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Something about these rolled beeswax candles whets the entrepreneurial spirit. My daughters immediately began plotting how they could start a candle-making assembly line with a few friends to raise money for their upcoming community service fair. The only problem they foresaw was that people might not want to actually burn such pretty decorations, so they'd never buy more than one pair. The primary material for these candles--honeycomb sheets of beeswax--is a wonder. It comes in an array of bright colors and can be rolled, cut, pressed together, kneaded and shaped in many ways. And because there's no melting of hot wax, these projects are suitable even for very young children (with an adult to help cut and position the pieces).
ROCKET SHIP
This design is created on a diagonally rolled beeswax base, which gives the candle its tapered shape. It was a big hit with our four-year-old friend, Kyle, who informed his mother it was going to "take off" at dinner on the night we gave it to him.
MATERIALS
Ruler and craft knife
8-by-8-inch sheet of white honeycomb beeswax
Wicking
Blue and red honeycomb beeswax
Yellow decorating or honeycomb beeswax
Help your child measure and cut a 3-inch-wide strip off one end of the beeswax sheet. Cut the remaining rectangle in half, corner to corner. Set one triangle aside and turn the other so that the 8-inch end is facing your child. Have him cut a piece of wicking about 9 inches long and lay it along the end closest to him, starting 1/2 inch in from the right angle. Crimping the edge of the wax carefully over the wick, he should roll it up one section at a time. Once he has gotten the candle started, he can spread out his fingers along the length of the candle and roll it the rest of the way. If the candle rolls up a bit off center, stand it on a flat surface and gently press down.
Once the base is finished, use the ruler and knife to cut strips about 2 1/4 inches wide in blue, white and red. Wrap the blue strip around the base of the candle, cutting away any excess so the ends just meet. Line up the end of the red strip with the ends of the first and wrap it around the candle so you create one continuous outer surface. Cut off any excess length and repeat for the third band.
Help your child cut a piece of blue beeswax and wrap it around the tip of the rocket to form the nose cone. From a piece of cardboard, work together to design a template for the tail fins and cut out six of them in red beeswax. Pair them up and press their edges together, then press the fins gently but firmly onto the body of the rocket, spacing them evenly around the fuselage. Finally, help your child cut out the letters U, S and A (or the letters of her name) from a strip of yellow decorating wax, or have her knead yellow beeswax and form them by hand.
CASTLE
By far the easiest of the bunch, this design makes the best use of the honeycomb pattern, cleverly mimicking a real castle's stone walls.
MATERIALS
2 sheets of any color honeycomb beeswax
4 4-inch pieces of wicking
Toothpicks
Decorating beeswax
Help your child cut four 3-by-16-inch pieces of wax to make the towers. Position each piece with the short end toward her, lay the wick along the edge, and roll the wax into a straight cylinder about 1 1/2 inches wide. Cut four more strips of wax, each 1 inch wide. Wrap one strip around each tower, making a sleeve about 1/2 inch thick. Then, slide the sleeve off the tower, place it on a flat surface and cut out the crenellations. Slide the sleeve back onto the tower. Cut out four 2 1/2-by-3 1/2-inch pieces. Using scissors or a knife, cut crenellations along one long side of each piece and attach these pieces to the sides of the towers. The last step is decorating: Your child can cut windows and doors in contrasting colors, and create medieval-style banners from wax and toothpicks.
ASSATEAGUE LIGHTHOUSE
With their cylindrical shape and bright bands of color, lighthouses translate easily into rolled beeswax. We modeled our version after the Assateague Lighthouse in Virginia, but your child can base his on a lighthouse near your home or one that he remembers from vacations at the beach.
MATERIALS
8-by-8-inch sheet of white honeycomb beeswax
9-inch length of wicking
Red and black honeycomb beeswax
Yellow decorating beeswax
Cut a 3-inch-wide piece from one end of your white beeswax sheet. Cut the remaining rectangle in half on the diagonal. Lay the wick along the 8-inch side of the triangle and roll it up on the diagonal, as for the rocket ship. From the red and remaining white beeswax, cut a few 1 1/2-inch-wide strips. Beginning at the base, wrap a red band, then a white one, then a red one, until it's as tall as you like. Remind your child to line the edges up in back and trim off any excess.
Next, have your child cut a 3/4-inch strip of black beeswax and position it above the last red band. Help him trim off any of the base color showing above the black wax, and work a hunk of black wax into a skinny snake. Wrap the snake around the candle between the top red band and the black tip. Then have him make a little black cap for the lighthouse roof and cut or shape yellow rectangles for windows.
To make a lighthouse keeper's cottage at the base of the candle, cut two strips of beeswax about 1 inch wide and about 3 inches long. Press them together gently, fold them to form the walls of the house, and attach them to the side of the lighthouse. For the roof, cut two strips of black wax about 2 1/2 inches long and 1 inch wide, press them together and trim them to fit against the curved side of the candle. For the finishing touch, add a window on each side of the house.
TOTEM POLE
This totem pole is an absorbing project for older kids, who have the patience and dexterity to work with small pieces and detailed designs.
MATERIALS
5 1/3-by-8-inch sheet of any color honeycomb beeswax
9-inch length of wicking
Decorating beeswax
Help your child cut a 5 1/3-by-8-inch piece of beeswax. Lay the wicking along the 8-inch edge of the wax and roll it into a straight 3/4-inch cylinder. To decorate the pole, your child can cut strips of decorating beeswax in different colors for the faces and bodies of the animals, and embellish them with beady eyes, beaks, lips, teeth, wings, paws or claws. (Remind him that it's easiest to work down from the top.) To differentiate between one creature and another, knead contrasting colors of wax into thin snakes and lay them around the candle between two sections, or use them to outline the features in the faces.
ROCKET SHIP
This design is created on a diagonally rolled beeswax base, which gives the candle its tapered shape. It was a big hit with our four-year-old friend, Kyle, who informed his mother it was going to "take off" at dinner on the night we gave it to him.
MATERIALS
Ruler and craft knife
8-by-8-inch sheet of white honeycomb beeswax
Wicking
Blue and red honeycomb beeswax
Yellow decorating or honeycomb beeswax
Help your child measure and cut a 3-inch-wide strip off one end of the beeswax sheet. Cut the remaining rectangle in half, corner to corner. Set one triangle aside and turn the other so that the 8-inch end is facing your child. Have him cut a piece of wicking about 9 inches long and lay it along the end closest to him, starting 1/2 inch in from the right angle. Crimping the edge of the wax carefully over the wick, he should roll it up one section at a time. Once he has gotten the candle started, he can spread out his fingers along the length of the candle and roll it the rest of the way. If the candle rolls up a bit off center, stand it on a flat surface and gently press down.
Once the base is finished, use the ruler and knife to cut strips about 2 1/4 inches wide in blue, white and red. Wrap the blue strip around the base of the candle, cutting away any excess so the ends just meet. Line up the end of the red strip with the ends of the first and wrap it around the candle so you create one continuous outer surface. Cut off any excess length and repeat for the third band.
Help your child cut a piece of blue beeswax and wrap it around the tip of the rocket to form the nose cone. From a piece of cardboard, work together to design a template for the tail fins and cut out six of them in red beeswax. Pair them up and press their edges together, then press the fins gently but firmly onto the body of the rocket, spacing them evenly around the fuselage. Finally, help your child cut out the letters U, S and A (or the letters of her name) from a strip of yellow decorating wax, or have her knead yellow beeswax and form them by hand.
CASTLE
By far the easiest of the bunch, this design makes the best use of the honeycomb pattern, cleverly mimicking a real castle's stone walls.
MATERIALS
2 sheets of any color honeycomb beeswax
4 4-inch pieces of wicking
Toothpicks
Decorating beeswax
Help your child cut four 3-by-16-inch pieces of wax to make the towers. Position each piece with the short end toward her, lay the wick along the edge, and roll the wax into a straight cylinder about 1 1/2 inches wide. Cut four more strips of wax, each 1 inch wide. Wrap one strip around each tower, making a sleeve about 1/2 inch thick. Then, slide the sleeve off the tower, place it on a flat surface and cut out the crenellations. Slide the sleeve back onto the tower. Cut out four 2 1/2-by-3 1/2-inch pieces. Using scissors or a knife, cut crenellations along one long side of each piece and attach these pieces to the sides of the towers. The last step is decorating: Your child can cut windows and doors in contrasting colors, and create medieval-style banners from wax and toothpicks.
ASSATEAGUE LIGHTHOUSE
With their cylindrical shape and bright bands of color, lighthouses translate easily into rolled beeswax. We modeled our version after the Assateague Lighthouse in Virginia, but your child can base his on a lighthouse near your home or one that he remembers from vacations at the beach.
MATERIALS
8-by-8-inch sheet of white honeycomb beeswax
9-inch length of wicking
Red and black honeycomb beeswax
Yellow decorating beeswax
Cut a 3-inch-wide piece from one end of your white beeswax sheet. Cut the remaining rectangle in half on the diagonal. Lay the wick along the 8-inch side of the triangle and roll it up on the diagonal, as for the rocket ship. From the red and remaining white beeswax, cut a few 1 1/2-inch-wide strips. Beginning at the base, wrap a red band, then a white one, then a red one, until it's as tall as you like. Remind your child to line the edges up in back and trim off any excess.
Next, have your child cut a 3/4-inch strip of black beeswax and position it above the last red band. Help him trim off any of the base color showing above the black wax, and work a hunk of black wax into a skinny snake. Wrap the snake around the candle between the top red band and the black tip. Then have him make a little black cap for the lighthouse roof and cut or shape yellow rectangles for windows.
To make a lighthouse keeper's cottage at the base of the candle, cut two strips of beeswax about 1 inch wide and about 3 inches long. Press them together gently, fold them to form the walls of the house, and attach them to the side of the lighthouse. For the roof, cut two strips of black wax about 2 1/2 inches long and 1 inch wide, press them together and trim them to fit against the curved side of the candle. For the finishing touch, add a window on each side of the house.
TOTEM POLE
This totem pole is an absorbing project for older kids, who have the patience and dexterity to work with small pieces and detailed designs.
MATERIALS
5 1/3-by-8-inch sheet of any color honeycomb beeswax
9-inch length of wicking
Decorating beeswax
Help your child cut a 5 1/3-by-8-inch piece of beeswax. Lay the wicking along the 8-inch edge of the wax and roll it into a straight 3/4-inch cylinder. To decorate the pole, your child can cut strips of decorating beeswax in different colors for the faces and bodies of the animals, and embellish them with beady eyes, beaks, lips, teeth, wings, paws or claws. (Remind him that it's easiest to work down from the top.) To differentiate between one creature and another, knead contrasting colors of wax into thin snakes and lay them around the candle between two sections, or use them to outline the features in the faces.
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