stained glass jack-o-lanterns

My first idea for making these was to use crayon shavings and then heat them up between wax paper. It worked out okay but the colors ran a little too much - it's not really clear what we were going for! I think it would work for older kids, or kids who are more meticulous about placing the crayon shavings (read: not my kids!), or moms who had the time and patience to hang around with an iron for awhile. However, my second idea worked out much better for my kids, who like to color furiously and rarely stay inside any lines. The only trick to this is that you will be dealing with a warm plate, so you have to make sure it is hot enough to melt the crayon, but not so hot as to burn little hands.

I'll show the first method here anyway, though after doing some research, I am not the first to think of it! Check out The Artful Parent to see how she did her stained glass projects. Beautiful!

First method:
What you need:

crayons, shredded or cut, and separated into bowls
jack-o-lantern template
wax paper, twice as long as your template
plate (or other defined work area)
tape, to secure wax paper to plate

Place your template on the plate, and the wax paper on top. Tape the wax paper to the tape to keep it from moving around. Sprinkle the crayon shavings on top. Fold over wax paper and either iron on low or microwave on low for 30 seconds at a time until the shavings have melted enough. Let cool. Cut out to desired final shape.

Getting started.

Crayon bits placed.

Semi-success.

Second method, that worked better for us (way less messy, though not quite as pretty and vibrant):
What you need:

warmed plate (I warmed mine in the microwave)
wax paper
jack-o-lantern template, if desired
crayons
tape

Place your template and wax paper on the warmed plate. Tape the wax paper to the plate to keep it from moving around. Press crayon into plate and hold for a few seconds until it starts to melt, then color as you would color paper. Fold over wax paper. Let cool. Cut out to desired final shape.