Homemade Candle Project: Sandbox Candles

One of my most fondest memories from when I was a child was making homemade candles with a family friend when I was three or four years old. I remember her melting wax on the stove, adding crayons for color, and then letting me and her young son dig holes in the sand box into which she poured wax in. Hours later, we were able to dig out the newly made sand candles. What a thrill it was! I cherished those homemade candles for years to come.

Now that I have a young son too, I thought it was time to recreate this project for him down the road. Obviously this is not a project to do if your children are still too young to understand and follow the directive "don't touch" - as the wax can be very hot and dangerous. But for older children, and adults as well, this should be a fun and engaging way to make some homemade candles.

Sandbox Candles

What you need:

- A deep pan to melt wax in, with a lip for pouring (if you do not have a lip on the pan, you can transfer it into another heat proof container with a lip or use a ladle instead)
- Thermometer
- Paraffin Wax (amount depends on how many candles you would like to make, but probably at least a pound)
- Crayons (for color)
- Primed Wicks, several inches long for each candle (to prime a wick, you should dip it in melted wax and let it cool)
- A sandbox, or other large container filled with clean sand

Instructions:

1. Dig a hole to pour wax in, or press a bowl or other container into the sand to create a shape to mold the candle
2. Stick the primed wick into the sand. You may want to devise some kind of wire frame or other mechanism to tie the wick to, to prevent it from falling when pouring the wax
3. Heat the wax directly on the burner until it is between 250-275 degrees (the hotter it is, the thicker the sand crust on the candle will be on the finished product)
4. Add a few broken up crayons to the wax while heating to color the wax
5. Carefully pour the wax into the hole you created earlier, making sure the wick stays in an upright position
6. Wait a few minutes to see how much the wax sinks as the sand absorbs some of the wax. If you feel the candles are too small, reheat the wax and do a second pour
7. Wait until the candles are cool to touch
8. Dig them out!
   

That's it - I hope you enjoy your homemade sandbox candles!