Shrinky Dink Crafts for Valentine's Day

Ask your students what comes to mind when they hear the words "Valentine's Day". Write their thoughts on the chalk board. You will probably get responses such as hearts, candy, flowers, cards, and parents eating dinner out. Let the kids know that they are going to create their own Valentine that will shrink to half the size later on.

Discuss Valentine's Day with your students first. Ask them why they think it is important to let the people around you know that you love them. Ask them if they think a person should only show love one day per year.

Have each child come up with a person they want to make a Valentine for. Then have each child create a design on a piece of paper. I can even include words such as "Mom, I love you". Just make sure the children know they will need to draw it as big as they can on the shrinky dink paper because it is going to reduce in size.

Necessary Items

You will need the following items to create your shrinky dink Valentine:

1. • Shrinky Dink sheets
   • Scissors
   • Pencil crayons
2. Oven
3. Baking sheet

How to Create Shrinky Dink Valentine Sheets

Follow the directions below to create your shrinky dink Valentine:

1. Buy some shrinky dink sheets by going to the Shrinky Dink website. Teachers can click on "Shop Online" and buy shrinky dink sheets by the package. Each package costs about three to five dollars so they are very affordable.
2. Hand out one sheet to each student and have them face the sheets rough side up.
3. Have the students draw and color in their design on the shrinky dink paper. They can use the drawing that they made earlier.
4. Show each student how to cut out their shrinky dink Valentine by leaving a clear edge all the way around their drawing. This is to compensate for the shrinking that is going to take place.
5. Place the shrinky dink Valentines on a baking sheet and head to the school's kitchen.
6. Preheat the school's oven to 325 degrees.
7. Insert the baking sheets for sixty seconds and remove. Do not cook any longer than sixty seconds or the shrinky dinks will burn. You may want to have a student time them with a stop watch.
8. Wait at least ten minutes for the Valentines to cool and then give out on Valentine's Day.