I just had to share this Valentine’s Day craft idea that I stole from my friend Isabel and I think she may have discovered on Pinterest (that wonderful time-sucking rabbit hole). This was a lifesaver for me because I tend to drop the ball when it comes to school Valentine’s projects. Like EVERYTHING kid-related, the Valentine’s card game has become much more elevated since I was a student at Clinton Elementary School. Back then, your mom bought a box of cartoon character cards at the supermarket, you wrote the name of each kid in your class on the cheap little envelope, delivered them on the big day, got the same in return, done and done. But now, supermarket Valentine’s are like you’re not even trying. Handmade cards, candy-grams, monogrammed pink pencils, origami hearts, …it’s crazy. I always feel like I completely drop the ball. But not this year because of these melted crayon hearts!
It’s easy enough for someone who doesn’t have the Martha Stewart gene (no glue-gun required) but there’s enough busy work upfront that you feel like you and the kids are actually MAKING something. The only thing required is a silicone heart mold that I hear you can find at many craft shops like Michael’s.
Gather up a bunch of old crayons (this is a perfect project for using up old and banged-up crayons, please don’t go out and buy a box of new ones unless you’re an oil oligarch or something) and start peeling off the labels (this is the most onerous part of the job). Break them into smaller pieces and inset the pieces into the molds, mixing colors as you like. I recommend not using any black or brown or gray because they are less than cheerful and will muddy the mixture. We went with blues, and greens, and pinks, and purples, and oranges, and yellows…even better were adding some fluorescent colors that really pop. On one site I saw a mom add glitter as well which is definitely a pro-move.
Once each heart is filled, place the mold on a baking sheet and put it in a pre-heated oven at 250. Mine were done at around the 15 minute mark—completely melted, no chunks floating around—but I would check them at around 12 minutes. Place the sheet with the mold on a cooling rack and let cool until the crayons harden (this should only take 30 minutes or so). Pop the cooled crayons out and you’re done!
*One warning: some kids might mistake the colorful heart for candy so consider including a little instruction in your Valentine…
