The plastic containers used to store food can also be used to hold crayons. Find plastic containers in the food storage aisle of the grocery store are an appropriate size for storing crayons. Since containers come with lids, remind students to close the containers when they are done using the crayons to keep them from spilling out.
Storing school crayons inside of an old cardboard shoebox is one way to recycle the box. Turn this idea into an arts and crafts project. Each student brings in a shoebox they can decorate in class. Have students wrap the shoebox in wrapping paper, decorate it with stickers or paint them in funky colors. Store the crayons inside of the shoebox. Bigger shoeboxes allow students to store other craft supplies, such as glue sticks and scissors.
Cans that store soups, vegetables or fruit can be washed out, dried and recycled as school crayon holders. After removing the can's label, have students decorate their food cans by gluing on dried macaroni, seashells or gemstones. This crayon storage idea doesn't come with a lid, so students will have to keep the food cans upright or the crayons will spill.
Empty baby food jars are another storage solution for holding students' crayons. Teachers can ask parents to donate empty baby food jars so students can wash and use them to store crayons. Baby food jars will be shorter than the length of the crayons, so students won't be able to close the jars with the corresponding lid. Well-used or broken crayons, though, would fit inside a capped jar.
If the teacher wants to store lots of crayons for students in the classroom to use, dump boxes of crayons into a large glass fishbowl. A crayon-filled fishbowl is decorative and allows students to dig through the crayon selection to find different colors.