Your Inspiring Stories
TOCK has been inspired by the mahi / work that children around the world are doing to help keep the Earth Amazing. So with the permission of Neena from the Mediterranean island of Malta, TOCK is pleased to share her story with you…
Neena is a passionate, creative soul with a deep love for the Earth, animals, and all things crafty. From an early age, she’s been drawn to making things with her hands -especially using recycled and repurposed materials. Whether she’s turning scraps into art or mending instead of tossing, Neena is always thinking about how to care for the planet.
She’s also a devoted animal lover: just a few months ago, she handmade and sold dozens of loom band bracelets, donating all the proceeds to help rescued horses.
Her latest project is a colourful celebration of everything she believes in – caring for the planet, getting creative, and making a difference.
Scroll down to see how Neena gave new life to something many of us throw away – one crayon at a time…
Reinventing with Crayons
While exploring ideas, Neena (8) discovered that crayons take a long time to degrade and are not biodegradable. To add, she learned that between 45,000 and 75,000 pounds of broken crayons are annually thrown into landfills! That’s when she decided to give her old, broken crayons a new purpose!
First, Neena gathered old, broken crayons that had been sitting unused for a long time. She carefully peeled off the wrappers, broke them into smaller pieces, and placed them into doughnut-shaped moulds. She then baked them for a few minutes until they melted completely before leaving them to cool and solidify. The result? Bright, fun, doughnut-shaped crayons that can be used for colouring once again! Given her current love for all things doughnuts—pencil cases, rulers, pens—it was only fitting that her crayons matched too!
Giving Old Colours a New Life
Inspired to take her project further, Neena (8) experimented with another creative idea: homemade lip balm. She melted some of the crayons with coconut oil using a bain-marie method, creating colourful, non-toxic lip balms. To stay true to the Reinvent spirit, she reused takeaway sauce containers to store her new lip creations.
Through this project, Neena not only found a way to reduce waste but also discovered how fun and rewarding it is to reimagine everyday objects. She hopes her project inspires others to think twice before throwing things away—because with a little creativity, old things can have a brand-new life!
