Are you and the kids melting under a summer heat wave? Harness the power of the sun with this creative hot weather science experiment for kids! Set-up is a breeze, and there is little-to-know clean-up. This science experiment gets kids thinking about alternative energy sources. Make crayons in any shape you like – the options are endless! Silicone molds are wonderful for making shaped crayons using this method. Note that the silicone is insulated, so you may need hotter weather for it to work. A car dashboard is an easy way to create more heat!
Hot Weather Science Magic for Kids – Get Creative!
I had this activity on our to-try list last year, but Massachusetts never got very hot. This summer has been plenty hot, so I thought we’d give it a try. We cut the tops off of some plastic cups, added pieces of crayons, put everything in some left over aluminum foil. We covered it with plastic wrap at the suggestion of my mechanical engineer brother, who happened to be visiting when I decided to try this.
I didn’t try it on the hottest day – temperatures were low nineties, and some of the crayons didn’t melt. I think they were from the cups that wound up partially in the shade, and I think they were also washable and twist-up crayon pieces, which may have affected our results.
We used Dixie cups for this experiment because that is what we had lying around, but there are many ways to get creative with this experiment! Silicone molds make it possible to create these crayons in virtually any shape imaginable. These LEGO molds are favorites with our kids! No heat wave? Follow these instructions for using silicone molds to make crayons in any weather!
We’ll probably try again on a hotter day, but these crayons work well, even in their imperfectly-melted state =)