Valentine's Day Flower
This Valentine's flower is a nice simple craft that toddlers or preschool children will be able to make (if you cut out the pieces for them!)

Materials:
1 sheet of white paper

Equipment:
crayons, pencil crayons, paints or felt pens
scissors
white glue

Instructions:
Print out the template of choice.
Template for a color printer
Template for black & white printer :

Color (where appropriate) and cut out the template pieces.
Glue together the four large hearts to form a flower (the points should all face towards the middle of the flower).
Glue the flower to the top of the rectangular stem and the smaller hearts to the bottom of the stem as leaves.

Alternative Decorating Ideas:
Use sparkles, sparkle glue, or felt to decorate the flower. Use a pipe cleaner, or popsicle stick, instead of the printed rectangle template piece for a sturdier stem.
This craft has nice big pieces, so try using paint rather than crayons to color in the template.
Print a Valentine's message onto a circle of white or yellow construction paper and paste it to the center of the flower. Give the flower to someone special instead of a Valentine's card (Grandma's love to get crafts!)
Use the template for the black and white printer on red or pink colored construction paper. Print a second template on white or green paper and mix & match the pieces.
~DLTK's Crafts for Kids (elkayem)

VALENTINE JEWELRY
Supplies needed:
Dough (recipe follows)
Tempera or Poster Paint
Brushes/Water
String or Chain
Safety pins

Dough recipe:
4 cups of Flour
1 cup Salt
1 1/4 cups of Water

Directions:
Flour your hands and knead the dough on a floured dough board for about ten minutes, or until it feels like soft modeling clay. To make Valentine necklaces, shape balls of the dough into medium sized hearts, pat them fairly flat, and poke a small hole in the centers before baking. To make a heart pin, press a safety pin into the back of the heart before baking. Bake thick shapes on an ungreased cookie sheet about one hour at 350 degrees; thin objects, about one-half hour. Let the objects cool for about an hour, then paint them any color you desire. After you spray them with clear acrylic to preserve them, string the beads any way you like. Tie your necklace only after making sure it fits over your head.
~emazing.com (elkayem)

VALENTINE ENVELOPE
Supplies Needed:
2 pieces of construction Paper (red, white, or pink)
scraps of Lace, plastic Gems, paper Doilies
Glue, Scissors, Crayons or Markers, Stapler
scraps of construction Paper

Directions:
Want your child to have fun designing a Valentine envelope large enough to keep all her Valentine cards in? First, assemble all your supplies. Decorate one side of the large piece of construction paper with hearts, flowers, messages etc. Bits of lace and gems will add to the design. When you're finished, lay it directly over the other sheet of construction paper. Staple the side edges and the bottom edges together to form an envelope, leaving the top open. Note: This project is suitable for the classroom. Staple the decorated envelopes (with each child's name on the front) to a bulletin board. On Valentine's Day, let the children visit each envelope and deliver his/her Valentines. When everyone is finished, pull the envelopes off the Bulletin board and give them back to the children.
~emazing.com (elkayem)

Paper Plate Card Holder
supplies:
paper plates, red yarn, scissors, paper punch, tape, variety of decorating materials (paper hearts, stickers, glitter, ribbon, sewing ric-rac, crayones, markers, etc), glue

adult:
cut red yarn into 30 inch lengths (one for each child)
cut paper plates in half so that each child has one half plate
line up a half plate over a whole plate, with the bottom of each facing outward
holding plate and half plate in place, punch holes around the edge about an inch apart
tie one end of a 30 inch piece of red yarn into a double knot through the first holes on one side. wrap the other end of yarn tightly with tape to make a "needle" for easier lancing

children:
lace the plate and half plate toghether. use the taped "needle" end of yarn to thread it in and out of the holes on the plate

adult:
tie the second end of yarn in a double knot through the last 2 hole on each plate

children:
use a variety of materials to decorate your card holder (see material ideas under "supplies")

suggestions:
1. use completed card holders when exchanging valentine cards
2. make valentine cards to give to one another

~mothergoosetime.com(elkayem)

Valentine People
I cut out large hearts in Red and Pink paper. Then cut strips about 1/2 to 1 inch thick of white paper and folded these accordian style. Then cut out small hearts. The large hearts became the bodies and the kids drew faces on them. The white paper was the arms and legs and the small hearts were the hands and feet. The kids glued them all together. They got creative with them to and one of my kids glued his people together and said they were dancing. They had a blast! -
~asparacello

Heart Games
you will need 20 little hearts
Materials:
paper of any kind, any color (preferably red or pink)
scissors

Adult Preparation:
cut the paper into 2 inch strips (about 4 strips). on one strip make a row of hearts (about 5). stack the strips putting the one with the hearts. cut out the hearts through all thickness of the paper to make 20 hearts.

Activities:
1. heart hunt
adult- hide the paper hearts. children, hunt for them until all are found. the game can be repeated with the children taking turns hiding the hearts
2. valentine obstacle course
adult, make a big circle path with the paper hearts. make the heart path go over and under chairs, stools and other appropriate objects. be creative!play some music and let the children take turns following the path.
3. heart walk
write the numbers 1-10 on two sets of paper hearts (so there are two hearts with each number from 1-10) put one set of hearts in paper bag or box. put the other matching set in a large circle on the floor (tape in place if needed). players walk around the circle of hearts to music. when adult stops the music, each player stands on one of the hearts. a heart is drawn from the bag or box. the player standing on the heart with the matching number steps forward to lead the next game. he/she draws a heart from the bag or box for the following walk. repeat to continue game.
~mothergoosetime.com (elkayem)

Valentine Song
(sung to the tune of "three blind mice")

valentine, valentine
this card's for you
this card's for you
i made it with hearts of red and white
i made it with hearts cut just right
i made it with hearts shining bright
valentine, valentine

~mothergoosetime.com(elkayem)

Love Bug Head Band
supplies:
white and red construction paper
white pipe cleaners
wiggle eyes
fine tip marker
scissors, stapler, glue, tape

adult:
cut white construction paper into 12" x 2" strips. staple 2 together lengthwise for each child.
use large heart pattern and cut out a heart for each child from red paper
use small heart pattern and cut out 2 hearts for each child from red paper
cut a pipe cleaner in half for each child.

children:
glue 2 wiggle eyes on a large red heart
use a fine tip marker to draw a smile on the large heart
tape 2 pipe cleaner halves to back of large heart (as antenna)
glue your love bug heart to the center of a 24" white strip
glue (or tape) a small heart to the top of each pipe cleaner half.

adult:
form each strip into a head band. adjust to individual child's head and staple.

~mothergoosetime.com(elkayem)

VALENTINE MAGNETIC HEART

Supplies Needed:
1 square of red Felt
1 square of white or pink Felt
1 squeeze bottle of Elmer's Glue, and some craft glue
(Tacky)
Glitter
small rectangle piece of Magnetic Strip (available at Craft
Stores)
small plastic Gems (optional)
Pattern for 2 hearts, one about an inch bigger than the
other
Newspaper for your work area

Directions:

Cover your work area with the newspaper. Cut out a heart design using the red felt. With the tip of the Elmer's glue bottle, squeeze your name or the name of the person you'll give it to onto the heart. While the glue is still wet, sprinkle the name with glitter, then shake off the
excess onto the newspaper. Let it dry. Now add a larger scalloped heart behind the red heart, gluing them together with the Tacky glue. (Be sure the scalloped edge of the pink heart shows through.) Next, use Tacky glue to glue small gems all around the scalloped edges. When your heart is completely dry, attach the magnetic strip to the back. Now it's ready to stick to any  metal surface, such as a refrigerator or filing cabinet.
~tipomatic.com (elkayem)

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