Recycle plastic containers turning them into homemade Shrinky Dinks!





Have your ever thought that plastic containers can be made into 
homemade shrinky dinks?!

The final look isn't as pretty as commercial shrinky dink material 
and neither shrinks so much
but it's a cool way to recycle material into an art abandonment!

This is a concept that I LOVE to share with my young students in my 
craft with a purpose art classes: Reusing materials to express their feelings 
also contributes to the conservation of the environment. And, better, it trains 
their perception and eyes to look for 
materials that can be transformed rather than visiting a 
store and spending money!


Below you'll find the directions and the pictures that
 I took of the shrinkies prepared for kids!



Supplies used
(affiliate links for your convenience):

Plastic containers (yes, time to collect them!)

Directions:


I created a rainbow themed design sheet. Click HERE to download the template.


First thing is to cut off the edges of the plastic container, which in my case made a 90 degree angle with the usable part. You'll need a sturdy scissor for that.

Choose the designs you want and trace the outlines with a black marker.
Then fill in the details with different colors. 

 


Once the paint is completely dry, use scissors to cut out the images.  When cutting out images, leave a little extra space around your designs for shrinking. 


Also, to hang a twine at the end of the process (or to make charms or jewelry), use a hole punch to make a hole at the top of your design before baking.

Put your creations in the oven at about 350ºF. I put them on a baking tray on tin foil. Wait for about a minute and - oh no! They’re shrinking!
As I told above, it will not shrink to the same extent as the specific material for this but it is worth recycling the plastic!
Then have fun sharing your (not that small) Shrinkies! Some ideas: give to friends, prepare necklaces, leve them on tress, inside library books, snail mail them to a friend!

For more ideas:
Instagram Word Rocks Project 
Pinterest Word Rocks Project


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You always rock!