Biofuels in Kentucky
Corn Craft
Objective:
Students create a corn keychain using beads and Shrinky Dinks to reinforce
the use of corn for renewable energy. The corn and Shrinky Dink tag are attached
to a plastic clip.
Materials needed:
- Shrinky Dinks for Ink Jet Printers (1 sheet per 4 students)
- Green pony beads (30 per student)
- Yellow pony beads (15 per student)
- Clear plastic lace (1 yard per student)
- Plastic clips (1 per student)
- Zip close sandwich bag (1 per student)
Note: These materials are available at craft stores or online. Go to
www.shrinkydinks.com to order the Shrinky Dinks. Try
www.makingfriends.com for the beads, lace, and swivel clips.
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| Front view of Shrinky Dink tag. | Back view of personalized Shrinky Dink tag. |
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| Plastic clip. | Beaded corn and bag of beads. |
Preparation:
1. Print tags on Shrinky Dink material. A suggested design can
be found in the file “shrinky-dink-tags” which is available in MS
Publisher (shrinky-dink-tags.pub) or PDF format (shrinky-dink-tags.pdf).
Be sure to follow package directions for printing. Cut out tags and
round the corners. Punch several holes in one end so it can be attached
to the ring on the plastic clip.
2. For each student, create a kit including 30 green and 15 yellow beads, 1 yard of plastic lace, and a plastic clip. Take the yard of plastic lace and fold it in half. Put the looped end through the ring; pass the loose ends through the loop and pull snug. You may want to include a coffee filter in each bag to hold the beads while the students are working. This helps keep the beads from rolling all over the place. Put everything in a zip close sandwich bag for easy distribution.
3. Make copies of the bead project instructions in the file corn-craft-diag.pdf.
Presentation:
1. Give each student a Shrinky Dink tag and markers to personalize
the back of the tag. Check the Shrinky Dink instructions for the best
type of markers to use. When the students are done, shrink the tags
according to package instructions. Depending on your timeframe, you
may want to do this activity in advance so the tags are shrunk and
ready to go on the corn key chains.
2. Give each student a bag of materials and a copy of the instructions.
3. When students finish stringing the beads. Instruct them to tie a tight square knot around the last bead to hold it together. Trim the ends of the cord.
4. Attach the shrunk tag to the ring.