Candy Valentine Showdown - Story Time Craft

My boys have always loved making Valentines for their classroom exchanges. This year, I wanted to get more creative by having them construct different Valentines out of candy. But which adhesive could best hold the treats together?

As any crafter knows, finding the right glue is crucial. I’ve seen all sorts of glue dots used for candy crafts but never knew which actually performed the best. That’s when I came up with the idea for an adhesive showdown!

We hit up Amazon and gathered hot glue, regular glue dots, and three other brands of adhesive dots. Then the boys each chose a theme to craft – a racecar, dog, robot, butterfly, and airplane. It was so fun watching their designs take shape.

But the real test was yet to come. I put the Valentines through shake tests, appearance, kid friendly, and even slipping a few into my school bag to “take to class.” Back home, we examined how well each glue held up.

The results may surprise you! In the meantime, get creative with your kids this Valentine’s Day. You might be shocked by what wacky creations they dream up!

Adhesive Test

For this glue showdown, my boys chose to craft puppy Valentines out of candies. We’ll be making five puppies total – one using hot glue, one with regular glue dots, and the remaining three using different adhesive dot brands. Each puppy will get an appearance score, then be shaken up to test structural integrity. After that, I’ll carefully slip a few “puppies” in my bag for a practice run to school. Finally, we’ll judge which adhesive method was simplest and safest for little hands to use.

This gives an overview of the five puppy Valentines that will be made with different glues, previews the different tests they will go through to evaluate hold, appearance and ease of use. Let me know if any part of the description should be expanded on further.

Back to school test – included putting them into a box with a little bit of tissue paper. Then putting the box into a backpack. Then that backpage was drug around the house by my kids including up and down the stairs. Then we dropped the bag down the stairs. We took it into the car and threw it on the floor. Then we opened them up.

My kids stole my favorite hot glue gun So I used the is red one but my favorite one is a Gorilla hot Glue Gun. As an experienced crafter, I’ve found Gorilla guns provide strong bonds without damaging delicate materials. When working with chocolate and other candies, it’s important to use a low/dual temperature hot glue gun and keep it set to the lower setting. This prevents accidental melting or scorching of the sweets. Hot glue can work great for candy crafts if you take precautions. Make sure any kids using hot glue have close adult supervision as well. With the right tools and techniques, even messy materials like chocolate chips can be easily and safely glued into adorable edible valentines!

For the glue dot puppy, we used our trusty dispenser of Glue Dots. As any crafter knows, Glue Dots come in a variety of kinds for different surfaces and projects. Since these puppies would be handled and possibly taken to school, we went with the Permanent Glue Dots which promise a sturdy hold. The dispenser makes it easy to place just the right sized dot where needed. Glue dots are usually my go-to for delicate or edible crafting since the single-use dots prevent any messy glue overload. Let’s see if their strong yet clean adhesion can beat out hot glue in this showdown!

For the third puppy, we tried ALLFUN 1000 Pieces Clear Glue Points Dots. These clear adhesive dots come on a roll like Glue Dots, making them easy for little hands to peel off. Unlike the messy glue gun or little individual dots, the ALLFUN roll dispensed plenty for our project. However, after shaking the finished puppy, it was apparent the bond wasn’t as strong as Glue Dots – he wiggled considerably more! Still, all the pieces stayed together for the “school test.” While not as sturdy, ALLFUN was simple for kids to use. Let’s see if it can outshine the others on appearance at least.

For the fourth puppy, we tried Janyun adhesive dots. These stood out as the largest dots of the bunch, making them very easy for little fingers to pick up and apply. Their size helped create a tight, quick bond on the bigger candy pieces. However, we noticed on finer details like the eyes and ears, the size of the dots became more apparent and it had a bit of a “gloopy” look. Despite that, it still held together perfectly through all our tests – a true testament to the holding power of these extra large dots. Overall, Janyun seems like a great sturdy option, just maybe not best for the most delicate areas where smaller dots wouldn’t be as visible.

For the final puppy, we tried Lwsengme adhesive dots which came in a variety of small, medium and large sizes. At first I was excited by the options this provided but it ended up being the biggest struggle. These dots had an extremely tough backing that neither myself or the boys could easily peel off, even with fingernails. It made the project very frustrating for their little hands. While the bonds seemed decent, kid-friendly ease of use was top priority for me. Even though Lwsengme performed well otherwise, I wouldn’t recommend them due to the level of difficulty peeling the dots posed. The clear winner has to have stress-free fun as the number one feature.

Overall, I was really impressed that every adhesive method we tested resulted in puppies that survived both vigorous shaking and our simulated “trip to school.” It proved any of these glues could work well for candy craft Valentines. As for my favorites, I’d have to say the hot glue gun or regular glue dots take top marks. Both provided a clean, sturdy bond in a user-friendly way. All of the tested adhesives performed admirably, except the Lwsengme dots which proved too difficult to peel for tiny hands. While their bonds seemed adequate, ease of use is key when working on projects with kids. For more delicate crafting, the small glue dots or ALLFUN roll may also be good options. In the end, there are multiple adhesive choices that allow you to wow classmates with sweet edible valentines!