Valentine’s Day

With Valentine’s Day arrives an opportunity to communicate one’s feelings to another, whether friend, Valentine Projects, or family. What better time to devote to this colorful tradition than a rainy day? by Deborah Greco

Materials:
Newspaper or old sheet to cover work surface
Stencils, shapes
Ruler, tape, child-safe scissors
White or clear school glue
White paper, colored paper
Construction paper or cereal boxes
Markers, crayons, colored pencils
Old magazines or catalogs
Old greeting cards
Bits of ribbon, fabric, lace, bits of Styrofoam
Optional items: posterboard, lightweight cardboard, tissue, paper doilies, glue stick, foil, glitter, gift wrap paper, hole punch

Parent Directions: Cover work surface making sure the material is firmly attached. Part of this experience is the gathering of materials within the context of a game to promote your child’s individual creativity. If you don’t have a heart stencil or shape, print one from here. When all materials are together, check for safety and sanity (you don’t want to sacrifice your heirloom greeting cards to this project).

Child Directions: Take a lined piece of paper and write the names of everyone on your Valentine’s Day list. Now you know how many cards or gifts you’ll need! Tape or glue several different sized heart shapes to pieces of cereal box and cut along lines. These will be your patterns. Use regular paper, construction paper or cereal boxes for cards and bookmarks. Use cereal boxes, posterboard or lightweight cardboard for picture frames, treat boxes, heart boxes, crowns. Place heart patterns, right side up and upside down, on material to be used, trace and cut.

Note: If you are using pictures from catalogs or magazines, glue or paste them to cereal boxes/cardboard first. This way, you only have to cut along the pattern once. Always paste decorative pages on the printed side of cereal box stock, then the plain side is ready for your personal designs and decorating.

Candy Cane Heart

Fold a piece of heavy red construction paper in half. Glue a smaller piece of pink paper to the front of Heart the card, leaving enough red showing around the edges to make a border. Take 2 red candy canes leftover from Christmas (or still on sale at your local stores for a great bargain!) and glue or tape them to the front of the card to form a heart. The round part of the candy canes will face each other and the ends will meet at the bottom. Now with a glitter pen, or gel pen, write “Happy Valentines Day” all around the candy canes, forming a line of repeated verse. For the final touch, write your sentiments on the inside of the card -and know that your recipient is going to love this beautiful gift from the heart.

Lollipop Heart

This one is really great for the kids to give their friends at school, and certainly more fun than one of those expensive and ordinary boxes of cartoon cards we usually buy at the store. Cut 3×5 size hearts out of red or pink heavy construction paper. On each one, make two small slits off to the left side that will enable you to place the lollipop sticks through. On the right side of the heart write “Happy Valentine’s Day, from -your child’s name.” The kids will really enjoy making these homemade hearts for their friends, and probably want to keep one for themselves!

Photo Heart

Fold a piece of heavy red construction paper in half, cutting a smaller piece of pink paper for the front just like we did with the candy cane heart. Except this time, you will cut a small heart shape out of the center of the pink paper, and place a photo underneath it before gluing it to the card. Make sure to pencil the heart in on the backside of the pink paper before cutting! You can write “Happy Valentine’s Day” on the front, or on the inside, of the card and include a small note about the picture. These hearts are especially great for grandparents.

I Love You Heart

Follow the same basic instructions as above but place a red heart on a pink card and write the words “I Love You” in big bold letters in the center of the red heart. Now be creative on the inside of the card and tell the recipient how much you love them! Small valentine’s stickers make a great addition to any of these cards, but you can also color in your own small hearts or designs with markers, glitter or gel pens, and even crayons. Be creative and give from the heart!

Homemade Hearts for Valentine’s Day, by Michelle Jones

Valentines by Aileen Fisher

I gave a hundred Valetines
A hundred, did I say?
I gave a thousand Valentines
one cold and wintry day.
I didn’t put my name on them or any other words,
because my Valentines were seeds
for February birds!

Valentines by Aileen Fisher

Valentines, Valentines
On a winter day,
Oh, what fun you are to get
And to gaily give away!

Valentines, valentines
Clever bright and gay,
Oh what fun it is to read
All the cheery things you say.

My Valentine by Mary C. Parsons

I have a little Valentine,
That someone sent to me.
It’s pink and white and red and blue
And pretty as can be.

Forget-me-nots are around the edge,
And tiny roses, too;
And such a lovely piece of lace
The very palest blue.

And in the center there’s a heart,
As red as red can be;
And on it’s written all in gold,
“To you, with love from me.”

My Valentine by Sandra Liatsos

I took a shiny icicle
And wrote across the snow,
“You’re the nicest valentine
That anyone could know.”
And then I walked around the words,
With steps not far apart.
When I was back where I’d begun,
My footprints made a heart!

Valentines

Red paper, blue paper
Crayons and glue
We are making valentines
Just for you.

Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash