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Let me start with an update on my previous Shrinky Dink DIY wind spinner. We had a really strange start to the summer with way more rain than normal. My pinwheel was a champ at holding up to the wind, rain, and even hail. But, then the sun came. It started to droop at a strange angle and then parts started falling off. When I brought it inside, even more parts fell off. I expected the Shrinky Dinks to potentially become a problem. But, it was actually the hot glue that failed. Looking back this makes a lot of sense since hot glue has to be able to melt.
Our pinwheel then spent most of the summer sitting on my desk in pieces while I thought about a better design. At my husband’s advice, I bought some Gorilla Glue that should hold up to the outdoors better. I wanted to improve more than just using a different type of glue. So, I redesigned it to have more Shrinky Dink pieces (courtesy of my 3 year old of course).
Before I get into what I did, if you don’t want to mess with everything that follows, you can always take a shortcut. I don’t know what it is about clamping things for glue to set, but it is something I just have no patience for. So, to be honest, beside making the Shrinky Dink pieces, this craft was not my favorite. If you feel the same way that I do, you can buy a premade wind spinner and glue all your Shrinky Dinks to it. If you want to make a truly DIY wind spinner, keep reading.
How to Make a DIY Wind Spinner Almost Entirely From Shrinky Dinks
Materials:
- Shrink Plastic (you can also use #6 plastic)
- Colored pencils or permanent markers
- Hole punch
- Parchment paper
- Pool Noodle
- Picture hanging nail
- Gorilla Glue
- Gorilla Tape (optional)
- Paint (optional)
- Mod podge (optional if staying indoors)
What to Make From the Previous Pinwheel:
Below is what my pinwheel looked like after bringing it inside. I threw away the popsicle sticks and the milk jug top. I kept the shrink plastic pinwheel spokes we had colored as a family and the nail. Here is the pattern we used to initially make the spokes. My 3 year old colored two, my 1 year old colored two, my husband colored one, and I colored one. We used colored pencils on the rough side of the shrink plastic. You can also use permanent markers on either side.
Making the New Shrinky Dink Pieces:
I decided to change my popsicle stick and milk lid into new shrink plastic pieces. I cut out three long rectangle pieces to replace the popsicle stick. Then, I made two circle pieces to replace the milk jug cap. Here is my pattern, but you will want to change two things. Cut the bottom of one of your stake pieces at an angle to form a point at the bottom. This will help it go into the ground. Mine was a pain to get in. Also, use a hole punch to punch a hole at the top of a different rectangle piece. This will help with gluing later. I had to have my husband drill a hole for me later.
Then, my preschooler colored all of my new pieces. She likes coloring more than her brother, so I decided to just let her do all of them. When, I gave her the pieces to color, she asked if she could make hearts for her friends too. If your kid likes Shrinky Dinks, check out these fun beaded keychains that resulted.
Once she finished coloring, I put all the Shrinky Dinks on a piece of parchment paper. Then, I stuck them in the oven and followed the directions on my shrink plastic.
Putting It All Together:
Gluing
Putting the DIY wind spinner together was, to be honest, a bit of a pain. But, by following what I did, you can skip over all of my trial and error.
First, I made the pinwheel head. Trying to glue (and clamp) the blades at an angle to my new center pieces would have been a nightmare. Instead, I used a piece of pool noodle to stick everything in. We have done a lot of pool noodle crafts lately, so I had several pieces laying around. I cut a 3/4 inch piece of noodle and marked where the pinwheel blades should go. I made 6 even marks around the top and bottom at a consistent offset. Then, I drew lines connecting them. I used an X-ACTO knife to cut a slit on each of these lines.
Next, I used Gorilla Glue to glue the pinwheel blades in each slot. Then, I glued the circular covers on each side of the pool noodle using the small nail I saved from version 1 to line them up.
Then, I got to work on the stake part. I glued my three long rectangles together and used clothespins to clamp them in place. If you followed my adjustments above, make sure one end is pointy and the other end has the hole punch.
Next, I glued the nail into the hole punch. I couldn’t really clamp this without also gluing it to the clamp. So, I ended up with the ridiculous setup pictured below. I placed the non-glued end under a heavy book and dangled the nail side off the side of my desk. Then, I attached a clamp to the end of the nail for weight. I had to tape the clamp to the side to keep it straight. It did work.
Finishing Touches
Lastly, I put the two halves together. I placed the pinwheel head onto the nail. Then, I took a piece of Gorilla Tape and put it on the end of the nail. I intended for this to both keep the pinwheel head on and cover the sharp end of the nail.
To finish it off, I painted over the hardened glue that had oozed all over my pool noodle and the piece of Gorilla Tape. Once it dried, I painted Mod Podge all over my new parts and pieces. The next day, I went and put it back in my garden.
Conclusion of Our DIY Wind Spinner
Besides being a pain to put in the ground, our DIY wind spinner is doing really good. I love that even more of it is made of Shrinky Dinks and therefore my kid’s artwork. It was a bit of a pain to put together with a lot of trial and error. My daughter is happy that it is back up. A picture of the old one is on one of her scavenger hunt cards, and she comments on it being gone every time we do a hunt.
Which version of our Shrinky Dink pinwheel do you like better?
That one sounded complicated, but it looks pretty.