Shrinky Dink Crafts 3: President's Day

Ask the students (or children, if you are homeschooling) to think of some presidents or symbols that represent President's Day. Write their answers on the board. You may hear such words as, Abraham Lincoln, the White House, American flag, George Washington, Kennedy, and more.

Give students a short history lesson and ask them questions. When did the first president take office? How many presidents do we have now? What are a president's duties? What would you do if you were president?

Tell the children that they will be creating some fun President's Day symbols that will be shrunk down a few sizes later on.

You will need the following items to complete your President's Day shrinky dinks:

1. Shrinky Dink sheets
2. Scissors
3. Baking Sheet
4. Pencil crayons
5. Oven
6. Copies of some pictures of Presidents

Follow the directions below to create your President's Day shrinky dink:

1. Buy some Shrinky Dink sheets. You can click on the link which will take you directly to the shrinky dink website. The cost for a package of shrinky dink sheets is about three to five dollars. This is not expensive considering that you can make about five shrinky dinks on each sheet.
2. Give one shrinky dink sheet to each student and have them choose a President's Day symbol to make.
3. Photo copy pictures of the Presidents and give them to the student's to draw.
4. Have the students place the president's picture on their desks facing up.
5. Have the students place a shrinky dink sheet over the photo copy. The smooth side should be facing down on top of the photo copy while the rough side should be facing up toward the student.
6. Give students a black pencil crayon to outline the President's face. This can be done by tracing the lines from the photo copy underneath.
7. The students can now color the symbol or president.
8. Give each student a pair of scissors and ask them to cut out their symbol or president. They need to leave a clear edge all the way around to make up for the shrinking that is going to occur.
9. Place the shrinky dinks color-side up on a baking sheet. Take the baking sheets to the kitchen.
10. Preheat your school's oven to 325 degrees.
11. Place the baking sheets in the heated oven for sixty seconds only.
12. Take the shrinky dinks out and let them cool for ten minutes before removing from the baking sheet.