Fun & Activities
Photo: Heather Gaumer.
Sweet as Candy Candles
Love it or leave it, one Halloween candy has everyone divided— candy corn. Whether your family is in the eat-it-happily or just-useit-for-decoration camp, everyone will enjoy making these melty wax versions of the quintessential fall treat. YOU WILL NEED
(Makes 2 votive size candles)
· 3 10- or 12-inch white taper candles · 1 yellow and 1 orange crayon · 2 3.5-inch candle wicks with wick tab · Adhesive dots (such as Zots by Therm O Web) · Wooden chopsticks, pencils, or craft sticks · 2 empty and clean pudding or fruit cups, approx. 4 oz size
DIRECTIONS 1. Stick an adhesive dot on the bottom of each wick’s metal tab. Stick one metal tab to the bottom of each empty pudding cup. Wrap the top end of the wicks around a chop stick or pencil and rest it on the rim of the pudding cups. This will hold the wicks in place and upright as you pour melted wax into the cup. 2. Break one candle into 2-inch or smaller pieces (smaller pieces will melt faster). Be sure to remove any pieces of the old wick, which can contain metal. Place the candle pieces in a microwaveable bowl.
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Colorado Parent | October 2021
3. Remove the paper label from the yellow crayon and place the crayon in the bowl. 4. Heat the candle and crayon pieces in the microwave in 30-second intervals until they are mostly melted. They will continue to melt if you remove the bowl from the microwave and let it stand a couple minutes. Caution: Melted wax and microwaved containers are hot and can burn, they should be handled by adults (or with adult supervision) using potholders. 5. Gently stir the melted candle and crayon wax with a wooden chopstick or craft stick, to blend in the color. 6. Carefully pour half of the melted wax into each of the pudding cups. Let stand for 15 to 20 minutes to harden. 7. After the yellow layer has hardened, repeat the melting process with one candle and orange crayon. Pour the melted wax into the cups and let it harden. 8. Repeat the melting process with the last white candle and pour the wax into the cups. Let the candles harden completely for a few hours or overnight.
9. Remove the candles from the cups; they may need a little tug on the wick and push from the bottom. Trim the wicks to ½ inch.
TIPS
• Old candles and leftover crayon bits laying around the house? Use them in place of the new candles and crayons. • Visit the dollar store for inexpensive white candles and crayons. • To save your good kitchen tools from wax build-up, hit the secondhand store to look for a used 2-cup glass measuring cup. It will also make melting and pouring the wax a breeze. • Kids who are too young to melt and pour wax can help set up the project by breaking up old candles and crayons, placing the wicks, and setting the timer.
