Beeswax candles.
Make a beeswax candle.
Maryland VSC Grade 3 Standard, Economic Systems and the Role of Government in the Economy B.1.ab.
North Carolina 2nd Grade Goals 6.01, 6.02, 6.03, 7.01, 7.02, 7.03.
North Carolina 3rd Grade Goals 2.01.
North Carolina 4th Grade Goal 3.01, 7.01, 7.02, 7.03.
South Carolina Fourth Grade Standard 4-2.4, 4-3.6.
Virginia Standard USI.5b.
People made candles in the 18th century for light. Otherwise, they would have to sit in the dark at night.
Candles were made from lots of things. Most people made candles out of the animal fat left over from cooking.
Some people made candles out of other things, like whale blubber, berries, or beeswax.
Beeswax was expensive then, just like it is now. One of the reasons beeswax was expensive is because it made such a great candle. When burned it smelled good like honey; it did not stink the way that animal fat did. It did not smoke as much as animal fat. It also burned more slowly, so that you did not have to make candles as frequently.
A person who made soap and candles for a living was called a chandler. Benjamin Franklin's father was a chandler. He hoped his son would join him in his business, but Benjamin did not like this work. So, he sent him to work with Benjamin's older brother, who was a printer.
