This activity was featured on The Crafty Crow! Check them out for more card ideas:

http://www.thecraftycrow.net/2015/02/yoyo-valentine-card-with-free-printable.html

Materials

• Template valentine card
• Cardstock
• Paper cutter and/or scissors
• Pencil/ Eraser
• Double-sided tape or sticky dots
• Yo-Yos*

*The ones we used are from Seedling.

Directions

• Print out the cards on cardstock. (We recommend a few extra.)

• Cut them out using a paper cutter with an adult and/or scissors.

• Write your name on the line (following “From:”), using a pencil. Write your friend or classmate’s names on the “To:” line.

• Attach your yo-yo with strong double sided tape or sticky dots in between the “X”s to make an “O”. (We used 2 dots per yo-yo.)

• Give your card to a friend!

Purpose

• Creating exciting materials for written communication.
• Celebrating our friends, neighbours, classmates etc.

Safety Notes

• Use scissors or a paper cutter with care and direct adult supervision.  Depending on your child’s age and abilities this may be a job for the parent only to do in advance.
• An eraser can be a choking hazard, be sure to keep it out of the reach of children 0-3 years of age.

Materials

• Self adhesive magnetic sheets
• Scissors
• Child’s artwork (Be sure to ask them before using the artwork for this purpose or have them make something specifically for this activity.)
• Ruler and pencil

Directions

• Remove the sticky back from your magnet sheet and place your artwork on top. (With the blank side sticking to the magnet sheet.)

• Flip it over (drawing on the magnetic side lightly with your pencil) and make a grid with your ruler and pencil.  The easiest way to do this is to make the rows and columns the width of your ruler.

• Cut along your lines to make squares.

• Arrange your squares on your fridge, whiteboard, cookie sheet or any metal surface to make letters or shapes.

• OR put it in a small box, tie on a ribbon and give it to a friend!

Purpose

• Re-imagining items
• Beginning to understand that magnets are attracted to metal surfaces

Safety Notes

• Magnets can be dangerous if consumed, therefore this is not an activity recommended for children 0-3 or those that tend to put things into their mouths.  Use with direct adult supervision and be sure to seek immediate medical attention if consumption occurs.
• Use scissors with care and adult supervision.

This activity was featured on The Crafty Crow!  Check them out for more card ideas:

http://www.thecraftycrow.net/2015/02/valentines-day-portrait-cards-kids-can-make.html

Materials

• Cardstock
• Template: card
• Paper cutter or scissors
• Pencil/ Eraser
• Thin black pen
• Multicultural pencil crayons, markers or crayons
• Drawing materials (pencil crayons, makers, crayons, felt markers etc.)
• Watercolour paint, smock, craft tray (*optional)
• Coloured paper & a glue stick (*optional)

Directions

• Print out the cards on cardstock.

• Cut them in half using a paper cutter with an adult or scissors

• Write the recipient’s name in the banner on the top of the card in pencil.  Write a positive descriptor for the recipient in the portion where it says, “I like that you are _______” (clever, brave, imaginative, creative, generous etc.). Print your name and a closing on the last blank line. (“Love, Henry” or “From, Maggie” etc.) Trace over your printing in thin, black marker, should you like.

• Draw a portrait of your classmate with pencil and an eraser and colour it in with drawing materials of your choice.  You could trace over the details with a thin, black pen.

• Paint around your portrait with watercolour paint, should you like. (Be sure to wear a smock and use a craft tray.) Allow to dry overnight.

• You could back your Valentine on coloured paper with a bit of glue as we did.

• Give your Valentine to a friend or loved one.

Purpose

• Creating exciting materials for written communication.
• Celebrating our friends, neighbours, classmates etc.

Safety Notes

• Use scissors or a paper cutter with care and direct adult supervision.  Depending on your child’s age and abilities this may be a job for the parent only to do in advance.
• An eraser can be a choking hazard, be sure to keep it out of the reach of children 0-3 years of age.
• Wear a smock and use a craft tray if you are planning on painting to protect clothing and work surfaces.

Materials

• Styrofoam sheets (You could also cut the bottom off of a clean styrofoam tray)
• Ink (We use the Speedball brand)
• Brayer (We have the Speedball brand one)
• Large tile (you can get these at hardware stores.  Often single, discontinued ones can be quite inexpensive)
• Blank card sets (you can make these out of cardstock)
• Spoon
• Pencil
• Smock
• Craft tray and/or plastic craft tablecloth
• Ruler

Directions

• Trim your styrofoam to the shape of your cards but about 1-2.5 centimetres or 1/2 inch-1 inch smaller on each of the edges to create a border.

• Draw out a design or picture on your styrofoam with your pencil.  Remember that if you include any print it will appear backwards (so you will need to write backwards!) as the print is a mirror image.

• Don your smock.

• Put a small blob of ink on your tile and roll your brayer through the ink in many directions until the brayer is evenly coated and the ink has sticky/tacky consistency.

• Roll the paint over your styrofoam design evenly, going to all the edges.

• Lay your styrofoam plate on your your tray.  Carefully place your card onto the styrofoam and rub it with your hand to assure contact.  Be carefully not to shift it.  Carefully pull it off of the styrofoam.  (You could also do the reverse method where you place the styrofoam onto the card.)

• Depending on the amount of ink left on the styrofoam, you can make another print with the same method or you could re-apply the ink and make several more cards until you have reached the desired amount.

• Allow to dry overnight.

• One year we also cut a small styrofoam square and wrote backwards “Love, ______ (child’s name)” and made a small print on the back of the cards.  You could add the child’s name, the year and their age underneath the print if you like.

• Once the cards are dry, tie a ribbon around them and give them to someone special.

Purpose

• Learning how to make prints with various materials.
• Exploring positive and negative space.

Safety Notes

• Be sure to wear a smock and use a craft tray and table cloth to prevent damaging surfaces or clothing.
• Follow product directions/ cautions.
• Use scissors with care and direct adult supervision.

Materials

• Contact paper
• Scissors
• Pencil/eraser
• Permanent marker
• Paint
• Paint tray
• Notebooks (we used an unfinished kraft type)
• Smock
• Craft tray
• Cotton swabs
• Plastic sheet (acetate, laminating sheets etc.)

Directions

• Draw and cut out a shape from contact paper for your notebook, making a sticker. You can use the shape itself or the outside of the shape which makes a stencil.

• Peel off the paper from the back of your shape and adhere it to your notebook, assuring it has many contact on all edges or use your stencil in the same fashion.

• Place your notebook in your craft tray and your paint in your tray.

• Don your smock.

Dot Technique

• Use your cotton swab tips to make little dots, covering your notebook.

Plastic Printing Technique

• Use your cotton swabs to make lines on your plastic sheet.  While it is wet, carefully put your notebook facedown (where the sticker is) onto the paint. Lift up carefully.

Both

• Allow your notebooks to dry.

• Carefully remove your stickers.

• Enjoy recording your drawings, thoughts, experiments etc. in your notebook- whatever you love! OR give it to a friend to do the same.

Purpose

• Personalizing items

Safety Notes

• Use scissors and permanent with care and direct adult supervision.
• Be sure to use a smock and a craft tray to protect surfaces and your clothing.

This activity was featured on The Crafty Crow! Take a peek at this wonderful craft collective for many other beautiful projects for children!

http://www.thecraftycrow.net/2015/02/yarn-heart-wall-hanging-tutorial-for-kids.html

Materials

• Plastic craft grid (often used for needlepoint type crafts)
• Yarn
• Scissors
• Needle (we used a bigger one with a larger eye hole and a dull end)
• Permanent marker
• Elastics

Directions

• Draw a shape that you would like to use for your design.  We went with a heart.

• You are going to make a series of knots leaving two long ends on each knot to trim off at the end.

• Thread your needle.  Some children may find a threader or a thimble helpful in this process.

• Go down through the grid and then come up on the next square (without tying a knot on the end).  We left approximately 5 centimetres or 2 inches of yarn which we didn’t pull through. We then trimmed the end that we pulled up so that it was approximately 5 centimetres or 2 inches in length as well.

• Tie a knot with the two pieces.

• Although we showed you this in the middle of the grid for the purposes of seeing it clearly in the photographs, it is easier to go across each row, starting with your heart and then going row by row across from the bottom, making straight lines.  We found it helpful to use elastics to hold together the yarn pieces that we had already done to keep them out of the way so that they didn’t get tied into other sections.

• As you go, each of the sides of your grid will look like this:

• When you have completed, remove the elastics and trim the side with the long pieces to approximately 2.5 centimetres or 1 inch in length.

• If you like, take a bit of yarn or ribbon to make a hanging portion, looping it through the left and right most squares at the top.

Purpose

• Learning how to sew, using various materials.
• Developing fine motor skills (making knots, trimming with scissors etc.)
• Creating a design and bringing it to life (planning)

Safety Notes

• Use scissors and needles with direct adult supervision.
• Yarn can be a strangulation hazard, therefore it is important not to use it as a toy and with supervision.

Materials

• Cardstock
• Napkin rings
• Liquid paint
• Glitter
• Scissors
• Hole punch
• Cord or twine
• Contact paper or laminating materials
• Smock
• Craft tray

Directions

• Don your smock.

• Put your cardstock into your craft tray.

• Put little blobs of paint onto your paper.

• “Tilt” your page (lifting one end) and watch your paint travel!

• Add some glitter if you like.

• Allow to dry overnight.

• Cut out shapes and laminate them or sandwich them in between two pieces of contact paper (sticky sides in).

• Punch two holes in each shape and secure them onto your rings with cord or twine, tying a knot and trimming off any excess.

• Add them to your Valentine’s Day meal!

Purpose

• Experimenting with different painting techniques

Safety Notes

• Use scissors with care and adult supervision.
• A laminator should be used by an adult.

Materials

• Fabric placemat
• Embroidery floss
• Needle
• Scissors
• Fabric marker (depending on the age and abilities of the child)

Directions

• Depending on the age and abilities of the child doing this activity they may want to write the people’s names in fabric marker (you can purchase types that disappear over time or with washing) or they can sew it free hand.

• Cut a length of embroidery floss about the length of your arm.

• Knot one end and thread the needle on the other (some children may find a threader or thimble helpful in this process).

• Sew the person’s name and any other embellishments that you may like into the placemat for each person.  We found the placemat to be a sturdy surface that was easy to sew into, but if yours is not, consider using an embroidery hoop to hold the fabric taut.

• Be sure to knot the end and trim off the excess floss.

• Invite your guests and set the table!

Purpose

• Developing fine motor skills by learning how to sew
• Being involved in get-togethers

Safety Notes

• Exercise care with needles and scissors, using them with direct adult supervision.
• Floss can be a strangulation hazard, therefore use with supervision and not as a toy.