Valentine's Crafts for School Parties

As kids, the holidays present an opportunity to do something different from the day in and out chore of learning. Valentine's Day parties are one of the most looked-forward-to events of the year. Some fun and simple craft projects can add to the fun of the day.

Valentine's Day Card Holder

Supplies:

Cereal Box

Sheet of construction paper in red, pink, white and blue

Glitter glue in red, pink, blue, orange and purple

Craft glue

Scissors

Cut the cereal box in half, keeping the bottom and discarding the top half. Cover the entire box with red construction paper by using the glue to hold in place. While this dries, cut 2 hearts out the other colors of construction paper for a total of six hearts. Using the glitter glue, write words on the hearts similar to the traditional candy hearts in stores every year: Be Mine, Luv Ya, BFF, Sweetie and so on. The glitter glue will need to dry for several hours. Glue one heart of each color to each side of the box, three hearts per side. They should stick up over the top and overlap each other a bit. Now the kids have a place to store all the Valentines they collect at the party.

Puzzle Piece Pin or Magnet

Supplies:

Jigsaw puzzle pieces from larger children's puzzles

Acrylic paint in pink, red, blue and purple

Paint Brush

White Paint Pen

Magnetic strips

Newspaper

Clear acrylic glaze

Spread out newspaper to cover the work area. Paint the picture side of the puzzle pieces the desired background color and allow to dry completely. Using the paint pen, letter your message across the painted side of the puzzle piece: Be mine, you're the perfect fit, you're my missing piece, and you complete me or any other appropriate messages. Let dry. Coat with clear acrylic glaze to give a shiny, durable finish. Allow to dry. Cut the magnetic strip into sections small enough to fit on the back of the puzzle piece. Remove backing paper and press magnet onto puzzle piece.

Tissue Paper Roses

Supplies:

Tissue paper cut into 2" wide, 18" long strips

Pipe Cleaners

Making Tape

Green Tempera Paint

Paint brushes

Ribbon or yarn

Roll the tissue paper strip and pinch one end of the roll to form the base of the rose. Hold the pipe cleaner stem against the pinched end and tape the rose to the pipe cleaner, overlapping the tape as you spiral down the stem. Use the paint brush to paint the taped stem green and allow to dry. Have enough supplies on hand for the kids to make as many roses as they want to give to mom or another special person on Valentine's Day. Wrap the bouquet in another sheet of tissue paper and tie with the ribbon or yarn.

These crafts should help classroom Valentine's Day parties be even more fun and memorable.