Crayon Melting

 Originally I began this project with the children melting crayons while sitting at a table

after a few tries, it was apparent that an easel would probably be the better choice.

At the table  it made for an awkward wrist position for the kids holding the dryer, and at the same time the hair dryer blew the crayons right out from under the tape, and also blew the tray around.

 After switching to the easel it gave the kids a much better holding postion and the crayon stayed in place which made for an easier melting position.

 This project was so exciting not only for the kids but for myself as well. We have done crayon melting before using melting trays, oven, and plain ol' sunshine. But this was a first to use a dryer. It really went over well because the kids could handle the dryer themselves and in seconds they could see the metamorphic change. It leaped from art right into science by allowing the kids to witness a solid change to a liquid.

My feeling is that I want to take this same idea further and more extensive. We shall see how it goes.

Materials: Crayons, tape, paper, dryer
Process: Tape crayons to paper, and let children blow hot air on to crayons.
Notes: I think I would rather use a glue gun to attach crayons to paper to prevent the tape from interfering with the final product. Also make sure to tape down the paper itself because the dryer will blow it right off.