Ornament Project

 

 

One morning I was sweeping up the spilled contents of a pencil sharpener,

when a piece of broken crayon that was lying on the floor got swept up too.

 

 

   I started thinking about those cool looking melted crayon art pages
that you make using a hair drier.  I always think it would be fun to try. 
Then I started mulling over different things you could possibly do with heat
and crayons and remembered the three clear ornaments I’d found reduced
after Christmas one year.  Could you put crayons inside and melt them?

 

 

It was time to start school for the day but… instead of math, we grabbed the

hair drier and those ornaments.  What’s the fun in always doing everything

you should, exactly?  Besides, if you homeschool, can’t everything be a school project? 

 (As a homeschooled person myself, I’m allowed to say this with a hint of

mockery in my voice.)

  So, back to the ornaments.  The girls picked out the colors they liked

(with subtle suggestions from their mother) from the broken crayon container.

After chopping the pieces we put them inside.

(something about a hair drier is terribly hilarious when you're 3 and 6! J)

  It took a while to start the melting process, but once they got hot it

wasn’t too difficult to coat the inside of the ornament.  They swirled nicely

and the girls were very happy with the project.  Props to me, I did talk to

them about heat and what it takes to melt different substances.  If I were

truly brilliant (the only science I loved was biology) I would have been

able to explain to them why there were sparks going from the hair drier

to the glass globe when they nearly touched.  I vaguely remember something

about this electricity from a trip to the science museum many years ago. 

If anyone cares to share some knowledge I’ll gladly listen!

 

Some notes on making these ornaments if you should care to try some:

        

        Keep the chunks of crayon together in a mass and heat

  only this area.  (If they get separated you will be

  chasing random pieces around in the globe.)

 

     Use fewer of your darkest color.  The dark colors tend

   to overpower the light ones.

 

    A glove helps to keep your fingers from frying! J

 

"And we know that the Son of God has come

 and has given us understanding,

so that we may know him who is true;

and we are in him who is true,

in his Son Jesus Christ.

He is the true God and eternal life."

1 John 5:20 (ESV)