Happy Earth Day!

Here’s a great way to reuse and upcycle something that would normally be trash! I used broken pieces of Ava and Stella’s crayons and melted them in a silicone tray.

We tried flower shapes first then we made alphabet letters to spell out words and our names.

Not only is this Earth Day inspired craft easy to make but the colorful crayon shapes turn out so pretty and unique. They make fun gifts or party favors too.

With the cool spring weather and sunny days, this was the perfect weekend craft for us to do as a family on the patio!

What you need:

50 or more broken and old crayons in a variety of colors

alphabet letter silicone mold (order via Amazon here)

bowl of warm water, optional

Directions:

1. Start by sorting through your containers of old and broken crayons. We counted out about 50 to fill one full alphabet mold. 

2. Now remove the paper wrappers from all the crayons. We like to soak ours in a bowl of warm water for 10 minutes so they come off easier. 

3. Once all the paper is removed make sure to completely dry off the crayons. 

4. Now add to the molds, breaking into smaller pieces and combining multiple colors for each letter. 

5. Fill each letter completely will crayon pieces.

6. Preheat the oven to 250 degrees.

7. Add the filled mold to a parchment paper lined baking sheet and place in the oven.

8. Bake for 15 minutes until crayons are  fully melted and molds are filled.

9. Remove from the oven and let cool completely before removing (or they will crack). We waited at least 30 minutes. 

10. Carefully pop out and remove the letters from the mold onto a lined tray.

11. Repeat with remaining crayons if you want additional letters to spell certain names and words.

We did extra vowels and “L”, “D”, and “M” so we had enough to spell Mom, Dad, and the girls’ names. 

12. Now you can spell names and wrap up as gifts or simply upcycle and reuse for your own at home coloring projects!

Stella started by gathering her broken and old crayons. We separated about 50 to start. 

Make sure you gather a variety of bright colors.

Now remove the paper wrappers from all the crayons.

We like to soak ours in a bowl of warm water for 10 minutes so they come off easier. 

Once all the paper is removed make sure to completely dry off the crayons. 

I ordered this silicone alphabet mold off Amazon. It works perfectly and I love the style and size of the letters.

Here is my Amazon link if you would like to order one: https://amzn.to/3xYwkgc .

Now add to the molds, breaking into smaller pieces and combining multiple colors for each letter. 

Fill each letter completely will crayon pieces.

Add the filled mold to a parchment paper lined baking sheet and place in the oven.

Bake at 250 degrees for 15 minutes until crayons are fully melted and molds are filled.

Remove carefully from the oven and let cool completely ( about 30 minutes).

You can also place in the fridge to speed up cooling.

Carefully pop out and remove the letters from the mold onto a lined tray.

Look how colorful and pretty they turned out!

Repeat with remaining crayons if you want additional letters to spell certain names and words.

We did extra vowels and “L”, “D”, and “M” so we had enough to spell Mom, Dad, and the girls’ names. 

Now you can spell names and wrap up as gifts or simply upcycle and reuse for your own at home coloring projects!

I have also made these crayons in flower and heart shapes.

These were smaller and worked well for my toddler at the time. The molds are from IKEA.

Happy Earth Day!

“May we all be inspired by the beauty of our planet and take action to ensure a healthy future for generations to come.” – unknown

The post DIY Melted Name Crayons | Earth Day Upcycle Craft appeared first on For the Love of Food.

These adorable Tic-Tac-Toe Printable Valentine Cards are a fun gift to give to kids, neighbors, and to pass out at school Valentine’s exchanges.

Simply print the free cards and add to a clear bag with small candy or even a cute pen and stickers for a non candy idea.

Enjoy this simple and fun idea for celebrating Valentine’s Day with your kids. 

Start by printing out your tic tac toe cards below. I have included two different sizes .

I chose the larger cards, six per page. I printed them and cut them out. Make sure your child signs their name in the from section.

They fit in a sandwich bag (trim off the top) and add a small candy for playing the tic tac toe game.

My girls chose individual boxes of conversation hearts but M&Ms, Skittles, Hershey’s Kisses, even TicTacs work well too.

You can even add individual candies in the bag (if your school exchanges allow open candy).

This is a more affordable way to add 9 candies in the bag instead of buying the boxes. 

You can tie with a ribbon or seal with glitter tape and your gift is ready to go!

Print your free Valentine’s cards!

>> Click here to download the 6 sheet of larger square cards. <<

>> Click here to download the 9 sheet of smaller cards. <<

The post Tic Tac Toe Valentines | Free Printable Cards appeared first on For the Love of Food.

Easter is going to be different this year with stay at home orders and quarantines but that doesn’t mean we can’t have fun, right?

We love Easter egg hunts and it’s one of our favorite family traditions every year. My husband and I fill plastic eggs with candy, stickers, and toys and hid them in our yard and home for the girls to find.

I don’t want to stop celebrating and making memories this holiday but obviously some things need to be adapted.

So I created this Kids Get Active Easter Egg Hunt.  

Do your kids need to burn some energy like mine?

Download the free printable below and cut out the activities into strips.

Place them into your Easter eggs and have a fun and energy burning Easter egg hunt this week!

Get out and have fun and be active this Easter!

You can make it a game too!

See who can do the most activities and exercises to earn prizes or points.  

My kids helped me come up with all 20 of the fun and silly activities on the list.

Ava’s favorite? Do the floss dance!

Stella’s choice? Stomp like an elephant! 

Which ones were your kid’s favorite? 

Click here to download this free printable Easter activity!

The post Kids Get Active Easter Egg Hunt | Free Printable Activity appeared first on For the Love of Food.