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This is a fun
activity to do, and very easy because it is finished in
minutes. No waiting around for glue to dry or things to
harden...just a couple minutes to cool and you're done!
Good for all ages
that are drawing.
Obviously, if you have a child that is not yet drawing,
this may not be a project to do with them. But even
scribbles can be cut out and shrunk, so don't wait for
them to actually make identifiable objects...the
scribbles are precious too!
Supplies Needed:
- shrink
plastic...
I highly recommend purchasing this online
here.
The price is significantly less than you will
find at Michael's (for Shrinky-Dink
brand)...even though you do have to pay
shipping, it is still cheaper and you get more
in a pack. Also, if you place your order before
1pm, the order will go out the same day. And
since most items (as long as they are instock
items) are only coming from Salinas, I usually
get my orders the very next day!
-
colored pencils
(crayons and markers don't work for this, I'm
told)
-
sandpaper...only if you buy
shrink plastic that is shiny...then you will
need to sand it to be able to draw on it.
-
scissors,
to cut out the designs made
-
hole punch,
if you want to be able to hang them
-
oven or toaster oven...I
like to use a toaster oven, because it can be
brought into whatever room you are working with
the kids in...and has a window for them to
watch.
What To Do:
Have the
kids draw whatever they want on the plastic...make sure
that you tell them to make it BIG, because it is going
to shrink considerably...it will be at least a half to a
third of its original size when its done (and are quite
thick and hard). I like to give the kids at least a half
sheet to work on...but if you can afford it, a whole
sheet would work even better...depending on what you
want the final size to look like. Tell them to really
try to use as much of the plastic as possible, to avoid
waste and to get the bigger sized project.
After
they've finished their drawings, have them cut it out,
if they want, or they can leave it if they like. Don't
forget to put names on them now if you have multiple
kids...dates are nice to have on there too. If
you want to be able to hang them later, you will need to
remember to use a hole punch on them now!! Then
you'll put the plastic on an oven-safe tray (if you are
using a toaster oven, just use that tray) that is
covered in aluminum foil...if you are doing a group of
kids' work, you will want to have multiple sheets of
aluminum foil so that you can continue to heat ornaments
(just pull the sheet with the finished ornaments off the
tray and put a new sheet on) but not have to tie up the
tray.
Bake
the ornaments in a 300degree oven (or whatever temp it
says on the plastic packaging) and let the kids watch!
The ornaments will curl up on themselves but don't
worry, they almost always go back down again and flatten
out...it only takes a couple minutes to shrink, and its
very dramatic to watch! Once they look like they are not
shrinking anymore, just let them sit a few more seconds,
to make sure they flatten out as much as they are going
to...then remove them from the oven. At this time, if
you want them curled, you will want to curl them fast,
before they cool (like around a pencil or something like
that)...but if you want them flat, you will want to
press them quickly with a towel to flatten them. (This
is when you'd straighten them out if they didn't uncurl
completely.) They cool very fast so you only have a few
seconds to do this, so work fast! And don't let the kids
do this part, its HOT!
These
make great ornaments, but you can really make them into
just about anything...windchimes, mobiles, magnets,
suncatchers (attach a suction cup hook to them),
necklaces, earrings, whatever! Use your imagination! |
