Making your own candles is fun. With sheets of beeswax, it’s also very easy. You don’t even have to melt the wax. Beeswax comes in flat rectangular sheets that have a honeycomb pattern. To make candles, all you need is the sheet of beeswax and a wick. Both the beeswax sheets and the wicks are available in the candle making section of major craft stores.
Lay out the sheet of beeswax flat on a table. Lay the wicking string over the shorter edge of the rectangle, close to the edge. Trim the string so that it sticks over about ½ an inch. Press the edge of the wax over the wick so that it holds it securely. Once the wick is covered you roll the wax slowly, pressing down gently as you go, until you are at the end of the wax sheet. Pay attention as you roll, making sure to keep the edges straight. And there you have a candle! If your candle is getting too thick, you can cut off a few inches of the wax.
Very small children have trouble rolling the wax tightly. Their candles may be a little lumpy and bumpy, but the candles still work. Sometimes it helps to warm the wax a little by breathing on it, or working in a warm room.
I like the natural honey color the best, but the sheets come in a lot of different colors. My children like the brighter colors. It’s also fun to cut pieces from different colors and trim the candles with stripes or dots or random shapes. Darker colors show up well on light colored candles.
These make great gifts for Valentine’s Days. Try a few red hearts or squiggles on a white or natural colored candle.
Making candles is also a good opportunity to talk about match and fire safety. It’s also a neat opportunity to talk about history and what life might have been like before electricity.
Also See:
Decorating with Your Kids
Loom Knitting – Fun For All Ages