Double Wicked Seashell Sand Candle

I got the seashell sand candle idea from Bob Sherman’s Candle Making book.

It’s one of the most detailed and informative books I have read on candle making. He’s a well known candle maker and has been at it since 1971.

The only drawback to the book is that it doesn’t have much information on vegetable waxes. You can find out more about him and read some of his free updated articles at One Stop Candle.

To make the sand candle you can either press your hand or an object into the wet sand to make a shape for the mold.

For this one I just pressed the bottom of a large vase into the wet sand. I wanted a wide one and had some extra wax to use.

For sand candles you need to heat the wax a little hotter than usual before you pour it. I used two wicks so it would burn better. It was easy straightening out the wicks since they had paper cores and tabs to hold them down.

I added the seashells around the edge after pouring the wax and it was ready to come out in about four hours. Before pouring I added a coconut scent since I thought it would match with a seashell/beach theme. Next time I would like to make a more interesting shape but it was fun.

If you want to see it in action, check out David Constable’s video demonstration on how to make a sand candle.

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Human brains are pretty amazing, allowing us to think, feel, create, communicate, move and more. But humans aren’t the only animals with cool brains, as Crab Museum explains in the book The No-Brainer Brain Explainer (illustrated by Bruno Valasse).

This book, aimed at kids in grades 1-4, is colorful and silly but also educational about how brains actually work, with billions of neurons sending electrical and chemical signals around the body.

“Everything we think, feel and experience comes from an electrical relay race, with neurons passing chemical batons to each other,” the book says. “The constant chatter of billions of brain cells creates your entire world.”

The book compares the brains of mammals to those of crabs (the book is “written” by a crab after all) and notes that crabs have fewer neurons and of course are much smaller, but they have separate parts of their brains that control their eyes and their legs. Crabs are also capable of remembering things, using tools and solving puzzles.

Some animals’ brains allow them to know more about their world in different ways from humans, such as spiders being sensitive to vibrations in their webs and catfish having an amazing sense of taste, with taste sensors all over their bodies.

It notes that 95 percent of brain activity goes toward things we do unconsciously, like breathing, walking and catching a ball flying toward us. It also talks about dreams, memory, how our emotions try to predict the future, where brains came from and fun facts about brains. For example, did you know a sperm whale is believed to have the biggest brain of any creature that’s even lived? Their brains weigh 18 pounds, compared to just 2.5 pounds for humans.

Information on what creatures have the smallest brains, the toughest brains, the most brains and those who actually eat their own brains will delight kids (and maybe gross them out a little bit). They’ll also enjoy learning about the mycelium network of fungi, which is like a brain without a body, and slime molds, which are like a brain without a brain.

It ends talking about why human brains are so special because we’ve found ways to work together, communicate and build communities on a scale bigger than any other animal.

Kids and adults alike will enjoy this colorful, silly and informational book about brains!

About the book: 64 pages, hardcover. Published 2026 by Wide Eyed Editions. Suggested retail price $19.99.

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