Lighting the Way: Maths, Sustainability and Kindness Through Candle Making

At CandleXchange, we believe candles can do more than bring light to a room — they can spark connection, learning, and positive change. This belief came to life recently through an immersive program we co-designed with Redlands Junior School, weaving together maths, sustainability, creativity, and community impact.

Maths in Action: From Containers to Candles

The program set out to show students how the maths they learn in the classroom can be applied in meaningful, hands-on ways. Together, we explored key mathematical concepts by working through each step of the candle-making process:

• Measuring diameter: Students measured the width of the containers to determine the right wick size — a practical lesson in geometry and proportions.
• Calculating capacity: By finding the volume of the containers (and learning that candles should never be filled right to the top), they applied subtraction and estimation in real-world problem solving.
• Liquid wax calculation: Students determined exactly how much wax would be needed for their container.
• Fragrance ratios: By working out fragrance-to-wax ratios, they practiced using fractions, percentages, and ratios — understanding how numbers play out in precise formulas.

Beyond the numbers, the students got hands-on experience: pouring the wax, blending fragrance, and carefully positioning the wick in the middle.

Sustainability & Upcycling: Giving Containers a Second Life

An important part of CandleXchange is our vision to design waste out of candles. Since traditional candle containers are not recyclable, we worked with students to reclaim and upcycle used candle containers, showing how reuse extends their life while reducing environmental impact. This lesson in sustainability was powerful — demonstrating that small changes can make a difference.

Paying It Forward: ReLove Partnership

The candles made during the program had an even brighter purpose. Each candle will be donated to ReLove, an organisation providing home starter packages for women and families rebuilding their lives after domestic violence. Through this, students didn’t just learn maths and sustainability — they learned empathy, generosity, and the joy of contributing to community wellbeing.

Lighting Minds and Hearts Together

This collaboration with Redlands Junior School highlights the magic of combining education, sustainability, and community impact. By embedding maths into a real-world, creative activity, students experienced the relevance of their learning while also discovering how their actions can ripple outward to create positive change.

At CandleXchange, we are proud to support immersive programs like these that inspire young people to think critically, act sustainably, and light the way forward — one candle at a time.