Crafty Kids- Shrinky Dinks!!

If you've never made a shrinky dink before, you are missing out. I made shrinky dinks all throughout my childhood, and I love them. The other day Jesse and I were bored, and I suggested we make shrinky dinks. He looked at me oddly and said, "Shrinky... what??" Alas! He had no idea what a shrinky dink was!! This had to be remedied.

So today I went out and bought sandpaper. (I also bought him sushi for dinner, which was ultra handy because the plastic lids from takeout containers are ideal for shrinky dinks) He used the lid from The Bean's birthday cake, and I used the lid from the sushi.

You'll Need:
Scissors
Colored pencils
Flat #6 plastic, usually found on takeout lids from delis and restaurants (#6 works the best, #1 also works, but it's thinner and shrinks less. #5... well, don't use that one)
Foil
Sandpaper (we used 80 grit and it worked perfectly. It needs to be relatively rough)
Access to an oven
Tongs

(click the images for a larger view)

Instructions:
- Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees F. and set your oven rack to the lowest position.
- Wash your plastic pieces, especially if they were used for food.
- Cut out shapes with the scissors (remember, if you cut a hole for string, the hole will shrink too!!)
- Sand the plastic pieces on one side, making sure to get all of it rough. The colored pencils won't stick if there aren't a lot of grooves.
- Color the pieces on the rough side however you'd like. You can trace shapes and characters from coloring books if you don't want to freehand.
- Make a tray out of foil to set your plastic pieces on
- Put your shrinky dink on the foil tray and put it in the oven
- Watch it! It will shrink quickly. Don't worry when it starts to curl, it will curl a LOT but then it will flatten out all by itself.
- Once it's flat (or close to flat) remove the tray from the oven with the tongs. You then have about 10 seconds to shape or flatten it before it sets completely.
- Let it cool, and enjoy. :)

I used this sticker to trace my shrinky dink. (I used #6 plastic, see how much it shrunk!)

My monkey and two of Jesse's guitar picks.

#5 plastic... yeah. Not the best.

Another one of Jesse's guitar picks. He let it bake a little bit extra so that it turned white. 

Note- This is an activity that requires adult participation. Ovens and scissors.. oh my!

Crafty Kids- "Canvas" Painting

This is perfect for an inexpensive party activity or just for fun by yourselves.

Materials Needed:
1 Chinet paper plate per child
Poster paints or water colors
1 paintbrush per child
1 fine point marking pen (Sharpie)
Empty yogurt cups or disposable cups with water (to rinse brushes)
paper towels

Prep:
Before the party - Be sure that you have enough plates, brushes and cups for the children attending, plus a few extras.
Before you begin - Set the work table with a water cup, a paper towel (to dry the brush after rinsing), a "canvas" and a paint brush for each child. Supply paints for children to share.

How To Make:
The kids can paint their own "masterpiece" on their "canvas" and set it aside to dry. At the end of the party (when they are dry) let them sign their work with the fine point Sharpie, just like the pros! ;-)

Crafty Kids- Slime!

These past two days the kids and I have been stuck at home. My car battery was dead and my hubby was at work... we were going nowhere. I generally try to get the kids out of the house at least once a day, so they were extraordinarily grumpy at not being able to go. How to cure the crankies? Craft time!! Here is a simple but fun activity for kids of most ages. Include your child in as many steps as is realistic for their age.

Slime 
Ingredients
- 1 glass mixing bowl
- 1 rounded teaspoon of 20 Mule Team Borax (sold in the laundry isle of most grocery stores)
- 8 ounces white school glue
- 1 1/2 cup warm water
- 15 drops food coloring (if desired)
- 1 airtight container (zip lock bag or tupperware is fine)

Directions
- In the glass bowl, stir 1 cup of warm water with glue and food coloring.
- Dissolve the Borax powder in the remaining 1/2 cup of warm water.
- Add the Borax mixture to the glue mix -making sure all Borax has been added- and stir until the lump stops forming. Stir vigorously for another 20 seconds.
- Remove the lump of slime and knead it with your hands to dry it and complete the reaction. In about 2 minutes or so, you should be holding a ball of wonderful slime that pulls clean from your hands.

Your slime is now ready to use. Store it in an airtight container.

For older children- Bounce it off a table to show that it acts like a solid. And then, leave it to relax into a puddle on the table to show how it acts like a liquid.

Please Note: This recipe produces slime that is non-toxic, but should not be eaten.

(Pictures forthcoming... my computer is asking to be thrown out the window)