Updated: Jun 25, 2022
We recently had our Ribbon Cutting grand opening ceremony for our store in San Clemente. We had the San Clemente Mayor, the local chamber of commerce, and many more people of the community be apart of our special day.
Check out our store in Old Town Plaza, San Clemente.
111 w Avenida Palizada 105, San Clemente, Ca 92672
Today we are making natural beeswax crayons. I have my daughters birthday this weekend and wanted to offer a natural and useful party favor. These crayons are only 4 different ingredients and pretty simple to make.
D I R E C T I O N S
You can use a double boiler using a glass measuring cup or other glass item. I used my hot plate because that's what I am used to.
Heat beeswax, cocoa butter, and carnauba wax in the glass cup over medium heat until the beeswax is melted. All the waxes will melt into a rich amber color.
While the waxes are melting (which will take awhile) prepare the five glass jars by putting the pigments in each one. I weighed about 4g of each. I used 5 empty salve jars that I had one hand, keeping it sustainable over here :)
When the wax mixture has fully melted, measure out a 1/4 cup and pour into your first pigment ready jar. Mix thoroughly and quickly as the wax will melt fast. I found it useful to put the glass jar into the hot water for 10 seconds to keep the wax melted while I made sure the pigment was thoroughly mixed.
When out of the hot water, continue to mix the pigmented wax until it cools slightly and begins to thicken. Pour the wax into your silicone crayon mold.
Repeat with each additional crayon color. Allow the crayons to sit and harden for several hours until they are cool to the touch.
M A T E R I A L S
Silicone Mold
3/4 cup (6oz) beeswax
2 tablespoons cocoa butter
6 tablespoons carnauba wax
1 teaspoon or 4g each of 5 different natural pigment
5 different glass jars
6 spoons or sticks
1/4 cup measuring cup
We will go over what to wear, look for, & how to get to this location in Orange County, Ca.
Today we decided to go visit some sea life. It was a June Gloom day so I knew it wouldn't be too crowded and got the kids ready and went on our adventure.
Before we left, I checked the tides to make sure it was low. We were about an hour early so it wasn't super low but we were still able to see some creatures.
Best to wear shorts, even when its cold. Nothing worse than walking around in wet pants. Water shoes are ideal. We use Natives but the kids like to be barefoot. Be mindful of slippery rocks! We wore sweatshirts but next time we will bring swimsuits since it's getting warmer here in Southern California. Always bring a change of clothes! My kids like to change as soon as we get in the car and my three year old fell in the water so that would have been an uncomfortable drive home for her.
Quick List of what to bring:
Water Shoes
Hats/Sunglasses
A towel to wipe sand and dry off
Snacks
Sunscreen
Extra Clothes
Bucket & Shovel
Camping Shower (optional- there is no shower nearby to rinse off so this makes it easy to keep clean)
My kids are really into nature and animals. We go to the library weekly and end up with 15 books about animals, so they are extremely familiar with sea creatures. If you aren't, picking up some books before you go would be super helpful so you know what to look for.
Today we saw 4 different types of creatures.
Sea Snails, Crabs, Mussles, and Sea Anemones.
Even if you don't see any, its still a really fun experience! They had fun finding kelp and rocks.
We gently touched the animals but please dont pick up any rocks, disturb the creatures homes, or take any items with you home. This area is protected and there is a sign there for more detailed directions.
Since the tide wasn't that low we weren't able to see too much but there are a lot more things we could have seen. For example; barancles, octopus, sea cucumber, fish, and sea stars.
Also, the most important part of going to the beach is to "Never turn your back on the ocean". There are waves at this beach and if you have little kids, it would be easy to get swept away.
Sea Anemone (below)
Sea Snail (below)
This location is down in Dana Point Harbor. It is the beach behind the Ocean Institute, which is another fun trip with kids. You park in a nearby parking lot and can view the harbor, the old sunken peices of the Pilgrim, a little pier, and botanical gardens. Once you head behind the institute you have choices to sit at benches to stare at the ocean or have a meal. Walk down stairs to the beach and as soon as you get down you can start looking for creatures. But as I mentioned before, please check the tides because if it's high it is not safe to go down.
A fun and free adventure! Can't beat that. These pools are full of magic and we're lucky to have them so close.
