Concept 2:
Crayon Baking Sheet

The crayon baking sheet is really very similar to a regular baking sheet. The difference is in the shape. Instead of having indentations for muffins, it has indentations in the shape of crayons. With adult supervision, the child could put tiny pieces of old crayons into the sheet and then put it into the oven. Everything would melt together and out come new crayons! This is a great use for all of those little pieces of crayon that every child has but can't use anymore becuase they are too small or dirty. It may be necessary to crush them a little bit inside of a plastic bag to get everything small enough to fit in the indentations. Or if you must, jars of wax pellets could be sold solely for use in this tray. The child would like the crayons made from this tray only because he got to make them himself. But they would be better for even more reasons. The child could make crayons of more than one color. Whether it is mixing yellow and red thoroughly to make orange, or making beautiful swirl patterns of random colors, they would be unlike any other crayons available on the market. Just imagine adding fruit juice to your crayons to make them smell. The possibilities are as endless as a child's imagination.

This toy would show children the way the physical properties of a material can easily be changed. The way a solid turns into a liquid when heated and back to a solid when cooled. Something could also be learned about the properties of colors and mixing them together.

The sheet would have to be made out of a metal similar to what existing baking sheets are made of. It would also need a non-stick surface such as Teflon or an inferior substitute. Even though expensive materials would be needed, production costs would still be fairly reasonable. It would be very durable since it doesn't have any parts that could break and isn't exposed to any sort of danger. Safety would be a small concern because of the fact that there is no question parental supervision is required. Children shouldn't use the oven themselves and therefore the parents should make it clear that the children can't use it alone. I would even expect parents to store the sheet away from the children. As for the crayons made, they would be as safe as any others.