I really love finding crafts the kids can do. It helps keep the tv off and gives them the opportunity to really tap into their creativity and try something new. As an added bonus, some even involve little science lessons which can also be fun.
I had some of these plastic bears leftover from nearly 15 years ago {sometimes keeping things comes in handy lol} and was so excited when we came across them. I got Jonah settled in at the table with a permanent marker and let him go to it.
Hard at work
He decided to write his name and couldn’t wait to see the end result!
Pretty Excited
Cannot contain his enthusiasm
Watching them shrink
Magic
So cute!
If you punch a hole into the plastic *before* baking {at 350 for 3-5 minutes} you will be able to use them on keychains or jewelry projects. 🙂
Jonah wanted a necklace.
Remember this stuff?
We made a Jonah necklace
Our little craft was such a hit, I knew we had to do it when Brooklyn got home from school too. So we headed to Michael’s to grab some more plastic {we bought actual name brand Shrinky Dinks plastic sheets – seriously, an awful awful name} and grabbed some coloured permanent markers from Walmart. I looked through their colouring books for images to trace. This was the most tedious part, but it was fun to have something specific to colour. 🙂
Hello Kitty
All coloured and ready to go
watching it happen
I mean, adorable right?!
I think I’d probably split the steps next time. Spend one day tracing a bunch of images and then cutting them out the following day. I’d like to have a large container full to be honest so they could do this regularly, with a bunch of different options.
Round 2!
Here fishy fishy
Such a fun craft – easy for them to do with minimal guidance, and they get to see the magic of the plastic shrinking. Plus, it’s something that can be used and even made into gifts for friends. Love that! I think this would be a GREAT themed party activity – for all ages. Just make sure you have them cut out before hand to save time.
**As a sidenote – I got the clear Shrinky Dinks plastic sheets, as opposed to the frosted ones. There isn’t a huge difference, just depends on your preference. The clear sheets state you have to trace on one side and colour on the other, while the frosted says you can do both on one side. I didn’t notice anything about the clear sheets that indicated to me you couldn’t do it on the same side. Jonah accidentally coloured on the *wrong* side {the traced on one} and it still worked out just fine. **
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