Candle making is a great activity for youngsters who like arts and crafts. Although parental supervision is necessary, it can still be a relaxed activity for them to enjoy while they dip their candles or decide which fragrance and dye to use. Candle making and other crafts develop children’s creativity and gives them a sense of the effort that goes into making craft items.
The
following comes from the Candle Maker's Deli.
Once you have the correct candle-making equipment, you can
make gifts for the children’s teachers at the end of the year or make crafty birthday
presents with the scents and colours your children enjoy. Kids love being
involved in the decision making process so let them use their imaginations and
combine items so that their product reflects their own personality.
Although the recommended age for this kid’s craft activity
is 8-12, younger children will cope fine with some help from an adult.
Begin by splitting up the candle beeswax. This is not too
tricky and should be fine for older youngsters who are happy to handle a knife.
Fill a pot until it is half full with water and warm until
it is hot, but not yet bubbling. Place your glass into the pot. The top of the glass
must be above the water line as the candle wax must not touch the water. Here
you have effectively created a double boiler.
Now the youngsters can begin to add the beeswax to melt it.
They can keep adding until the wax pieces are almost to the top of the glass.
Explain to them how the candle wax will melt quicker if they help you stir it
(very gently). You can expect it to take 10 to 15 minutes to melt the candle
wax completely. Never leave melting wax unattended.
Once it is totally melted, you can add some colour or a
scent to the candle they are making. If you are using beeswax, it has its own
unique scent already.
Cut the candle wick into 25cm pieces and then tie the candle
wick to the end of a sosatie stick or similar.
Place the newspaper on a level work space and then move the
pot with the candle wax onto the newspaper.
Now you need to explain to the children how to dip their
wick into the melted beeswax, keep it in the wax for a full second and then
lift it out of the wax and count to 15. (This can become a counting game, too.)
The best would be to explain and then show them for this part of the activity.
Then give them a turn and they can re-dip after counting to 15 each time. Young
children may need your help here as the wax is still very hot.
The previous step can go on and on until the candles are the
required width. This is what makes dipping candles such a great kid’s activity
– it is laidback and perfect for spending quality time with them.
Shorten the wicks to an appropriate length and then allow
the candles to set until they are completely firm.
You can expect this activity to take a good couple of hours.
For all these products and more, contact Angelique at Candle Maker's Deli on
021 552 4937 or on email: candledeli@pacchem.co.za or visit www.candledeli.co.za
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