[msharkey]

I know it's a little while away but thought I'd take the jump.

Let's compile our favortie Valentine's Day activities.

Anyone interested?

I'll start.

I do Valentine Centers (math and language arts) for most of the day. I'm attaching my signs.

My Favorite activity:
We make I love you magnets with their handprints. I have them trace and cut out their hands on fun foam. Then, glue down the fingers so that their "hand" is signing I LOVE U. Then to cover up the stray glue (or staple), we glue a heart that says I LOVE YOU!.


Shark

[msharkey]

some might like to use.

Shark

[teacha47]

I was always trying to be creative in having the kids make a valentines card holder over the years. Until I read Abe Lincoln's Hat a step into reading book from Scholastic. In this story it tells how Abe used his hat to file important papers. While reading it I though why not take that idea and make our own tall black hats and use them for our card holders. Each year the kids become more creative with adding hearts and stickers to make their hat unique. For some this is not easy so I have discovered a way for them to make just a flat hat and glue it onto a paper sack/lunch bag size and they can just store their cards in the bag. I feel like I am doing double duty as I am talking about Lincoln and getting things ready for Valentines Day.

[msharkey]

Come on, guys! Keep 'em coming!

[hamblinhaw]

Thanks for sharing! These are great. What candy do you use for the candy activity? Converstation hearts?

[msharkey]

Yes, I use conversation hearts.

The kids seem to really enjoy these centers. Glad someone else can use them. I cannot take credit for the creation. I borrowed it from the internet, I think.

Shark

[toynek]

Thanks for the great ideas. We use conversation hearts, too. We sort and graph them. Then the students try to use the hearts in their writing...center writing around something that one or two of the hearts say.

[GoTeachers]

We make "LOVE-ly" creatures. I first teach them how to cut out hearts. I also have pre-cut some for those that just CAN'T seem to do it I set out different construction paper Valentines colors (pinks, purples, whites, reds, etc.). They cut out their hearts and glue them on another sheet of construction paper, usually black or tan (the large sheet), to make LOVE-ly creatures. Some turn out to be like bears, some like snakes, some like fish, etc. After they make their creature they write a story about it and we hang them in the hallway with the title: Look at our LOVE-ly creatures! (something like that).

[parksm]

Since our Valentine's Day is usually near the 100th Day of School, I usually combine the 2 in lots of activities. I mentioned in another post that the kids make 5 get well cards and decorate with valentine stickers, then we put them in groups of 5 and count to 100. A math activity that they enjoy is to take turns pulling numbers out of a bag (that I have written) and color them in on a 100 grid. Of course the pictures comes out to be a heart.

[msharkey]

The ideas are wonderful!

Keep them coming. I don't know about you but, my creative juices are flowing.

Just curious, anyone else's Valentine's day and 100th day coincide around the same time as well. Ours too by the way.

As of now, our 100th day is Feb. 15th (I think) because we used a snow day.

Shark

[kidsrme11]

The kids trace the shape of a Hershey's Kiss onto a file folder and cut it out. They then wrap it in tin foil. We attach a long piece of white paper with a compliment written on it. We put them on our door with the title, "First Graders are Really SWeet!" After Valentine's Day, the kiss goes home with the person the compliment was written for. ( I did not make this up, but I love doing it!)

[msharkey]

100 Words we love.

I divide my class into 5 groups (one group for each short vowel).

Each group focuses on their short vowel sound and comes up with 20 words with that sound in it.

They copy their words onto hearts and we display them.

Kids really get a kick out of it.

[nansue]

When my kids walk through the door, I have dozens of hearts cut from the Ellison die. I have red, white and pink paper hearts. I throw them on the floor in the walkway as the kids come in. They love it.
Just before lunch, I have each child pick up hearts (up to 10). They get together with a friend and create a number sentence on blue paper with the two sets of hearts. I turn these pages into a class book.

[sarahz1916]

We read Margaret Wise Brown's The Important Book, which a sweet, touching story that follows the same pattern on each page as it describes something small in daily life. For example,
"The important thing about snow is it ______.
It ________________, It __________,It _______________,
but the important thing about snow is it __________."
You repeat the beginning important quality in the ending line.

I then assign each student a secret friend from our classroom to write about after modeling with a favorite teacher from our school, and we go through the writing process to write our own Important Book. We brainstorm adjectives, rough draft, edit, and publish. We then share them with the class. Each child is so excited to share what he/she has written and see what someone wrote about them! We also display them in the hallway. It is so heartwarming!!!