In the Elizabeth Lee Black School, we celebrate all of the holidays by decorating the classroom doors and windows. It always amazes me as to the creativity of our staff and students.  I confess, that when it comes to art projects, that definitely is NOT one of my strengths!  So, I thought that I might share some of the activities our staff are doing with the students so that you might try them out with your children at home. 

One of our classrooms made mess-free finger painting. The staff put paper down, poured some paint of the children’s’ choices (Valentine’s Day colors) on it, and covered with plastic and taped the corners down. The students “finger painted” and spread all the colors out, and then staff added a cut out heart around it and put the student’s name stamp in the corner.

Another classroom is doing a couple Valentine’s Day projects:  

“I love you to pieces” tissue paper heart – Students used two hands to tear tissue paper (red, pink, white) into pieces. Students then glued the pieces of tissue paper inside a Valentine’s Day heart.

Pom Pom Painting Heart – Students used big, fluffy pom poms attached to clothes pins to “dip and dab” red and pink paint around a heart outline. Once the students were completed, we lifted the heart outline off the canvas they were painting on. Each student’s pom pom heart is a little different, which makes it even more fun!

Another art activity for Valentine’s Day is one that can modified for any ability level using watercolor paper, color spritzers (spray pump bottles with shimmer paint) and a cut-out heart. Trace a heart, cut it out, attach to paper with tape, spritz paint, remove heart. You can mix any color paint with water to make the spritz.

The PreK Counts program used air dried clay to make hearts using cookie cutters and then painted them. Children also brought in their own boxes to decorate as their Valentine mailboxes (first covered them with wrapping paper of their choice and then they used stickers, sequins, heart cutouts and doilies to decorate them. Kristin Fisher, a PreK Counts teachers says, “We also take the time during the week of Valentine’s Day to focus on being a good friend and I love the “love monster” book series to read with the students and we make our very own love monsters.”

Happy Valentine’s Day!