subject: 10 Steps for Making Beeswax Candles With Kids [print this page] 10 Steps for Making Beeswax Candles With Kids
One of the great things about beeswax, is that is very simple to come up with some ideas for holiday candles. And it is simple to include the children in on the process. Because it is not necessary to heat the wax when making beeswax candles, it is a safer option when working not only with one child, but a group of children.
I had been making candles for many years. My 7 year old niece would often times come and hang out in my studio and talk with me while I worked. She would pitch in and help out, always with my supervision. She found joy in the creative process of making candles, and was very proud when she would take her homemade candles home to my sister. When she asked to have her 8th birthday party at my house, a candle-making slumber party with 5 other girls, I had to think for a moment about what to do. It's one thing to be melting hot wax with one child, but with 6 children...I was a bit concerned. It was then that I remember about a few projects using beeswax sheets, projects wherein the wax was not melted in a pot.
It was just before Christmas time, so I went to the thrift store in my neighborhood and was lucky enough to find a bunch of the metal Christmas cookie cookie-cutters. I then went to the craft store and bought many sheets of beeswax, in green, red and white. When the girls came over we set to work. The projects for the night, where Christmas tea lights, and rolled beeswax pillars. One of the many great aspects of working with beeswax, is that the addition of a fragrance is not necessary, as the beeswax will naturally smell like warm honey when the candles burn.
Before the "cookie-cutter" project, we started with simple pillar candle. We cut the wicks to the appropriate length, and then I let the girls pick their colors. Two of the girls made solid green candles. One made a red and white one, "like a candy cane" she said. And the other girls mixed all three colors. We laid out the three sheets, gently pressing the edges together, placed the wicks, and then rolled them up. Once rolled, the girls...again, very gently, pressed in the end of the roll. And Voila! their first holiday candles were finished.
We then began with the tea lights. Each girl picked out her design. We laid out the sheets of wax, and pressed the cookie cutters into it. For each tea lamp, I had the girls make 5 cuts. We then, stacked each on top of the other. Using BBQ skewers, with poked a hole straight through the center and fed the wicks through the hole. Again, we gently pressed the end of the wick into the bottom of the candle, and tripped the top to about a quarter of an inch. It was a very fun night. The girls got to take their candles with them, and there was no mess to clean up. These are just two, of the many ways to have fun candle making with beeswax!
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