The vibrant colors of the sun shining through a stained glass window can bring a room alive with warmth and energy. For thousands of years, people have delighted in the images brought to life by intricately crafted pieces of colored glass that take on a life of their own when touched by the sun. Your kids, too, can try their hand at creating a "stained glass" window or window hanging by using a child-safe stained glass technique—without the glass! The method uses a combination of colored crayon shavings melted between sheets of waxed paper to create the colorful effect.
What you will need:
- Waxed paper
- Safety scissors
- Variety of colored crayons
- Old egg carton (optional)
- Crayon sharpener or small, box-type pencil sharpener
- Old newspapers
- Piece of cardboard
- An iron
- Hole punch
- String or yarn
Step 1:Using a crayon sharpener, gather shavings from a variety of colored crayons. The colored crayon shavings will be the colored "glass" in your child's project. Unless it is a very large project, roughly one tablespoon of shavings for the desired colors should be sufficient. To keep the colors separate, you may want to use the sections of an old egg carton.
Step 2: Using safety scissors, cut two pieces of waxed paper into the desired shape of the final project. The shape can be a square, rectangle, circle, heart, etc. Just make certain both pieces are the same size and shape.
Step 3: Place one piece of the cut waxed paper on the cardboard (the cardboard will make it easier to move the project without disturbing the crayon shavings once they are in place). Your child can then begin the artistic part of the project by placing the colored shavings in different designs all over the waxed paper base sheet. To allow a good seal around the edge of the project, keep crayon shavings away from the edge of the waxed paper. Don't worry if stray colors mix, the blending of the wax once heat is applied is one of the interesting parts of the project. Once your child's design is complete, gently place the second piece of waxed paper on top of the crayon shavings.
Step 4: Now it is time for an adult's participation. Plug in the iron and set it on a medium setting. Allow it to preheat thoroughly. Gently place the cardboard and the stained glass project on a heatproof surface such as an ironing board. Gently lay a few layers of newspaper over the stained glass project, apply the iron and move it evenly across the surface of the work. The goal is to apply just enough heat to melt the wax in the crayon and stabilize the final design. Check frequently to make sure nothing is burning.
Step 5: Allow the project to cool completely. Once cool, trim the edges for a clean look or use pinking shears for a decorative edge. Using a hole punch, punch a hole near the top, and insert a piece of yarn or string for hanging.
Find a bright, sunny window, hang the stained glass piece and watch your child's face as the sun brings the colors to life!
