# Fall Spices Scented Crayon Candles
> Melt peeled crayon bits and pieces of unscented candles in tin cans in a double boiler, stir in fall spices, and pour into votive cups and shaped trays to make spice-scented fall candles. Kids peel, sort, add scents and place the wicks while an adult handles the heat and hot wax.
- URL: https://www.funlittles.com/fall-activities-homemade-scented-candles/
- Ages: 4+ · Difficulty: involved · Mess: medium
- Time: prep 15 min, activity 1 hr
- Works for: one-on-one, small group · one batch serves about 1 kids
- Skills: fine-motor, sorting, colors, states-of-matter, sensory-exploration, science

## Materials (one batch)
- Crayons, paper peeled off (reds, oranges, browns, beiges)
- Regular unscented candles
- Fall spices: apple pie spice, pumpkin pie spice, nutmeg, cinnamon (household)
- Clean empty tin cans (household)
- 1 piece Large deep pan (household)
- Water (household)
- Glass votive candle cups
- Star- and pumpkin-shaped ice cube trays (optional)
- 1 piece Bamboo skewer (household)
- 1 piece Step stool (optional) (household)

## Substitutions
- Instead of crayons: White unscented candle wax plus just 1 crayon for color (Crayon candles don't smell great. The unscented candle wax held the spices much better, and 1 crayon won't mess up the smell.)

## Safety
- Adult runs the stove and handles all hot wax. Melted wax and the tin cans get very hot, so use oven mitts and keep kids back from the pan.
- If a child watches from a step stool, an adult stays right beside them the whole time, as the author did.
- Adult does all the pouring. Melted wax can spill and burn; the author spilled a drop while transferring.
- Never use food color in candle wax. Use a crayon to add color instead.
- Adult lights the candles. Never leave a burning candle unattended or within kids' reach.
- Supervise when cutting candles into pieces and using bamboo skewers.

## Before you start
- Collect clean, empty tin cans, one per color or scent.
- Set out votive cups and any shaped ice cube trays near the stove for pouring.

## Steps
1. Peel the paper off the crayons.
2. Adult: cut the unscented candles into smaller pieces and save the wicks.
3. Sort the crayons and candle pieces by color into the tin cans.
4. Pour water into a large deep pan and set the tin cans in it.
5. Adult: heat on a medium flame and let the crayons and candles melt. Kids watch from a safe spot.
6. When much of the wax has melted, add a big sprinkling of fall spices to each can, then let the wax melt completely.
7. Adult: pour the melted wax into votive cups and star or pumpkin ice cube trays.
8. When the wax is partly solid, poke a bamboo skewer into the middle and drop a piece of wick to the bottom.
9. Let the candles cool and harden completely.
10. Adult: light the candles and enjoy them.

## Tips
- Crayon candles don't smell bad, but they don't smell great either. The unscented candles took the fall spices so much better, and we could smell the apple and pumpkin spice.
- Don't color the wax with food color like other play recipes. Use a crayon instead. Just 1 crayon in your wax melt won't mess up the smell.
- Peeling paper off crayons is a great fine motor activity, but it's hard for an impatient 4-year-old. We told each other silly stories while we peeled, and I reminded her of the story about the hen who wanted to bake a cake.
- Sorting varying shades of reds, browns, oranges and beiges was harder than primary colors and took more focus and attention to detail.
- A spilled drop of wax cooled and turned solid right away: "wow momm, cool! it became a solid." Point out the change from liquid to solid.
- The skewer-and-wick method may not be the best way to do it, but it worked for the kid!
- Yes, it involves a lot of parent help, and there's nothing wrong with making something WITH your kid.
- The spices are regular household spices. (from readers)

## FAQ
**Are the spices regular household spices?** Yes. TurkeyMom confirmed they are regular household spices: apple spice, pumpkin pie spice, nutmeg and cinnamon.
**How much spice should I use?** The post doesn't give an exact amount. It says to add "a really big sprinkling" after much of the wax has melted.

## The original post by TurkeyMom (2013)

With fall creeping up on us , at least month wise and so-not weather wise ( in the high 80's here) we are prepping for the upcoming season. My older one has not started school yet and we have been having lots of fun doing **fall activities** at home before she heads off to school next week. Today is DAY 4 of our [f**all play recipes series**](https://www.funlittles.com/fall-activities-apple-dough-recipe/) and the theme is "Scents of Fall". Don't forget to read Day 1 : [**Apple Playdough with real apples**](https://www.funlittles.com/fall-activities-apple-dough-recipe/) Day 2: [**Apple Pie edible homemade paints**](https://www.funlittles.com/fall-activities-homemade-edible-apple-paints/) Day 3: [**Glowing Play**](https://www.funlittles.com/homemade-glow-dark-window-clings/) Onto today's fun. I'm pretty sure you have recycled broken crayons and made multi-colored crayons. We have done it before and my 4 year enjoyed the process very much. She was very excited to see crayons in muffin liners! Today we share a similar fall activity. Ideally for this project I needed a bunch of crayons bits with the paper peeled off. Now I can understand that it is hard to sit and peel off paper for a long time, especially for a testy 4 year who just can't wait to get to the actual candle making part. I reminded her about the Hen who wanted to bake a cake story (which happens to be one of her favorite as well) We sat down to peel a few crayons which in itself was a great **fine motor activity.**

### 

We peeled the paper off a few crayons. We also cut regular unscented candles into smaller pieces.



My 4 year old collected a few tin cans from our recycle stash and she proceeded to sort the crayons. We had a few reds, oranges, browns and a few shades of browns and oranges.



We set up a double boiler system. My daughter poured water in a large deep pan and she placed all the tin cans containing the candles and crayons in there.



With a medium flame we let the crayons and candles melt. This was the most exciting part for her. She carefully stood up on a step stool and watched *( with supervision)* the wax melt and become a "goooey" substance. After a considerable portion has melted she added all the fun fall spices to the cans - apple spice, pumpkin pie spice, nutmeg and cinnamon. We added a really big sprinkling and let the wax competently melt.



Later I poured the wax in a few basic votive candle cups I had. I even poured a little in the star and pumpkin shapes ice cubes. Unfortunately I happened to spill a tiny bit of melted wax while transferring. As soon as the drop hit the floor, it cooled and solidified. That elicited a " wow momm, cool! it became a solid" Got to love the hands on learning. For the wick- I used the wick from the regular unscented candles I used. When the wax partially solidified my 4 year old stuck a bamboo skewer in the middle and dropped a piece of the wick all the way to the bottom. This may not be the best way to do it, but it worked for the kid!



Here are our yummy smelling larger candles



Here are our smaller pumpkin and star candles made using pumpkin shaped and star shaped ice trays.



I think they might make a great holiday gift.



There are our candles gloriously lighting up in the backyard.



**Notes to read:**

1. I have been told that crayon candles smell bad. Well, I should say that crayon candles don't smell bad but they don't smell great either. My 4 year old enjoyed the "PROCESS" and so the activity was worth it. The unscented **candles smelled bette**r after the candle making because they took the fall spices so much better than the crayons. We were able to smell the apple and pumpkin spice .

2. Since we are all used to coloring play recipes with food color, please remember to not continue to do the same. If you are using a white candle and need to add color and scent go for a crayon to add color to the candles. Just adding 1 crayon to your candle wax melt won't mess up the smell.

**This activity may come off as a project with heavy parental involvement- well nothing wrong with making something WITH your kid. For what it is worth here are the few things we did together**

- Peel off paper from the crayons while telling each other silly stories
- Sort them into crayons- it was a bit challenging since we just did not do primary colors. The colors were varying shades of reds, browns, oranges, beiges. Sorting took more focus and needed attention to details
- Collected tin cans from the recycle stash
- Add water to the deep pan and watch how double boiling works- she was curious about this method and asked many questions about it.
- Observe wax melting process
- Add fall scents ( sensory stimulation)
- Observe the melted wax (liquid state) cooling down and turning into a solid state
- Add bamboo skewer and the wick.
- Being proud of her creations!

Hope you and your family welcome fall with these fun homemade candles. The kids will get a big kick out of this new kind of activity.



**Thanks for reading**

Check out what the other participating blogs are doing for the "Scents of fall" day

[**Erupting Fall Playdough**](http://www.housingaforest.com/erupting-fall-playdough) from Housing a Forest

**Pumpkin Spice Latte Oobleck** from Learn Play Imagine

**[Scented Tea Pretend Play](http://www.funathomewithkids.com/2013/09/scented-tea-pretend-play.html)** from Fun at home with kids