YAAS: Melted Crayon Art

If you want to learn about the original conception and mission of this program, read my What is YAAS? post. TL;DR: It's a weekly group for youth age 14-24 where we'll be doing community service work, library programs, hosting guest presenters, and making connections with peers in a safe and welcoming environment.

I try to do a craft every month in this group, so this month we did something a little messy and difficult with a very cool outcome. 

Step 1: Remove crayon paper and grate crayons with cheese grater

Step 2: Arrange crayon shavings on paper

Step 3: Place wax paper over crayon shavings.

Step 4: Using a hot iron with no steam, iron over wax paper until crayons liquefy.

Step 5: Wait for wax to dry completely, then peel wax paper off melted crayons.

Some of our participants were slightly disappointed that they couldn't make much of a design, but the majority of the group seemed to enjoy making abstract art with melted crayons. The biggest potential roadblock of this program is safety - operating hot irons with a group of teenagers isn't for everyone. Thankfully everyone got through the night with their fingers and eyebrows intact, and made these super cool creations.