CANDLE MAKING
Join art educator/history enthusiast Kristin Isaacs for an afternoon of old-fashioned candle-dipping. Participants will learn how to prep their wicks and dip them into molten wax to create old-fashioned taper candles. Each chandler (the term for candle maker!) will take home their own pair of hand-dipped candles.
Wintertime is ideal for making candles because the cold air helps the wax to solidify between dips and allows multiple layers to be built up. This would have been the children’s job in the olden days. That being said, this is an outdoor program that will be held at our firepit in the historic farmyard. So dress accordingly!
Traditionally, candles would have been made from tallow (rendered animal fat) or bayberry (which was a laborious process as well). Later, beeswax, then parrafin, and now today, soy wax is used. We will be using a mixture of soy and beeswax to create our candles. The wax will be melted in a tall can on an outdoor fire, but no one will be dipping their candles directly at the fire. This is truly an all-ages event, however please make sure the youngest participants are closely supervised due to the nature of the activity. Space is limited, registration is required.
Saturday, January 18th 1 - 4 pm Note: We will have the fire going and wax melted from 1 - 4, and participants are free to come at any time in this window to learn about the process and create their candles. The whole process takes about 20-30 minutes, and participants may stay as long as desired to continue observing and explore the park.
$12 per chandler
Please note, this workshop is weather dependent. It may need to be rescheduled on short notice depending on the weather. If this occurs, we will contact you to discuss next steps.
Here is a YouTube playlist for more information! https://youtube.
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About the instructor: Kristin was born and raised and educated in Madison, WI. She studied art education and French at UW-Madison and taught high school art at several different schools in Connecticut. After CT she lived in New Jersey and started homeschooling her son who is now 6. With a super active and curious kid, Kristin quickly realized a lot of museums and historical places are very “Please do not touch," which didn't work so well for them or most kiddos they knew! So, Kristin, her family, and public educators decided to develop hands-on components at one of their favorite local historical places, the Princeton Battlefield State Park. They've planned and co-led programs such as candle-making, colonial letter writing, and weaving. It is Kristin's personal goal to help bring history alive for young children and families. History should not be hands-off, so come spend some time with us and get your hands working!
We are passionate about making our events accessible to people of all needs and abilities. If you have any questions and/or need special accommodations, please do not hesitate to contact us!
Refunds/Cancellations:
Program fees are refundable when:
- The acitvity is cancelled by Schumacher Farm Park
- The participant cancels for a medical reason (a physician's note is required)
- The participant un-enrolls 7 or more days prior to the beginning of the activity