Tot School: Love + DIY Crayon Hearts
Welcome! I hope you & your family had a wonderful Valentine's Day. I understand some people don't like to celebrate Valentine's but we sure do! We don't do the conventional candy though as Reagan doesn't really have a sweet tooth thankfully. We do however, talk about love & ways we can show others we care. We make homemade Valentine cards for our friends & family & decorate our home with hearts because what's not to love about little hearts?
We read many books on the Valentine's & love subject this week. They include:
- Guess How Much I Love You by Sam McBratney. This popular children's book about two Nutbrown Hares who try to out show the other how much they love them. Daddy always tells Reagan & I that he loves us "to the moon & back" so this story is indeed close to our hearts.
- Mama Do You Love Me by Barbara M. Joosse. Another book close to my heart. This story of a girl's independence & testing her mother's love, was a story my mother read to me. It's heartwarming that I'm now doing the same to my own child.
- Peppa Pig and the I Love You Game by Candlewick Press. If your child is a fan of Peppa, then they'll love this story about the things Peppa & her family love most of all.
- Mr. Goat's Valentine by Eve Bunting. Realizing it's Valentine's day, Mr. Goat goes in search of special gifts for his first love. This has a sweet little ending!
- Pete the Cat's Groovy Guide to Love by James Dean. Reagan loves his Pete the Cat books & this one is filled with famous love quotes along with Pete's tips on how to be a good friend.
- Bunny Roo, I Love You by Melissa Marr. I absolutely adore the illustrations in this story about a newborn & their mama.
- Mirabel's Missing Valentine by Janet Lawler. Another book with beautiful illustrations. Little Mirabel mouse loses her Valentine's & they're found by those who need them most.
- I Love You Just Like This by Sesame Workshop. Sesame Street lovers, just how many ways can Elmo's mommy say she loves Elmo?
We did a few things this week to show love to those we care about. First, we passed out handmade Valentine's to our friends, then we made daddy mommy's special Coffee + Bailey's truffles (which I'll make a separate post for), & we attended the Sweetheart Party at our local Gymboree Play & Music where we decorated hearts, sang songs, & gathered for a special treat with our friends. Reagan adores his Gymboree family & we love seeing them all together during special events.
Our "love" themed crafts this week included:
- Melted Crayon Hearts. For this project you'll need:
- Silicone heart-shaped mold. You can find these at Michael's or on Amazon.
- Broken crayons. I've heard Crayola works best, but I used a mix of cheap & Crayola & didn't notice any difference.
- Cutting board (preferably one designated for crafts because I found it impossible to get wax residue off mine).
- Knife to chop crayons.
- Preheat oven to 200 F.
- Have your child take the wrapping off the crayons & place on a cutting board
- An adult can cut the crayons into small pieces.
- Have your child place pieces into mold. It's ok if the pieces overfill the mold a bit because the wax will melt down. You can mix & match your colors too; we chose to do three color combinations for ours: pinks/red/purple, green/blue/white, & orange/yellow/gold.
- Parents, place the mold on a baking sheet & place in oven. Watch for all the wax to melt, ours took about 20 minutes.
- Take out & cool for an hour before attempting to remove the hearts from the mold.
- "Stained Glass" Heart. For this project you'll need:
- Contact paper.
- Colored craft paper in either pink, red, or white
- Tissue paper in pink, red, & white
- Cut a heart out of craft paper & cut the middle out too.
- Trace the outside of the heart on the removable side of the contact paper & cut.
- Peel contact paper backing off & adhere to the back of your craft paper heart.
- Cut a bunch of small pieces of tissue.
- Tape heart to a window & let your child place the tissue on the contact paper.
What did you guys do for Valentine's Day? Are you a full blown Valentine lover or think it's totally cliché? Let me know below in the comments & as always, follow my Tot School Pinterest Board for more fun ideas to do with your littles!
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