Valentine's Day Week: Week 21: Monday

Valentine's Day Week

MONDAY

Crafts:

• Valentine's Mailbox: Box(shoes), foam paper, cardboard, craft stick, metal paper fastener

1. Cut the box to have rounded ends.  Cut a rounded door inside on end. Don't cut the bottom off, leave it like a flap, like on a real mailbox.
2. Glue foam paper over it so that it forms a round top.  Cover the front and back of the mailbox, too.  Glue a foam-paper handle and a sign on the door.
3. Make a flag and a holder from cardboard and a craft stick.  Put a paper fastener through the holder, the bottom of the flag, and the mailbox.  Put the flag up when you have mail.

• Valentine's Photo Card: Paper bags, scissors, glue and tape, photo, colored pencils, paints

1. Fold a section cut from a paper bag into the size you want your greeting card.
2. On the front of the card, cut out a shape that is slightly smaller than the photo.  Tape the photo behind the shape.  
3. Paint hearts around the photo.  Add details with colored pencils.
4. Write a greeting inside the card.

• "Bee" Mine, Valentine!: Egg Carton, brown yarn, chenille sticks, waxed paper, cardboard, construction paper, markers

1. Cut one cup from the egg carton. Cover it with glue. Wind brown yarn around the cup to make it look like a hive.
2. Wrap a yellow chenille stick around your finger or a pencil to make a bee shape.  Wrap a black chenille stick around the yellow bee to make stripes.  Glue the bee to the hive.  Cut wings from waxed paper, and glue then in place.  Glue on paper eyes.
3. Cut a large heart from cardboard and cover it with paper.  Glue the hive to the center of the heart.  Write a Valentine greeting.

• Flower Sucker Valentines: Scrap-booking paper or card stock, lollipop, tape

1. Cut three heart-shaped petals, two leaves and two flower centers from scrap-booking paper or card stock.  
2. Poke a small hole in each, crease the petals, and slide the pieces onto a lollipop stem.
3. Tape the bottom to secure.

Activity:

• Toss-n-Scoop Game: Plate, a small paper cup, cardboard tube, paint or markers, glue or tape, foam or yarn ball

1. Begin by decorating a plate, a small paper cup, and a cardboard tube with paint or makers.  When dry, make your dome and glue or tape the bottom of the cup to its top center.
2. To make a dome: Put the plate face up and draw a 2" circle in the center. Lightly folding the plate into 4 equal sections will help you find the center. Tracing around a small cup or other circular-shaped object is the easiest way to draw a circle.
3. Cut from the edge of the plate toward the center, stopping when you get to the outside of the circle you just drew.  Make another cut, in the same way, about 1/8" from the first cut.  After you stop at the edge of the circle, cut back to your first line.  Throw away the tiny cutout piece.
4. Repeat this procedure so that when you have completed this step the plate has 4 equal sections with a circle in the center.  Overlap the sections and staple the edges .  You should have a dome shape with 4 thin triangular slits.
5. After the cup is secure, tape the tube into the base of the cup.  Now just turn it over and your scoop is ready for action!  Using a foam or yarn ball, toss the ball into the air and catch it in your scoop.
6. Have a friend make a scoop and play "toss and scoop" together like a game of catch.

• Loved-Up T-Shirt: Paper, pencil, scissors, t-shirt, iron, sticky tape, stencil paint, brush

1. Draw a half a heart on a folded piece of paper and cutting it out with scissors.
2. Iron the t-shirt flat.  Place a piece a paper inside the t-shirt(to protect the back).  Position the heart stencil on the front of the t-shirt and tape it down.  Paint on the stencil paint gently with short dabs.
3. Remove the stencil when the paint is dry (if it dries flat you can use the stencil again).  Iron to fix the paint, following the manufacturer's instructions.

Snack:

• Pudding Cones: Box of instant pudding, quart-sized ziplock bag, 2 cups milk, ice-cream cones, sprinkles

1. Empty a box of your favorite pudding mix into a quart-size ziplock bag and pour in 2 cups of cold milk.  Seal the bag, then squeeze, kneed, and shake vigorously for 8 to 10 minutes or until the contents are thickened.
2. Place the bag in the refrigerator to set.  To serve, cut off one corner of the bag and squeeze the pudding into ice-cream cones.  Don't forget to top with sprinkles.

Education:

Letters/Words:

• Things That Rhyme: Index cards, pictures of things that rhyme, glue, marker

1. Glue a picture onto each index card. Things that rhyme: Cat, hat, bat, mat, fox, box, goat, boat, top, mop, fish, dish, sled, frog
2. Have your child try to find the things that rhyme.  

• Letter Matching: Paper, Pen/Pencil

1. On a piece of paper write down about 10 alphabet letters down the page.  Make sure to put down the big and small alphabet letters like Dd, Jj, etc.
2. Next to each letter, write four words across, for example: Dd:   see   go   sit  Dad.
3. Then have your child pick which word goes with the letters.  Dd = Dad.

• Word For The Day: Index card, Pen

1. The
2. Practice this word with your child. Have them practice spelling it.
3. Write the word on an index card and store it in an index box holder.
4. When reading a story have your child say the word.  

Numbers:

• Number Fun: 

1. Count to three with your child.  
2. Then count to three again and say a word like jump, clap, hug, giggle, sneeze, spin, smile, roll, or yawn, right after.
3. Do what the other person says 3 times.
4. Switch places. Now it's your turn to count to 3 out loud and say "jump" or "clap."

• Other things you can do such as roll under the table, run around the yard, or jump over your teddy bear.
• Ask a friend to roll 2 dice.  Then, count the number of dots, and call out something to do that many times: somersaults, jumping jacks, sit-ups, etc.
• Make a rhyme by counting to 3 and calling out an action that rhymes with the last number you called out.  Then, do that thing 3 times: One, two, three-- touch my knee!; One, two, three---drink some tea!; One, two, three--buzz like a bee!

Music: 

• Valentine's Songs: Click Here
• Kazoo: Toliet paper tube, rubber band, wax paper, paint

1. Paint tube. Let dry.
2. Place a piece of wax paper over the end of a toilet paper tube.  
3. Hold the wax paper in place with a rubber band.
4. Children blow into the wax paper and make a humming sound.

Reading:

The Mitten By Jan Brett

• Mittens: Construction Paper, Scissors, Pencils

1. Trace around your hands, just don't add the spaces in between the fingers.  Make sure to make 2 of each color and size.
2. Cut out the mittens.
3. Hide the mittens around the house.  Now have your child try to find the matching mittens.  They can only find one pair at a time.

Nursery Rhyme:

• Three Little Kittens: Click Here for Rhyme and history.

Valentine's Day Week: Week 21: Monday