Welcome my friend Barb, from A Life in Balance as she shares a fun, frugal, and simple Valentine’s Day craft for kids.
This Valentine’s Day Melted Bead Heart is an easy craft for kids I found on Grandparents Plus while looking for crafts for our regular Sunday Afternoon Craft Time. Since my kids love making suncatchers which can be hard for little fingers, I wanted a simpler craft for my preschooler. Not only is this an easy Valentine’s Day craft for kids, it’s also a frugal craft. A packet of beads at Michael’s Craft Store costs $1.00 and creates 3 to 4 suncatchers.
How to Make a Melted Bead Heart
Supplies
- Packet of Beads or Beads from your Craft Stash
- Metal Cookie Cutters (I recommend using plain ones, not painted ones)
- Oven-proof Metal tray/sheet
- Toaster Oven
Directions for Making the Melted Bead Heart
1. Place the cookie cutter on the metal tray. I flipped over the one that came with my toaster oven since I didn’t want the plastic coming in contact with the food side.
2. Pour the beads into a shallow bowl. Place them in a single layer inside the cookie cutter. Make sure the beads are touching. It’s okay to have open spaces as long as the beads touch. The spaces fill in as the beads melt.
3. Place your toaster oven in a well-ventilated area. I set mine up in the garage where I could vent the plastic fumes to the outside.
4. Carefully place the tray in the toaster oven and close it. Bake the beads at 400 degrees for 5 to 10 minutes. For my toaster oven, I needed 10 minutes to melt the beads.
5. Allow the melted beads to cool completely in the toaster oven before removing.
6. Drill a hole in your heart and hang by a window.
Two Ways to Fill Your Cookie Cutter
The fun of this melted bead craft is you can be wild and free with the beads, and toss them in whatever way you want or….
have a plan, i.e. a pattern. I liked doing both, myself!
More Valentine’s Day Crafts and Recipes for Kids
11 Klutz Proof Valentine’s Day Crafts for Kids
Easy Chocolate Covered Strawberries
Barb is a mom of 5 kids who spends her day keeping track of socks, stuffed animals, library books, and a 5 year old when she isn’t writing about all the frugality, gardening, cooking, and reading she manages to fit in between the chaotic moments. She can be found at A Life in Balance.
What a neat craft! I’ll have to do it with my 4 year old! I pinned this to the Pintabulous Valentines Day Pinterest Board! Thanks for linking up to our Valentine Day’s Linky Party!
I think this is so adorable! I can’t wait to make these.
What a fun idea. It reminds me of those bead things we would make as kids that my mom would have to iron! Can you use a real oven with this or only a toaster oven?
Good question! I don’t see why not but I defer to Barb.
Those are so clever! Great idea!
Such a cute idea! I didn’t realize you could use any plastic bead? Good idea to do it in the toaster in the garage!!
My kids will love this craft, and I think I am going to implement a “craft time” on Sundays’. We usually have no electronics that day until 6 pm. With all of the cold weather and snow we have been struggling with activities!
My boys LOVE doing this bead craft – I’ll have to try and do the heart one with them. Really cute!
Very cool! I never saw those before, but I like them đŸ™‚