There is only one craft kit book!
Kiltz Shrink & Links Jewelry Set. We love this set! There are many craft kits, but there is only one craft kit BOOK!
This craft book contains several beautifully illustrated, kid-friendly pages with step-by-step instructions for each type of craft. The back of the book is approximately ½ inch thick and is a built-in storage area for all the supplies that come with the set. How convenient that this book includes so much of the equipment you need to bring your designs to life!
Difficult parts that challenge older children
You will have to help your child to use the oven. Your child should use the oven under the supervision of a responsible adult. You will need a few extra supplies like scissors and permanent felt and colored pencils (be careful not to use watercolor). Water-colored washable supplies will melt and run in the heat and lift off the plastic.
washable supplies will melt and run in the heat and lift off the plastic
Faber-Castell colored pencils work best with Shrink and Links
We used my little artist’s fancy pencils – Faber-Castell, just a minimalist pack of 24 colors was enough for these art projects. Faber-Castells are professional grade artist pencils and provide vivid colors that work well with the Shrink and Link plastic set.
A craft set that offers endless variety
My kids loved this! The best part was that you can make jewelry, pendants, and even small picture frames. The book contains the necklace chain, “S” hooks and string and other supplies you may need to decorate unique creations. There are enough supplies to redo. Hence, the storage space at the back of the book to keep your emerging artist organized!
This kit contains very small parts that may be harmful if swallowed. Therefore, this is not recommended for young children who are still putting things in their mouths.
After making the creations
The fun doesn’t stop just after the art is done. Your child can make picture frames to hold precious pictures or play with the little figures as the “S” hooks provide moving parts. If you’re really creative, you could even attach strips of sticky magnets to turn them into fridge magnets.
My kids used this set during the pandemic lockdown and shared their creations as art projects with their teachers via Zoom!
I was amazed at the quality of this set and was even more amazed at the bold colors and professional look Faber-Castell pencils added to these works of art. I highly recommend this set to friends and family for personal use or gifts. Even better is that it can be used and shared more than once – there are plenty of supplies in the box for another day or for siblings to participate.
My daughter used Shrink and Link to make a mermaid
My daughter used the Shrink and Link jewelry kit to make this mermaid ornament. She used Faber-Castell pencils to achieve the bold, vibrant colors and make her creation stand out!
My daughter used the Shrink and Link jewelry kit to make this mermaid ornament. She used Faber-Castell pencils to achieve the bold, vibrant colors and make her creation stand out!
Shrink and Link Ballerina
Here one of my daughters shows off the ballerina ornament she made. You can appreciate the “Shrink” and see the size of the finished product to scale.
Here one of my daughters shows off the ballerina ornament she made. You can appreciate the “Shrink” and see the size of the finished product to scale.
Why it is important to cut, color and detail
You may be wondering why a craft set is an educational toy for older children. Don’t color and draw easily when given supplies?
Yes, there is drawing and then there is creation!
Creating unlocks so much potential in each and every child. Our imagination and the ability to feel emotions are the only intuitive abilities that make us uniquely human.
Cutting and coloring work on gross and fine motor coordination and have more benefits than might seem obvious. While your child is concentrating on the fun, practicing with scissors to follow a definite line or shape, he is strengthening his fingers and hand muscles.
This ability translates to other daily tasks you never knew about! For example, opening a thermos when you’re not there to help. The twisting action to open thermoses and jar lids is a practical example of how the gross and fine motor muscles of the hand work. Drawing and creating helps develop those practical skills.
The coordination of the muscles of the hands and the eyes also facilitates a more orderly writing ability, since their skills are honed indirectly. If you think about your own children, I’m sure you can find examples of their writing from kindergarten or grade 1 and how it has changed to become much more readable by grade 3, for example.
Let your child learn to STOP! Activate the Imagination and Relax
Kids have the best imagination too! Imagination tends to deteriorate as we get older and take on more adult responsibilities and stresses. Imagination is an innate gift that every child should make the most of! Teachers have told me that throughout my 20-year career in education, children’s imaginations have never been more limited than in recent years. You may wonder, why is this happening? How could children have been more imaginative 20 years ago than they are now?
Although there could be many reasons, the most obvious speculations indicate a lot more screen time than ever before. Although he is fun and entertaining, he provides all the images easily, he does not passively encourage them.
In my opinion, kids also tend to be busier than ever with extracurricular activities. Parents have a tight schedule for their children with sports, dance, languages, cultural/religious studies, and even additional tutoring occurring outside of school hours. In addition to a full academic day, many elementary school children are taken to 1-2 or 3 after school activities, workshops or courses, and are expected to eat, bathe and sleep enough to start again the next day.
There seems to be increasing social pressure to maximize academic achievement and, at the same time, maximize physical and social achievement without ever valuing the child’s ability to learn to STOP!
Learning to find balance is more important to us than doing everything else. Letting children be children is important to us. We see no benefit in forcing a child into an adult’s busy schedule. That kind of prioritization can come with time.
A child needs to learn what they find fun. Without any pressure, they deserve to play freely, as a means to unwind from a rigorous academic day in a busy classroom with lots of noise and distraction, while learning reading, writing, and math. For developing brains, this is quite the task!
Arts, crafts, and creating give kids an outlet to relieve stress and learn what feels good, what makes them feel fun. Stimulate the reward pathways of the brain in a positive and healthy way.
This content reflects the personal views of the author. It is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge and belief and should not be substituted for facts or impartial advice in legal, political or personal matters.
