Valentines Symbols- Submitted by Becce
Cupid: Cupid was a a mischievous, winged child, whose arrows would pierce the hearts of his victims causing them to fall deeply in love. In ancient Greece he was known as Eros, the young son of Aphrodite. To the Roman's he was Cupid, and his mother Venus.
Roses: Roses symbolize both peace and war, love and forgiveness. White roses are for true love. Red roses are for passion. Yellow roses are for friendship. Black roses mean farewell.
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Valentine Bulletin Board- Submitted by Sherry
Cut out a very large red heart, cover with doilies. Then cut out brown pieces of
paper in the shape of different candies. Had the children glue on chocolate sprinkles. Then I cut out in black a scalloped border for each piece of candy to resemble the papers in the candy box. Staple them in the middle of the heart and head it with "We Are As Sweet As Candy" The kids had fun making the candy.
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Valentine Party- Submitted by Lisa in VA
Invitation:
Come to my Party
It will be quite Hearty!
Decorations:
Use a small tree (branch type used for Easter and other holidays). Make small hearts to hang on them with ribbon. On the back of each heart right the type of heart it will represent and color, make it up accordingly:
Rough heart - sandpaper
These can be used as part of a game. Blindfold a person and let them pick to see what type of heart they have.
Colors for party red, pink and white
lots of balloons, crepe paper and hearts. Heart balloons would be wonderful.
Cake: Heart Shaped Food: Heart shaped sandwiches
Goodie Bags: Red or pink bags, cover with heart drawings or stickers. Fill with conversation hearts, heart pencils, heart shaped items etc.
Games and Activities:
Heart Shooting:
Make several different size cardboard / posterboard hearts from 2-10" each. Number each a point value, the smallest will have the highest points the largest, the lowest. Hang them on a string about a foot apart. Each player gets 5 tries to hit the hearts. Use either small balls or a rubber dart gun.
Story Line:
Writing game. Have each person with pencil and paper, write one line, ending with Heart. Fold the paper in half and pass the paper to the right. This person writes another line, without looking at the one above, but ends their line with a word that rhymes with heart. Read them outloud. Cut the Heart String:
Hang strings down with shapes attached with only one heart. Have more than people attending. Shapes and heart can be made of posterboard. Hang at just over head height. Blindfold one person at a time and give them sissors. Then , they get one chance to cut off one string, no feeling. The winner is the one who gets the heart string.
Heart Targets:
Draw a large heart on a piece of poster board. Draw graduated hearts inside the large heart...like a target, mark each layer with points. Use a bow and arrow (kiddie type with rubber suction cup).
Heart Clapping:
A musical chair type of game. Make small palm size hearts, one less then those playing. Lay on a dining or waist high table top (remove chairs). Have everyone stand around the table. When the music plays everyone circles. When the music stops, they clap down on a heart. The person without the heart, drops from this round. Winner will be the one who remains at the end.
Mend a Broken Heart:
Team game, 2-3 people. The object is to find and put together a large heart. Make one large heart per team. You need to divide, with lines, the hearts into 4 sections (make all the same). Next you will make these sections into puzzle pieces, after you write directions on them. These can be directions to find the next section of puzzle or an action they must do before the next section is completed. Winner is the team that finishes first.
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Heartful Helpers- Submitted by Sherry
(good parent/child project). Send a letter home asking your children to have a heart and be helpers. Give each of the children 10 cut-out hearts to take home.
Each time they help out around the house, with chores, with pets,
or siblings, they get to bring a heart back to school. They have to
write their accomplishment on the heart. Or if child is too young parent can write the accomplishment on the heart. Then at school, You will
display their hearts on the wall to create a huge heart. At the end
of the month, if the were hearty helpers, you can have
a heartfelt party.
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Valentine Jokes- Submitted by Sherry
Q. What did the boy octopus say to the girl octopus on Valentines Day?
Sal: How can you tell an elephant from a valentine card?
Q. What did the Valentine card say to the stamp?
Knock, knock. *****
Valentine Tongue Twisters- Submitted by Sherry
Lila's love laughs loudly.
Sweaty Sam's sweetheart Susie
swears she's sick of Sweaty Sam.
Sweaty Sam says Susie's silly.
So he's swell to Sally Ann.
Patty's purple passion Percy
Passed his plate for Pudding, please.
Patty paused and paled politely,
Passing Percy pureed peas.
Vile Violet's varnished valentine vanished.
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Have A "Heart-y" Party- Submitted by Sherry
Decor: Bloom'n Heart Centerpieces:
Love will be in bloom when you place these pretty heart-shaped flowers on our party table. To make a flower, have each child drizzle glue onto a construction paper heart then shake on red, gold and silver glitter . When the glue is dry, shake off the excess glitter and tape each heart to the end of a separate straw.
Make a few baskets by painting toilet paper tubes with white paint. When the paint is dry, decorate the tubes with heart shaped stickers. For each basket cut a 1" x 9" construction paper handle. Decorate the handles if desired; then glue them to the tubes. To complete the baskets dip the bottom of each tube into glue, then press it onto a heart shaped doily. Arrange a few of the flowers in each gasket and set the baskets around your party table. Beautiful!
For each crown, you will need; 1 white headband, pink and red construction paper heart shaped cutouts, and faux jewels. Have each child glue heart cutouts and faux jewels to his headband.
To prepare this game, program a class supply of construction paper hearts with various messages, similar to those found in candy conversation hearts. To play, seat the children in a circle. Choose one child to be Cupid. Have Cupid stand a distance away from the group with her back toward the circle. Give a programmed heart to a child in the group and have him conceal it. Invite cupid to return to the group by chanting, "Cupid, Cupid, what do you say? Do you know who has a message today" Allow Cupid to guess who has the heart by asking, "Do you have a heart today/" Once Cupid guesses correctly, the teacher then reads the message aloud and safety pins the heart to cupid's clothing. Cupid then rejoins the group and the guessed child becomes Cupid. Continue play until each child is wearing a heart.
Ingredients per child: 1 unfrosted pop-tart, 1 tbsp. white frosting, alpha-bits cereal, 1 candy conversation heart.
To make an envelope, spread frosting on the pop-tart. Find the cereal letters in your name; then arrange them on the frosting. Place a conversation heart in the upper right hand corner to represent a stamp. Your tummy will love this special delivery.
Step right up for a Valentines project that you'll fall head over heels in love with. In advance take a close up picture of each child; then have the pictures developed. Mix a small amount of dishwashing liquid with red tempera paint in a shallow pan. Place paper towels and dishpan of warm, soapy water nearby. To make a Valentine, ask a child to dip her bare feet into the pan. Have her press her feet one at a time onto a pink paper heart so that the heel prints over lap. Assist the child as she washes her feet . When the paint is dry, glue the heart onto a large piece of paper. Ad the child's photo and the message "I'm Head Over Heels For You!". Who could resist such a sweet sentiment?
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Party Ideas- Submitted by Sherry
Guess How Much Love is in the Jar
This is simple and an easy way to connect with each guest as they arrive. Once they have had time to come in and see the lovely party area, show them a jar filled with candy hearts. Ask them to guess how many candies are in the jar and let them know you will record their guess. The child who guesses the closest gets to take the candy home. Having a little slip of paper with a Valentine sticker on it and their name will make this seem a bit more special to them.
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Things You Love
Gather the children together and sit on the floor with them in a circle. Welcome them and give them an idea of what they will be doing at the party. Icebreaker idea is to go around and ask each of the guests to share some of the things they LOVE. Fun and it is perfect for the theme! You may want to go first if the children are reluctant.
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Heart Hunt For preschool age children, have a heart hunt. Hide lots of red construction paper hearts around easy to find. They will enjoy this.
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Steal My Heart Attach heart stickers to clothes pins. Each guest gets one to pin on when they arrive. If the guest is caught crossing their legs they lose their clothes pin to the one who caught them. Even if they have lost their heart they are still in the game. The one at the end of the game with the most clothes pins wins a small prize. Keeps everyone on their toes!
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Candy Necklaces On strands of licorice guests get to create their own edible necklaces. Provide candies and goodies with holes in the center. Fruit loops, lifesavers, Gummy Savers etc. There are lots of options.
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Red Envelope Have the children write a letter of love and gratitude to a member or members of their family. When finished they should fold it up and place in the red envelope, seal it, and write the persons name on the front. On Valentines Day they should place it on the persons pillow or somewhere else they'll be sure to find it.
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Where’s My Kiss? Hide candy kisses around and each child is given a bag to find as many as they can. Remember to tell them the names of the games. The names are part of the fun.
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Valentine Treasure Hunt Buy a package of the inexpensive children’s valentines. Write a different note on each of 10 of the cards. You could include a joke on some for fun. The children follow the clues on the cards that lead to the next clue and ultimately the treasure. The treasure being a box with a bow. When opened out comes a bunch of pink and red helium balloons that float to the ceiling. Attached to the bottom of each balloon string is a note for one of the guests. It tells where they will find their own special Valentine treasure. The balloon is theirs to keep.
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Valentine Bingo You can make your own bingo cards with Valentine pictures instead of numbers. Use hearts, flowers, chocolate kisses, doves, etc. For the Bingo chips you can use candies that won’t melt or be sticky.
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Cake Walk Place colored hearts on the floor (tape them down with clear tape). These should be about the size of a placemat. Wearing their socks each child stands on a heart. When the music begins to play the move around in a circle stepping only on the hearts. When the music stops draw from a basket a corresponding heart to match one on the floor. The child who is standing on that heart gets to step out and pick a prize. Traditionally a cake, or plate of cupcakes. You might place a little sticker with their name on their selection so they can pick it up later and their prize will be saved for them. This goes on until all guests have had a chance to win. I love the games where everyone is a winner.
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Crafts:
Love Bugs
Start with clean, smooth, oval rocks. Each child paints their love bug (lady bug) with craft paints. Paint them pink or red with the black spots being black hearts. When dry you can spray them outside with spray varnish, leave outside to dry.
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Love Coupons Have all of the materials ready for the guests to make love coupons for their family. Each coupon can be unique and be redeemable for things such as extra hugs, extra chores, or have poems written on them. Have a craft table ready with your craft scissors, rubber stamps, Valentine stickers, markers etc. Be sure to compliment each ones work.
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Food/Table Ideas: Serve foods that children like and that are easy to eat. Whenever possible serve children with real china, cloth napkins and silver spoons. The best for the best.
Valentine Foods
For fun it would be nice to have all of the food items be pink, pink, pink!
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Beverages Love potion. Use Ginger-ale and pink sherbet in a punch bowl. Any pink drink will work. You might even want to add the block of dry ice to make it look like a potion. Careful - don’t let the children touch or ingest dry ice.
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Make sandwiches with white bread and strawberry cream cheese. Cut into heart shapes and dip the edges into pink colored sugar. If you have a bread machine you may want to try adding pink food coloring to your best white bread recipe for pink bread. Another sandwich filling you may want to try is cream cheese with raspberry jam.
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Chocolate dipped strawberries
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Pink Jell-o in parfait glasses topped with whipped cream tinted pink. Pretty!
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Pink ice cream sundaes would be fun. Have a choice of 2 different pink ice cream flavors. Then offer a variety of pink ice cream toppings such as: pink candies, pink sprinkles, whipped cream tinted pink, don’t forget the maraschino cherries.
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Cookie Decorating
How about preparing very large heart shaped sugar cookies. Place a cookie decorating buffet out. Include red, white, and pink frosting with Popsicle sticks (craft sticks) to spread the frosting. In pretty containers have different toppings for the cookies. Colored sugars, m&ms and other small candies to top their cookies. An option may be to have them decorate some smaller cookies for their treat and to wrap their large cookie in the clear crinkly cellophane wrap and tie with a pretty pink satin bow. This can go home as a party favor. This one would be especially fun piled high with candy toppings. To save time, have the cellophane sheets pre-cut. You can even pre-tie the bows to pipe cleaners. When ready to wrap, gather the cellophane up into a poof and twist the pipe cleaner around to close. Since the bow was already attached to the pipe cleaner it is already.
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Favors:
For girls what else but flowers, jewelry and chocolates? For chocolates buy the sampler size box for each guest. Jewelry - how about the inexpensive strands of pearls and a silk rose?
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Bulletin Board- Submitted by Cindy
This Valentine's Day display is as sweet as can be! Glue lace trim to a large red heart shape, and then mount the heart and a title on a wall. To make delicious-looking chocolates, provide each child with a personalized, tan construction paper shape. Have him paint his paper with brown tempera paint and top it with real chocolate sprinkles. When each shape is dry, glue it to a larger piece of crinkled black paper to represent the candy wrapper. Mount the finished projects on the heart.
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Click on the Valentine Bunnies Below to go back
Broken heart - torn or cracked
Warm heart - made from flannel or felt
Heavy heart - made from wood or metal
Light heart - covered with feathers
Cold heart - Painted and sprinkled with white glitter
Sweetheart - made of candy
Sour heart - color of lemon
Stingy heart - thin
Generous heart - fat and plump
Sad heart - blue
Jealous heart - green
A. I want to hold your hand, hand, hand, hand, hand, hand, hand, hand.
Al: I don't know.
Sal: Then don't get a job with the post office.
A. Stick with me and we'll go places.
Who's there?
Olive.
Olive who?
Olive you!
Dress: Crown of Hearts
Activity: Sweetheart Messages
Snack: Sweetheart Envelopes
Art: Head Over Heels
to the Main PnF Valentine's Day Theme and Curriculum Page 
