You can view/print the February art templates at the end of the article. 

Groundhog Day Picture

Review all of the basic shapes with this cute and quick Groundhog Day picture.  Here's how:  

• Run off the master on blue construction paper if the groundhog has seen his shadow, white construction paper if he has not. 
•  Run off the triangle pine trees on green construction paper.  I have made them 3 different sizes so that you can also review small-medium and large!  
• Print  color copies of the groundhog so that each student has one to cut out and glue to their oval-shaped burrow.  
• Point out the various shapes on the paper and ask your students what shape that represents.  
• Students cut and glue their trees in a cluster on the left-hand side of the paper.  (This project is also a nice review of left and right as well as other spatial directions.)  
• Inform students if the groundhog has seen his shadow.  
• If he has, they need to draw a shadow in front of their groundhog using a black crayon.  
• If he has not, have them draw a cloud on a piece of white scrap paper and glue it over their sun.  
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• Children TRACE around the heart, as well as the appropriate yes/rectangle or no/square with a crayon. 
• If the groundhog has seen his shadow, explain to your class that legend has it that we'll have 6 more weeks of winter.  
• Give everyone a Q-tip and a dollop of white paint on a paper plate.  
• Students dip their Q-tip into the paint and decorate their groundhog picture with "snowflakes".  
• Set pictures aside to dry.  
• If the groundhog does not see his shadow, have children color the bottom of their papers with green grass and flowers and put a happy face on their sun, for springtime is just around the corner!

Harrison and Heidi The Happy Hearts:

These danglers and quick and easy and if your students are like my Y5's they will LOVE making these heart-shaped pals to either take home or have hung as a delightful decoration, dangling from the ceiling. Here's how: 

• Run off the heart master on red and pink construction paper.  I like to do two colors because I think it's important to give students a choice.  
• My girls usually pick the pink hearts and my boys usually pick the red ones, but sometimes the boys pick pink because they are making the "pal" for their mommies, which I think is really sweet. 
• Cut strips of white paper the length of a long sheet of extra large construction paper (These will be the legs). (You can use regular size construction paper for younger children so that it is more manageable for them. I used the smaller size so that I could fit it on the photograph.  I like the longer strips for legs because it's extra fine-motor skill practice and the longer legs look cuter dangling from the ceiling.) 
• Cut smaller strips from the width of the paper (These will be the arms.) Students will need two of each. 
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• Demonstrate how to accordion fold a strip of paper.  
• Children fold all of their strips of paper and glue them to the backs of their heart so that their pal has arms and legs. 
• Students can decide if they want their arms shorter, and simply snip off a bit of length and then glue them to the sides of their heart. 
• You can make the project as simple as this, or you can pre-cut some medium and small hearts to review those 3 sizes and have children glue them on for hands and feet. 
• I like to make the small-hand hearts red and the medium-feet hearts black. 
• For a bit of pizzazz, children can add dot-dash details around the edges of these smaller hearts using crayons or markers. 
• Have students write their name on the black-heart shoe with a white crayon.  
• If you opt not to do "shoe hearts", then have students write their name with a black crayon on the back of their large heart. 
• Students add a bit of color to the face of their pal.  
• To add a bit of pizzazz, if you want, you can add a bit of glitter glue to the dot-dash edges.
• You could also give each student two heart stickers for the cheeks.
• Wiggle eyes also add some 3-D pop, but aren't necessary.  
• Punch a hole in the V at the top of the heart, add a loop of yarn and hang from the ceiling with a paperclip. 

Super Quick Craft Card:

• If you have access to an Ellison die-cutting machine and the boy/girl silhouettes, make 2 for each of your students out of black construction paper.  
• On your printer, make a copy of your class composite.  
• Cut your students' photographs into ovals.  
• Have them glue them onto the face of one of the figures.  
• Students glue their figure to their choice of construction paper and the other foot-to-foot with the photo figure so that it looks like their shadow.  
• They write their name under the figure with a black marker and then trace around it with a piece of white chalk.  
• Add a paper white heart lace doily with the typed caption: Me and my shadow and present to parents as a greeting card on Groundhog Day. 

100 Day Mask:

My Y5's love wearing masks.  You can punch a hole in either side of these and tie them on your students/children with yarn, or tape on a Popsicle stick and have them hold it up to their face; either way they will enjoy wearing them to help celebrate the big day.  Run off the master on white copy paper.  Students color the 100 in zany colors with crayons or markers and then TRACE the words.  An adult pre-cuts the eye-holes the day before to expedite things.  Students cut out the nose hole.  Glue on to a paper plate that has been cut in half with an oval cut out for the nose.  These could have been hole punched and tied with yarn the day before as well.  Have fun and Happy 100 Day to you and yours! 

Click here to print/view the February Art templates.  

Just in time for Valentine's Day I made a few puzzles, a thank you note for helpers, a trace and write skill sheet, some pencil toppers + some certificates you can give to your students. Enjoy

Click here to print/view the Valentine Fun Sheets. 

I hope you have a fantastic February, filled with everything and everyone that you love the most!

As always if you have some arts crafts and activities you'd like to share with us, we'd enjoy hearing from you! diane@teachwithme.com