Valentine Classroom Craft Ideas?

[juddaca Heater]

I am teaching a Valentine craft for 22 1st graders. Everything I keep finding seems so girly: Paper flowers, heart butterflies, ribbon bracelets...Any ideas that would interest the guys as well?

[Ronda Nix]

How about keychains for their backpacks with polyshrink initials on them? Or maybe treat bags with toppers? Is it a stamping thing you are looking for, or just a general craft? I am assuming this is for the kids to keep for themselves?
Ronda

[amyboomboom]

I am having the kids in my son's class decorate a white paper lunch bag with a wheel. Red ink of course, have not decided on what wheel yet, but I have several. We are also making a valentine day card for them to give to their parents/grandparent/some one special using the Toucan of my love set. They will have to do the stamping and coloring! I will have all the paper cut of course!

How about a stamping a bookmark! I have done that with Daisy troops and they seem to love it...and it is not girly (depending on the set/colors you use!)

Good luck!

[HeidiAnn Stublaski]

Last year the paper crafts mag had a bumble bee pattern that you made using a tootsie pop. I know I saw one in the gallery a few days ago as well. We did these with Kindergarden, 4th grade and 5th grade classes.

[wingnut137]

My son likes to make valentine "mice".

-Cut a heart out of card stock (or construction paper).
-Fold in half.
-Color in a nose at the pointed end, draw on whiskers, and glue on a "googly" eye.
-Open the heart an tape some thread on the rounded side on the inside. This is the tail.
-Decorate the inside however you wish.

Here's the one my son made. not bad for a 4-year-old!

--Lisa

[MissyR_25]

I just did this project with 14 7-8 year olds for Girl Scouts. I also teach 2nd grade and I think I will use it with my class next week. They can make sucker covers. Just buy flat suckers (Target had bags of heart ones for $1.00 this week) and give them a rectangle of cardstock that is big enough to fold in half and cover the sucker. They can decorate it with stamps, stickers, or even draw on both sides. I then punched holes with the double circle punch, (any hole punch will do) down by the bottom. Lay the sucker inside with the stick in between the holes and use a ribbon to tie it together. The girls loved this and the only thing I had to help them with was threading the ribbon and tying the bow. Hope that makes sense!

[Sandybeach]

hi! If you decide to do the flat sucker covers- usually a plain white index card will fit & they will SAVE you time cutting out cardstock. Just a FYI

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I am doing the magic cards for the boys in my sons class and the little purse template for the girls. My son (10 yrs old) loved both of these ideas and they were a BIG hit with the gals at my last stamp camp!

[juddaca Heater]

These are helpful ideas. Thank you for posting your input. I think I need to scale back my thinking. It helps to hear what everyone else is planning.