Ask An ECE

Today we have 6 different crafts that you can do for Valentine's day. These are pretty easy for all ages, although the Rose Hearts should be saved for the older children.

Collage hearts

Reuse old wrapping paper to create these crafty hearts to use in a multitude of activities.

• Rip wrapping paper into 1" pieces, any shape will do.
• Paste the ripped paper onto cardstock. Make sure to overlap the edges for a collage effect.
• Trace a heart onto your cardstock and cut it out.

Use your colourful collage hearts to decorate cards, scrapbook, make mobiles, whatever your heart desires!

Rose hearts

These are a little more difficult, but turn out great. Perfect project for your older preschoolers or school-agers.

• Cut a large heart out of construction paper or card stock.
• Cut a rectangle (post card size) out of pink/red construction paper.
• Roll the paper lengthwise with a pencil.
• Remove the pencil, and take your paper roll and cut with scissors cross-wise.
• You should now have several paper curls. These curls make great rose buds! If your curls got flattened by the scissors during cutting, gently squish them back into a circle shape with your fingers.
• Pour glue all over your heart cut out (use lots) and adorn with your rose buds. Fill in the entire heart.
• Add leaves in the spaces in between in the same manner as the rose buds were made (only smaller).

These rose hearts look great as a wall hanging, table centrepiece. Attach several in graduated sizes for a mobile.

Foil hearts

• Mold plain old aluminum foil into heart shape.
• Press tightly so it is solid.
• Cover with pieces of tissue paper (rip up small pieces and paint with white glue, like macrame).
• When dry, paint or decorate your heart with beads/sparkles.

Heart tissue flowers

Tissue flowers are an old standby, now with a new valentine's twist.

• Cut out heart shapes from your tissue paper.
• Punch holes at the pointy end of each heart.
• Thread hearts onto a pipe cleaner.
• Fan out the hearts to create your flower!
• Green tissue hearts also make great leaves for your bouquet!

Love bug

• Cut up your egg cartons so you have one egg cup per child.
• Add pipe cleaner legs and paint however you choose.
• Add googley eyes and construction paper wings. Even some anntena.

Place your love bug on a heart shaped "leaf".

Rose painting

• Using a light coloured wax crayon, draw spirals on white paper.
• Colour in your spiral using watered down pink/red paint.
• Once your paint is dry, highlight your spiral in a darker paint. Voila! Roses to use as wrapping paper or for a valentine's card.

We love Usborne Activities Valentine Things To Make and Do!!! There is an entire line of these books and we're hoping to order them all for our holiday crafts. We've adapted most of your valentine's programming from this book to suit our age groups and supplies. If you'd like some more Valentine's Day crafts, click on the links below to purchase them from Amazon.