It's an art activity and book all rolled into one, and it's a total blast for the entire family. Made by Klutz, producers of sometimes offbeat and always creative books and activity sets, The Shrinky Dinks Book comes complete with most of the materials needed for many afternoons of fun. Some parents will have fond memories of the basic concept behind this craft. Children trace objects on the special plastic sheets (6 are included), fill them with color, and cut them out. Then, with the help of a parent, bake their art for a few minutes. The results are fantastic. Because the final product is smaller than the original work of art, imperfections almost magically disappear.
Baking the cutouts is half the fun. Be sure to turn on the oven light and let the kids watch this intriguing process. The cutouts curl up before flattening and hardening.
What to do with the hardened, shrunken artwork? Kids will likely have their own ideas, and the book suggests a number of possibilities — it shows how to turn Shrinky Dinks into keychains, fridge magnets, zipper pulls, charms for a bracelet, earrings, and more. Some kids will simply be content with collecting them in a special box to pull out now and again either to show them off or just admire them — after all, not all art must be made practical.
Filled with colorful ready-to-trace artwork and helpful tips, this book will provide plenty of inspiration for little artists. Of course, children are not limited to this selection of traceables — our testers had a lot of fun tracing, coloring, and shrinking their favorite characters from books, magazines, and even video game manuals as well.
Some care should be taken, and suggested use should be heeded well. Parents definitely need to be on hand not only to bake the cutouts, but also to round out edges if children didn't already do so. Caution is suggested because this plastic art can break into sharp pieces, and, because baking in the oven is involved, wax or oil-based coloring products should be avoided.
