Permanent Markers (I did a test on some shrinky dinks and dry-erase markers work pretty well, but regular markers don’t work as well) 3. SO I wanted to share how I made my own in case you have #6 plastics hanging around/feel bad about throwing them away. I happened to fall upon DIY shrinky dinks on social media, and well, now I’m hooked. Get into the spirit of science this Valentine’s Day with some adorable science valentines! Help your curious kid cut through the clutter and collect the facts with a simple and fun science foldable.
Recently, we found out that you can make your own shrinky dinks at home with #6 plastic! We had Care Bears, Smurfs, Cabbage Patch dolls, and this cool craft called Shrinky Dinks. Your email address will not be published. I happened to have a thin business card magnet that I didn’t need. Make sure to not touch the shrinky dinks with your hand to flatten – they are very hot.
The small ones shrink down to about half an inch and the larger size shrink down to about an inch. There are two sizes of each design of shrinky dink patterns available. Here are some free Valentine shrinky dinks printables templates! For more information, check out the Ultimate Shrinky Dink Instructions here. We didn’t smell any fumes when we made them but better safe than sorry! Bake at 350 for about 5 minutes or until your items are flat.
Our team independently selects products featured in our editorial content. This would be a fun way to do it and showcase it especially if you’re in a book club! Hey Emma, are the edges of your book charms scratchy after baking? So glad you’ve shared it! Punched a hole, added a ribbon to use it as an ornament. So it’s 20% of the original size.
They take about 3 minutes to bake. If you’re using a baking sheet/cookie sheet, you might want to cover it with foil or parchment paper before baking. That way I didn’t have to worry about using one of my own baking sheets. This worked so well because we used the lid for shrinky dinks and the pan for baking the shrinky dinks.
Or maybe you want to do another science project? Attach it to jewelry, make a luggage label, or even a guitar pick! The shrinky dinks are still cut-able, sand-able, drill-able, glue-able, and plenty more. I don’t know what kind of shrinky dinks are available, if any, but I’ll always be able to make some on my own… I guess my parents actually taught me something. We freehanded it on blank sheets of plastic, and copied the designs from coloring books.
#6 plastic is the only sort that shrinks well, and even then its not perfect. If you’re here in St. Louis, head over to Michaels and look for real Shrinky Dink plastic. The charms shrinky dink crafts below are all made on #6 plastic and they turned out a little warped.
They shrunk a little and thickened a little. The first batch, I didn’t note whether it was #1 or #6. The three plastics I used looked and felt very similar before cooking, so my son expected them to behave in the same way, but they didn’t! Cut into desired shapes, decorate with sharpies as desired. We’ve just made one attempt so far, but I thought I’d share my how-to results. The next day, the students in my small groups made necklaces from their cell cycle art with plastic jewelry making string that I picked up at the craft store.
For printed designs, use graphic software or a photo editing app to resize your images. Keep this in mind when choosing your design’s level of detail and size. Before you start, remember that your design will shrink to about 1/3 of its original size and become 9 times thicker.
