1-2-3 Come Do Some Valentine Craftivities With Me

I loved decorating the hallway outside my classroom.  I never had enough bulletin boards, so it was inevitable that I'd spill out into the hallway.  Nobody minded as they said it made things look educational and festive.

I think showcasing student work is a huge self-esteem builder.  It also let the parents, vistors and the rest of the school in on what my Y5's were doing.  

With that in mind, I wanted to design some writing activities that were a bit on the crafty side, for your students to have fun with.  

No matter what grade I taught, (PK, K, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 12th and even college) my students really enjoyed incorporating a bit of art into other subject areas.

An easy way to do this is with writing prompts.  Instead of just writing on paper, have students write on their creations.  In the 3D heart dangler, students choose 3 different writing prompts: people, places, things, sports, subjects, books, movies, music etc. that they LOVE. 

You can use my templates, or the plain blank heart.  This can be 3 days worth of writing, or a take home assignment.

Three different color paper hearts are cut, folded and glued together to make a 3D hanging heart. 

The writing prompt heart in the photo is yellow, blue and orange. For that finishing touch, have students glue on their school picture to one of the hearts, and then "autograph" the bottom.

The other photo shows a 3D heart that is hot pink, light pink and purple. 

So that students can practice their keyboarding skills, have them write a rough draft for each of the 3 prompts that they chose, edit and then type them up and glue one on each of their hearts.

Punch a hole at the top and tie a yarn loop. They will look awesome swirling and twirling from the ceiling.

If you'd like a caption, you could have a large 2-sided heart that says: "Mrs./Mr. _____________'s Class LOVES Writing!"  Click on the link to view/download the 3D Writing Prompt Heart packet.

Yesterday I posted some holiday Venn diagrams.  While I was putzing with those, I thought it would be interesting to design a heart-shaped Venn diagram, and have students choose a partner to make a "Venn Friend" with. 

Each student writes their own "different" half of the diagram, and then works together on the "same" section with their partner.

Make sure you create one of your own to share as an example.  You can also have students choose primary colors that when combined make a seconday color.  I thought of this after I had made my sample, and should have used red and yellow hearts with an orange center.  Just a thought. Students could also choose their favorite colors as well. 

Have children share their Venn Friend with the class and then scatter them on a bulletin board, or hang back-to-back from the ceiling.  A caption could be:  We Are Different. We Are The Same. We Are Friends!  

These would also be a nice craftivity for Martin Luther King Day.  I've included two heart-shaped Venn diagrams for Valentine's Day, plus another, without the valentine caption, so you can use it for MLK Day or a back-to-school "meet my new friend" activity.   Click on the link to view/download the heart-shaped Valentine Venn Friend packet.

Thanks for visiting today.  Feel free to PIN away. 

"Education is hanging around until you've caught on." -Robert Frost

1-2-3 Come Do Some More Valentine's Day Activities With Me

To help build vocabulary, each month I added themed words to our word wall.  There are a ton of words that are associated with love and  Valentine's Day, so I decided to make an alphabetical list and came up with 240. 

There are 2 covers for a Valentine Dictionary, so that students can think up their own word list, and then look up and record any new words from mine that you want your students to know. 

This makes a wonderful Daily 5 word work activity.  Click on the link to view/download the Valentine Vocabulary packet.

Another interesting way to practice words and letters is with my tri-hearts.   You can use the template in a variety of ways. 

The photo shows: upper and lowercase letters (Put one on each side and then flip open to reveal a picture of a word that starts with those letters.); compound words, contractions, as well as equations.  

I've also included an owl valentine your students can make. Click on the link to view/download the Folded Heart packet.

For more writing practice, have students pick a holiday and compare it with Valentine's Day.  I've designed 12 holiday Venn diagrams for your students to choose from, plus a blank one for them to add something different. 

When they are done with their Venn diagram, have students complete the writing prompt: My favorite holiday is ... because ...  Click on the link to view/download the Valentine Venn Diagram Writing Prompt packet.

Finally, I had a few special requests.  Kara, from Florida, needed some valentine themed puzzles for her young kinders to do on party day.  Laura Strickland's clip art is so adorable, that I designed 20 different puzzles, that will help students count forwards and backwards, as well as skip count by 10's to 100. 

I've included 3 black and white puzzles for your kiddos to color, cut and take home; or they can glue their puzzle pieces to a sheet of construction paper, leaving a small space inbetween each piece.  The results are an interesting mosaic work of art and make a cool bulletin board. 

Besides using the puzzles for a center, have students choose a partner and play "Speed" to see who can complete their puzzle first.  You can also make puzzle flip books.  Choose 3 puzzles, mix them up and then staple the top section to the numbered puzzle grid. 

Students decide which puzzle they want to search for, and flip each strip 'til they find the correct one that will complete their choice. Click on the link to view/download the Twenty Valentine's Day Puzzle packet.

Theresa, from Kansas, requested some heart-themed clock cards. This was also on my "to do" list, so I got busy.  The cards include digital as well as analog times to the hour and half hour.  (Common Core State Standard: 1.MD.3)

Use the cards for whole group assessing, flashcard reviews, or a bulletin board.  Make extra sets; cut them up and use for puzzles and games such as Memory Match and "I Have; Who Has?"  

I've included blank clocks so students can fill them in, as well as a clockless set for you to program with whatever. Click on the link to view/download the Heart-Themed Clock Cards.

Thanks for visiting today.  Feel free to PIN away. 

"Education is the key to unlocking the world; a passport to freedom." -Oprah Winfrey