methods. You can only see FAINT marks from the red crayon (on the white couch) if you really look for it…