#6 Plastic is Shrinky! A Kid-Friendly Re-use Project
My days of Strawberry Shortcake Shrinky-Dinks are long past (although my childhood Strawberry Shortcake doll is still a prized possession–our household rule is that we are allowed no commercial culture toys in the house, unless they’re “vintage”. Ahem), but wow, were they crazy fun or what?
At last year’s Strange Folk festival, some Girl Scouts taught me and my kiddos the joys of #6 plastic. The basic concept: It shrinks! Like Shriny-Dinks! Equally awesomely! And because you get to draw your own pictures, not fill in some pre-printed coloring sheet, AND you get to re-use before you recycle, it’s a great activity to do with our budding little environmentalists.
There are lots of tutorials on the web for shrinking #6 plastic, all a little different, but here’s how my family does ours:
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You will need: clear #6 plastic, permanent markers, all-purpose scissors, baking sheet, an oven or toaster oven
1. Color and cut your #6 plastic however you want. We find that permanent markers color the best on this somewhat slippery surface (we use Sharpies, but I imagine that any brand would be fine). I have some sturdy craft punches that will punch this thin plastic into decorative shapes, or you can cut out shapes with scissors, keeping in mind that the plastic can tear if you’re not careful. If you’ll want to hang your finished design, punch a hole with a hole punch.
2. Arrange your finished designs on a baking sheet, leaving some room between them. Some families prefer to line their baking sheet with parchment paper or foil–we’ve tried it all, and I don’t think it really matters for us.
3. Using a toaster oven if possible, but your regular oven if you have to, set your temperature to 350 degrees. Once it’s hot in there, put in your baking sheet. I find that it takes about two minutes for our plastic to shrink, but it’s best to just watch it–it’s cool looking! Your plastic will curl as it shrinks and then flatten out–as soon as everything’s flat, it’s time to remove it.
4. Let your plastic cool, and then enjoy!
We made teeny-tiny buttons (inspired by Button it Up!), but you can make anything you want, big or small.
What will you make?
Ah, now I have something else to pick up off of the lawns of the undergrads renting houses in my neighborhood–I’ve been confining myself to beer bottle caps!
This is suck a cool project, so I feel like a complete poo for asking the question…aren’t #6 plastics on the “avoid” lists for contact with food and beverage because they leach potential carcinogens into the food/beverage they contacts? Wouldn’t this be especially true when heated (they say not to heat any plastic containers in the microwave for this reason, right?)? If so, why would we want it heating in the oven and being handled by the kids? This may just be all the Shrinkydinks I did as a kid talking…
(see http://www.govlink.org/hazwaste/schoolyouth/BPA.html
and http://www.thegreenguide.com/buying-guide/plastic-containers for more info)
What about the plastic cups that come from fast food places? could those be used for this kind of thing?
As for the leaching–we heat ours on foil or parchment paper, so no, I’m not worried about it getting through to my cookie sheet. And I’m not afraid of my kids playing with or even wearing plastic, though I don’t let them put it into their mouths (no plastic water bottles, obviously).
For the plastic cups that come from the fast food places, if they say #6, then they’re shrink plastic. If they don’t, then they’re a different kind of plastic.
this sux! i cant get the stupid plastic to stay down flat. it curls up and stays, and ive tried everything!! dont even talk to me about ive done something wrong… im always right!ALWAYS!!!I AM SMARTER THAN ALL OF YOU FOOLS!! PLASTIC SUCKS AND SO DOES SHRINKY DINKYS THAT DONT WORK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!I CANT BELIEVE SOME ONE SO RUDE WOULD POST THIS FAKE BULl-CRAP ON THE WEB AND MAKE THOSE SORRY PEOPLE THINK THEY CAN DO THIS TYPE OF CRAP. GO BUY A FRIGGEN SHRINKY DINKY MACHINE AT WALMART FOR A COUPLE DOLLARS AND DONT BE SO GOD DANG CHEAP!!!!!!!!