Valentine, You Melt My Heart!
I LOVE melted crayon art.
You can do these black-framed templates each month using a different theme (shamrocks for March) and your students will never tire of them.
They have an outstanding stained-glass look, when hung in the windows or make an eye-catching bulletin board, by sprinkling them kitty whompus on a white or aluminum foil background with a paper lace border. Caption: Valentine, You Melt My Heart!
They are quick and easy, with terrific results; who could ask for more? Plus, peeling crayons and manipulating a sharpener, make for wonderful practice with fine motor skills.
Follow the project up with a mini lesson on secondary colors, as your students watch the crayons melt into each other and the yellow and red shavings blend to make a vibrant orange etc.
Here’s how to make a stained-glass crayon melt valentine heart:
Make heart templates from my master out of old file folders. Students trace them on a sheet of black construction paper.
Make sure to tell them to keep their paper folded in half.
Children cut on the lines, open their paper and are always amazed to find a heart.
If you have a Duplo, simply run off my master on black construction paper, fold the paper and have students cut on the lines.
As children finish, call them up to the melting table.
Lay a towel on the table and put down a sheet of wax paper.
Students have already selected the color crayons they wanted on their heart from the broken crayon tub and have removed the paper wrappings.
Children insert the crayon into the sharpener and twist it once. Make sure they sprinkle their filings on different spots of the wax paper.
You may want to have them swirl their pile of shavings with a Q-tip before you melt them.
Lay another sheet of wax paper over the top.
Set the iron on the lowest setting and lay it on top of the wax paper for a second. Lift and put on another spot.
I have experimented with “ironing” the sheet , rubbing it gently back and forth, instead of just pressing it up and down, but found that the colors run too much and smear into a big mess, sometimes ending up to have a “brownish” color instead of a nice melted many-color effect.
Practice does make perfect here, so you may want to experiment a bit before you start on your students’ projects.
Children brush Elmer’s glue on their black heart frame with a Q-tip and lay it on top of the wax paper.
Press with palms.
Let dry and then cut off the wax paper edges.
Since the backs are lovely too, these look great dangling from the ceiling as well.
Simply punch a hole in the top, make a yarn or ribbon loop and hang.
For another interesting look, have children put tissue paper squares on the wax paper using Elmer's glue. I really like the new CLEAR Elmer's it's perfect for this type of project.
When dry, brush lightly with Modge Podge and then mount the black heart frame on the top. They look cute sprinkled lightly with opalescent glitter too!
Do NOT hang in the window, because the sun will fade the tissue paper colors.
Click on the link to view/print the Melted Crayon Valentine Heart directions & pix
These lovely melted crayon hearts made from waxpaper are from Martha Stewart.
Do you have a valentine idea you could share with us? I'd enjoy hearing from you: diane@teachwithme.com OR...post a comment, especially if you use one of mine! Thanks in advance.
Be sure and stop on in tomorrow for another fun idea.
If you want to do something special for your students this year, it only takes about ½ an hour to make 2-dozen valentine bookmarks for them.
They make a nice keepsake and something they can use for the up-coming March is Reading Month activities.
Here’s how:
Using a paper cutter cut red construction or scrapbook paper into 11x3 strips.
Punch a heart shape in the bottom of the bookmark. My paper punch was 2 inches tall.
Make a color copy of your class composite. Cut children’s individual pictures out and tape or glue them to the back of the heart window.
Run off the “You’ve got a special place in my heart…” saying; cut the strips out and glue one to the middle of a bookmark.
Write your students’ names on the top.
Sign your name to the back.
Laminate them for durability.
If you want, tape a lollipop on the back so that it peeks out of the top.
Click on the link to print the article and pix. Valentine Bookmark
Do you have something fun that you do for your students for Valentine's Day? I'd enjoy hearing from you. diane@teachwithme.com OR...leave a comment. Thanks in advance.
Just like yesterday, I have a double-article for you. Scroll down for the "You Melt My Heart!" valentine.
Garland On The Go:
The Perfect Valentine's Day Crown For Little Girls + Paper Plate Crowns For the Guys!
Trust me when I say these heart garland “crowns” will be a hit with your little girls for Valentine’s Day.
I wanted to post some past pix of my little cherubs wearing these, but parents are picky about the Internet, So...
I erased my students' faces, but the photographs looked like something out of a spooky movie. I think you'll get the idea from Sloopy the sheep.
Chloe, my puppy, was having nothing to do with me and Valentine crowns,
after I put a birthday party hat on her Saturday.
I made these metallic heart crowns for the first time 13 years ago when I was a teacher’s aid for 2nd grade.
When my class came in from recess, over a dozen little girls from other classes followed them, begging me to please make them one too!
PTL I had extra supplies so I could. They have continued to be a hit year after year.
Don’t leave the boys out tho’. They need some sort of “manly” crown. I make these out of valentine border and let them slap a heart in the middle with their name on it. Sentence strips also work well.
While on Pinterest, (How addicting is that?) I found a quick heart crown at alphamom.com Her adorable daughters are pictured in these cute paper plate crowns. Click on the link to check out her very creative site.
This red pointy, heart-tipped crown, comes from Enchanted Learning. Click on the link for directions. Valentine Paper Plate Crown.
The white one is from Aunt Annie, another fun site for cute ideas. Valentine Paper Plate Crown #2
Any of these would be great for the males in your class.
Here's How To Make A Heart Garland Wreath For The Girls:
The Dollar Store and just about any other craft store sells the metallic heart garland.
Cut 22-inch lengths of garland. I use two strings so that there are more hearts, but you can get away with a single strand too.
Twist the ends together to make a circle. This can easily be crimped to tighten around a little girl’s head so they don't slip off.
In the photo, I used red tinsel that I bought 80% off after Christmas, along with pre-curled metallic ribbon bows. Simply loop it around one end and tie with a piece of ribbon that then cascades down and blends in with the rest.
I’ve also made the crowns extra special, by using a variety of real ribbon cut in various lengths, whenever I’ve found it on sale by the bolt, at fabric and crafts stores.
So that they don’t get tangled, loop them over a coat hanger ‘til you deliver them to the delighted dainty damsels on Valentine’s Day; they'll feel like fairy princesses!
Click on the link to print the article's directions and pix. Valentine Crowns
I would enjoy hearing your Valentine's Day ideas: diane@teachwithme.com OR...post a comment here, especially if you use an idea.
Be sure and stop back tomorrow for more Valentine fun!
It's All In the Cards... How Do I Love You? Let Me Count The Ways!
I LOVE playing cards and have purchased decks at The Dollar Store to make a variety of math center games.
It was while looking at all those heart cards that my brain was thinking: What can I do with these to make a February lesson ? when “It’s All In The Cards” was born.
This little booklet will help reinforce a number of skills: writing, reading, counting, and sequencing in a fun way + provide a keepsake valentine for parents!
Here’s how to make a booklet:
Run off copies of my templates with the playing card clipart on it.
Students cut and sequence their cards and then glue them to the appropriate pages.
If you’re running these off on a copier, you might want to have students trace around the hearts with a red marker to add some zip and color to their pages.
You could also give them 10 red heart stickers to place one on each card.
Children trace and then write the numbers and number words.
I did mine with markers, in rainbow color order + pink, brown, gray and turquoise.
To make this even more of a keepsake, make copies of your students’ school pix, cut into small ovals and have them paste it on the last page.
Boys use the king card, girls the queen.
Students cut their papers into 1/4ths following the lines, then sequence their pages and staple.
When everyone is done, read the booklet as a whole group activity to reinforce concepts of print, then have children pair off and read it to each other.
Students will then be able to read their valentine to their family--a double gift of love!
Click on the link to download the Playing Card Valentine Booklet
Be sure and pop back tomorrow for another valentine activity.
Do you have a cute one you’d like to share? diane@teachwithme.com
If you print mine, I’d enjoy a comment! Thanks
How Sweet It Is! A Card and Writing Prompts All Rolled Into One!
Recycle those old newspapers and you’ve got yourself a really cute Valentine or writing activity for February.
Run off copies of the "Here's the scoop!" cones on brown construction paper and have students cut them out.
Make templates from file folders for your students to use to trace onto a page of the newspaper.
They cut out their scoop of ice cream, glue it to their cone and then top it off with a cherry heart.
I’ve also provided a template for the “cherries” or you can give students large sparkly-heart stickers to add that finishing touch.
Run off the “flipped-up” messages and give students a choice of what they want to do/write about, OR you could have them make this a valentine AND writing prompt and do both, then staple the pages together.
I “hinged” the completed cone with a small square of Scotch tape stuck to the cherry and attached it to a sheet of scrapbook paper.
Stores have all sorts of packs on sale at this time of year. If not, print off a 40-50% off coupon from one of the major craft chains.
These make a cute bulletin board on a black background with paper lace for the framed border. OR…
Hang them in a row in the hallway, just high enough so that people can flip and read. Send them home on Valentine’s Day.
Click on the link to download the Here's The Scoop Valentine Card February Writing Prompt activity.
Be sure and pop back Tuesday for more Valentine ideas.
