Lockdown Boredom Buster - Candle Making
Candle making is a fantastic homeschool project for kids to keep for themselves or to make as gifts for friends or family. They can choose their essential oil scent to create a calm working environment or to give them energy to complete the day.
Of course this activity will require a high degree of adult supervision but is amazing for passive learning through creative fun. Children have the opportunity to use valuable skills such as measurement, changes of state, experiment safety, colour and scent mixing.
What you need
Recycled glass jars or small glasses, scissors, sticky tape or glue dots, 4 cups of soy wax beads or flakes, cooking thermometer, microwave-safe dish (for microwave), small saucepan for stove, cotton wicks, peg, essential oils & plain stickers to create a label. We got most of the raw materials from Amazon.
Method
- If you are using recycled jars, make sure they are completely clean and remove any label residue or plastic rings.
- Secure your wick to the bottom of the jar with a sticky tape or a sticky dot. Make sure the wick is sitting about 5 cms above the jar opening so you have enough to hold and secure it in its place once you pour your wax. Attach the peg to the top of the wick and gently rest on the top of the jar.
- Mix your essential oils in a glass dish until you get the right scent. There is no method to this, it's up to the individual choice. Scents like Lavender and neroli are good to create a calm aroma and use lemon, lime, orange and bergamot scents to create energy. Depending on the size of your jar, you may only need a few drops in each but if you want more scent then add more.
- Now it’s time to melt the wax. This will require complete adult supervision. You can either do this on the stove or in the microwave.
- Microwave - Ensure your bowl is microwave-safe. It will take a total of 90 seconds in the microwave to melt about 4 cups of soy flakes or beads. We recommend you only doing 30 sec bursts to keep an eye on it. Stir at the end of each 30sec burst with a icy lolly stick.
- Stove- Take your saucepan and put it on a medium heat or you can rest it in boiling water to melt the wax slowly.
- If you want to make more than one scented candle, separate your wax mix into different glass pouring jugs and then add the oils.
- Now pour your wax mix into the jars, make sure the wick remains straight.
- Allow to set for 12 hours in a cool place.
- Once set, you can trim the top of the wick down to size and your candle is ready to light.
