I'm wondering if anybody has a good idea for a craft or activity for my daughter's 1st grade school Valentine's Party? I've done some googling and checked out the Family Fun magazine's web site, but nothing has grabbed me yet. Just thought I'd throw it out here since I have to send the idea to the teacher in two days so she can approve it. Thanks everybody!
Edited to Add: I LOVE the idea of decorating cookies or something like that, but due to food allergies, we are unable to do anything food-related in the classroom. I saw lots of fun ideas using those small conversation hearts, but can't use those either...thanks!
Make Valentine's Day cards.They are old enough to cut out hearts of red and white construction paper and decorate them with doilies. It would be fun to also bring in some heart shaped stencils or cookie cutters for them to trace. There is also heart shaped glitter. I think it is great you are staying away from food - kids need to learn to have fun with other things than food.
If you can get jars, you can decorate them with tissue paper in red, pink, and white as candle holders (votives):
http://crafts.kaboose.com/tissue-paper-candle-jar.html
Tissue paper flowers - on this link there was a video with how to do it.
Actually this site has some other great ideas that I won't list now, but look great!
j
How about decorating cookies? It's not too healthy, but the kids love it! They can spread pink/white/red frosting (with popsicle sticks) onto shaped cookies and use sprinkles or candy to decorate.
Well I know you said you searched Family Fun but I got the magazine this month and there was a craft that used yarn, glue and cookie cutters. It was pretty cute, I thought, and was considering doing it at home...did you see that one? The craft made heart ornament type things out of the yarn. My only other idea is to dip the kids' hands in paint and then stamp them on paper to look like a heart. They could give it to their parents as a card. Have you seen the cinnamon ornaments people usually make at Christmas time? You could do that too and just use heart shaped cookie cutters instead...it's a bit limiting since you don't really have a tree to hang the finished product on, but it could be like a 3-D card maybe. The kids could use the tip of their pencil to carve a message or their name in it before it dries. You could even make it be like a conversation heart, just not edible!
check out: http://www.littlegiraffes.com/valentines.html
As a former K-1 teacher I have found many great activities on this site.
When we were in school, we brought in shoe boxes, and taped white paper over them (butcher or craft paper, or shipping paper) and then used crayons, markers and those little heart shaped doilies (in white, pink, red, and gold and silver foil) to decorate them.
The teacher cut a slit in the top of the box prior to decorating... and we used it as our "mailbox" for the valentines to be put into.
Here is one I love
Valentine mouse
You will need
2 different size hearts (cut outs)
6" pipe cleaner
2 google eyes
glue stick
(optional magnet)
-Twist half of pipe cleaner around a pencil to create a spiral tail
-Fold hearts in half
-Large will serve as the body (You can insert the magnet between the fold). position untwisted end of the pipe cleaner on the curve end of the fold. Glue in place and glue the facing sides of the large heart. The point will be the mouse's nose.
- Small heart will serve as ears. Fold over on the curve close to the point. (The point end will be adjacent to the nose and curve of the ears to the bum). Glue in place.
-Add google eyes
they are fun pencil toppers (tails) without the magnets.
Hope that is not too confusing
ok here is my idea BUT i haven't tested it, So if anyone knows wether this will work or not please send me a private message.
My arts and crafts store had crayola model magic on sale on MLKday so i bought a few bags. my idea was to have the kids form it into a ball then squish it into a heart shape, use a dowel rod or pencil or straw and poke a hole in it then string it on a pre- cut ribbon. If the model magic will hold an impression i might even bring in objects that they could press into it. Anyhow the kids would end up taking home a heart necklace. My concerns are i don't know how easy the stuff is to work with, can Kindgarteners make a heart out of it, and even if it takes a while to dry will it be ok to stick in back packs?
This is something else i think is cute. take the hard plastic clear acrylic picture frames with the magents on the back that you are suppose to put on the fridge and give them small stickers to decorate the edges with to create a "frame" and the slip a Kissy Face picture of them in it to give to a loved one.
Good luck! and if anyone knows about the model magic please let me know. thanks
