Our Top Eight Great Valentine Activities!

Ok...we have been doing Valentine and heart related activities since January and I finally got a chance to post about them!  Here are the 8 activities that we loved doing:

• Collage Hearts- To make these, I cut out two red hearts from construction paper and covered them with Elmer's glue.  I gave the girls a tray filled with different red, pink and white sensory materials, such as beads, pipe cleaners, cut up doilies, feathers, foam heart stickers, different colored heart cut outs, shiny confetti... really anything I could find in our craft bin that was red or pink.  We also used "glitter".  Because Miss L is still in the "eating everything she finds" phase, I used a edible glitter recipe (1/4 cup sugar, 1/2 teaspoon food coloring, bake in oven for 10 minutes at 350 degrees). It was not as "glitter-y" as I wanted but the girls loved shaking it and I think Miss L ate most of hers!.  I used small Tupperware containers and punched holes in the top with an ice pick to make a shaker for the glitter.  The girls loved picking up all the pieces, looking at them and then sticking them onto their hearts.  Because the hearts ended up to be so heavy, I mounted them on white cardboard (a shirt box that I cut into two pieces).  We have them displayed on plate display stands (that I usually would use to display thematic books in my classroom).  I think they look lovely!

  

  A tray of materials for the collage hearts

  
  

  

  Miss M's finished heart on display

• Sticky Hearts- This is one of the best ideas I have ever come across.  All you need is thin foam sheets (you can buy these at the dollar store or Walmart).  Cut them into whatever shape you want.  I cut out some hearts for our Valentine theme.  Then just dip them in a tray that has just a little bit of water and they stick to anything!  We played with them in our downstairs bathroom because the girls think playing in the shower is a fun thing to do!  Plus it's a easy place to clean up the water mess!  Not to mention that I can get ready in the morning when they are playing in the shower!

  

  Miss M sticking hearts on the shower wall!

• Butterfly Valentine- We made these for our Grandma and Grandpa.  First, I painted Miss L's foot.  She thought it was hilarious.  Miss M wanted no part in it!  Then I helped her step on a piece of paper (she also thought that was fun)!  After it dried, they both helped me glue two hearts that I cut out of doilies for the butterfly's wings and then we added another smaller white heart on top of that.  They also helped me add the eyes.  Then I let them go to town with the heart stickers.  We also added the words "I love you from my head to my feet!".

Butterfly Valentine

• Valentine Heart Sun Catchers- I think this project turned out beautiful!  I cut apart a white shirt box that I saved from Christmas time into a rectangle and then cut a heart shape in the middle.  Then I cut a piece of clear contact paper the same size as the rectangle and stuck it on.  I cut red, pink and white squares of tissue paper that I bought at Walmart.  The girls loved sticking the tissue paper on the sticky heart!  After they were finished, I put another piece of clear contact paper over it to seal it all in.

Beautiful Heart Sun Catchers displayed in the window

• Valentine/ February Sensory Table- We have a water table that during the summer stays in the backyard for fun, outside water play.  But this fall, my mom suggested that I bring it inside and fill it with seasonal things for the girls to play with (like a thematic sensory table in preschool).  For Valentine's Day/ February, I filled it with Valentine teddy bears, red, white and pink tissue paper and hearts that have Valentines taped to them (it was actually a matching game that I made for my Kindergarten class).  The girls like to look at all of the Valentines, put them in the Valentine gift bags and carry them around, and put the bears into their Cozy Coupe car and give them rides!

Our Valentine/ February Sensory Table

• Valentine Ribbon Sensory Basket- For this, I cut different Valentine ribbon and put them in a cute basket.  The girls like putting the ribbons on their head to look "pretty"!

Valentine Ribbon Sensory Basket

• Monster Valentine- Real simple craft idea!  The girls dipped big pom poms into paint and then made "dots" on the white paper.  After it dried, we glued eyes on it.  I added a mouth, legs, arms and the words "I only have eyes for you!" with a marker.  
  

• Condensed Milk Painting- Miss L really likes "sampling" every art material we use so I really needed to find a new paint that would be safe for her!  I found a recipe for paint that is just condensed milk and food coloring!  I love it because it dries shiny and really looks like paint!  Plus Miss L can eat it! I cut out heart shapes from white construction paper and the girls painted the hearts pink and then I helped them add foam Valentine stickers.  Great decorations for Dad's cubicle at work!

Condensed Milk Heart Painting

Miss M painting her heart

Miss L eating the paint!