10 Creative Homemade Valentines and Valentine Gifts

1. Chocolate Covered Oreo Valentine Suckers

I made these just the same way I made chocolate covered oreos for Christmas, except instead putting crushed up candycanes on top, I put valentine colored sprinkles and stuck a small wooden skewer in the bottom to make it a popsicle. (Regular popsicle sticks don't work as well with oreos because they sometimes are too big and push the oreos apart, but a small wooden skewer makes a great popsicle stick).

You can give these out with the saying "I'm a Sucker for You" (Cute free printable here)

2. Heart Attack--I did this for my husband on the door to our room. I printed out pictures from the last 10 years of our marriage/dating and then cut out hearts on wrote things I loved about him on each heart.

3. Books with the saying "You Wrote the Book on . . . "

I have a free printable here with the sayings "You Wrote the Book on Being Cool!" and "You Wrote the Book on Being Cute!"

(You could also use this saying with a bookmark instead of a book).

4. Puzzle with the saying "I Love You to Pieces."

This was a puzzle my son's friend made for him by painting a blank heart-shaped puzzle he had purchased at the store. You could also make your own heart shaped puzzle by cutting out a heart on heavy paper, cardboard, or foam board.

5. Felt heart with the saying "Love is Felt."
My sweet 93-year-old grandma made these felt heart magnets for us. It is just a felt heart on a small doily with a magnet on the back.

6. Stained Glass Valentine--I found this idea on Pinterest and created my own version of this valentine to give to my husband. I just used ready-made black puff paint and oil pastels.

7. Lift-a-flap Book Valentine
I made a miniature book out of paper, and then used post-it-notes as my lift-a-flaps. Under each flap I wrote something I loved about the person I was giving the valentine to.

8. Pop-up Valentine--We used  this template from Robert Sabuda's Website to make easy pop-up valentines (Check out all of the other pop-up templates on his website as well! They are so fun to do with kids).

9. Melted Crayon Shaving Valentine Hearts--Instructions for these melted crayon hearts are in my L is for Love Post. Basically, place crayon shavings between pieces of waxed paper and use a hot iron to melt the wax and create a cool design.

(In this picture they are hung from the ceiling as decorations, but they could also be used as part of valentine cards).

10. Handprint/Footpint Heart--Nothing is sweeter than seeing your little child's hands or feet preserved in art. You could do two hands together to form a heart:

(I've also seen a heart formed from two feet with the saying, "I love you from the bottom of my heart to the tips of my toes."

Or even one simple handprint on a doily can be sweet. My daughter did this one at the library and it was paired with a quote from the book I'll Love You Forever.

Be sure to also check out 6 Creative Homemade Valentines that we shared last year, and see all of our Valentine's Ideas here!

I also have a Pinterest Board just for valentine cards and gifts.

Fun Activities for National Children's Dental Health Month (with free printable)

February is National Children's Dental Health Month. In honor of my kids' uncle who is a dentist, I thought I'd share a few fun things you can do with your preschool age children to teach them about dental health.

• Make a happy tooth/sad tooth collage. You can use the free printable below that I created and then collect old magazines or grocery store ads. Have your child cut out different foods and glue each food to the appropriate tooth--if it is a food that is good for our teeth, glue it to the happy tooth. If it is a food that is not good for our teeth, glue it to the sad tooth.

(Click on the image above to go to the free printable)

• Teach your kids why it is important to brush their teeth by doing a science demonstration with an egg and vinegar. First take a regular egg and have the kids carefully observe it. Have them feel how the shell is hard when they touch it. Then, place the egg in a cup of vinegar over night. In the morning, have the kids feel the egg again. That same shell that used to be hard will be soft and squishy. My older son really did not like how the egg felt soft and slimy after it had sat in vinegar. So it was good motivation to him to brush his teeth. I told him that the eggshells have calcium in them just like our teeth. And vinegar is an acid that breaks apart the calcium. Soda is an example of a food that has acid in it like vinegar--so that is why we should limit our soda intake and brush our teeth often to help protect our teeth!

• Use some of these cute free printables or these ideas from 2 Teaching Mommies with your kids!

• Pretend to brush teeth with a giant toothbrush/tooth. I created the tooth from pink and white construction paper, and then I laminated it. Then, I created a giant toothbrush by gluing felt to an old ruler. My kids drew "food" on the tooth with dry erase markers and then cleaned off the food using the toothbrush like an eraser.

• Take a field trip to the dentist (or invite a dentist to come to your home or school to speak). We went to a wonderful dentist who put on a cute puppet show for the kids and let all the kids take a "ride" in his chair and touch his tools. What a great way to help combat some of that anxiety that kids sometimes feel when going to the dentist.

• Read books about dentists. The following books are some that we enjoyed. I have found that some "real-life" books about visiting the dentist made my kids even more nervous, but the following are some books that are upbeat and fun:
• Maisy, Charley, and the Wobbly Tooth: A Maisy First Experience Book--This introduces kids to some things you might see at a dentist's office with the fun characters from that they might be familiar with from Maisy books.
• Show Me Your Smile!: A Visit to the Dentist (Dora the Explorer)--Follow Dora the Explorer as she visits the dentist. This is an upbeat, positive look at visiting the dentist.
• I also like the following book, though it will not prepare your child to visit the dentist, it is quite entertaining--though I do recommend it for older kids as it would scare young kids.
• Doctor De Soto--What does a mouse do when a fox asks him to fix his teeth? Dr. DeSoto helps out the fox with a toothache, but then he tricks the fox to protect himself.

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Linked up with I can Teach My Child and No Time for Flashcards.

Science Lesson Plan: States of Matter

Before I had kids of my own, I spent a summer as a science camp teacher. I loved doing hands-on activities with children to teach them about science. Some of the parents jokingly called our science camp "toy camp" because most of our science lessons had some sort of hands-on toy that we gave the children which was associated with the concept of the day. That's the great thing about science. We can find science experiments all around us--even in our toys--it isn't just some boring thing we read about in textbooks. 

Later, after I was no longer teaching summer camp, some of my friends who were teaching their children at home asked me to be a "guest teacher" for their preschool and kindergarten age kids. So I adapted one of my lessons about states of matter for the children. This lesson was a big hit with the kids.

States of Matter Lesson Plan

Objectives:

(1) Students will be able to identify the difference between solids, liquids, and gases.

(2) Students will be able to understand that matter can change from one state to another.

Key Terms:

• matter
• molecule
• solid
• liquid
• gas

Materials Needed:

• magnifying glass
• random small objects to observe
• containers with solids, liquids, and gases
• test tube
• balloon
• baking soda
• vinegar
• diet coke
• mentos
• handouts
• scissors
• crayons
• glue

Lesson Activities:

Matter and Molecules

First, I introduced the term "matter." I taught the students that matter is all of the "stuff" around us. I had students take turns pointing to matter that they saw in the room.

Then I introduced the idea of molecules. I had the kids look at a few items of matter through a magnifying glass and see if they could notice anything different looking at the items closely. Some things you don't notice about objects until you look at them with a magnifying glass. Molecules are so small that we can't see them even with a magnifying glass but they are still there. Everything around us is made out of tiny invisible molecules.

States of Matter

Next, I taught the different types of matter. I did a human demonstration in which the kids became the molecules. First I had them stand close together making a wall. I had them stay still, and I showed them how I couldn't get through their wall. I explained to them that they were acting like a solid. We defined a solid and identified other solids in the room. Next I had them spread a little bit apart. They were allowed to move a little, but not very much. I showed them how I could "swim" through them because they were acting like a liquid. We defined a liquid and identified liquids in the room. Finally, they became gas molecules. They loved spreading out and running around. I showed them how easy it was for me to run in between them. We defined a gas.

To test their knowledge I pulled out containers with different objects. I had old baby food containers that I filled with random liquids and solids. I also had one empty container to represent gas. I let the kids take turns choosing a container. Each child opened the container and got to examine the object inside. Then, I quizzed them on whether that object was a solid, liquid, or gas.

Changing Matter

I introduced the idea of changing matter by talking about super heroes. Super heroes have many different talents--some can fly, some can turn invisible, some have super strength. We get to be super heroes today by becoming matter changers (just like Frozone in The Incredibles). I had the kids chant "1-2-3 Matter changers!" with me.

I then taught students about how matter can change from one form to another. I explained the example of an water, ice, and steam. We talked about how when we are cold we like to cuddle up in blankets to get warm. But when we are hot, we like to run around and have fun. Molecules are the same way. When they get cold, they get closer together. When they get hot, they spread apart. When can change matter by making it hot or cold.

I then told students that we can change matter in other ways. Sometimes when you mix two different things you can make a new thing--like when you bake cookies. You can do that with matter. You can take two kinds of matter and turn them into a different kind of matter.

I pulled out the balloon, baking soda, vinegar, and test tube. I had the students look at each item and decide whether the item was a solid, liquid, or gas. Then, once they had observed the baking soda and vinegar, I used a funnel to pour some baking soda into the balloon and some vinegar into the test tube. Then I attached the balloon to the test tube. We did our chant "1-2-3 Matter Changers!" and I lifted up the balloon to allow the baking soda to drop inside and mix with the vinegar. The reaction of the baking soda and vinegar caused the balloon to inflate on its own. I explained to the students that the solid and liquid had created a gas that was now filling the balloon. A video of my preschool aged boys doing this demonstration is below:

Playing with Matter

For our finale, I took the kids outside to play some more with matter. On the way out, we identified solids, liquids, and gases around us. Then, I pulled out the materials for our last experiment. I had a bottle of diet coke a pack of mentos. I also used the special test tube below:

  

I had students identify states of matter one more time. I explained that the diet coke actually had both a liquid and a gas in it. The bubbles were the gas. I had the kids guess what they thought would happen if I mixed the solid mentos with the liquid soda and gas bubbles. Then, we loaded a pack of mentos in my test tube and dropped the mentos into the soda. The kids loved watching the diet coke geyser shoot up in the air. I explained to them what had happened. When we dropped the mentos in, the gas bubbles all stuck to the mentos. Because the gas bubbles were jumping around taking up so much space, there wasn't enough space for the liquid in the bottle anymore. So the liquid was pushed out into a fountain. After the explanation, we tried the experiment one more time.

And just in case, you've never seen this demonstration before, here's a classic video of diet coke and mentos geysers in action.

Review

For a review activity, I had students color a solid, liquid, gas handout that I had made. Then they they found pictures of items that represented each state of matter and glued them on top of the corresponding state of matter. I had some clipart of several items I had found from searching online already printed for the kids to sort. You could also have them look through magazines or advertisements for items to fit into each category.

Some examples of pictures of items that would fit each category:

Liquid: juice, water, soup, soda
Solid: car, apple, watch
Gas: wind, steam, bubbles

Below is an image of the States of Matter handout I created that you could print out to go with this activity:

We had a lot of fun experimenting with solids, liquids, and gases. For more ideas for teaching your kids about science, check out my Science Pinterest Board.

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Free Printables and Tips for Setting up a Babysitting Co-op

When I was pregnant with my third child, I got together with friends to form a babysitting co-op. There were a lot of tasks such as grocery shopping, going to to the doctor, going to the laundromat, and exercising--that were difficult to do while pregnant with two other little kids, so this co-op was a lifesaver for me! Other moms who had older children and wanted to be able to volunteer in their kids' classrooms were able to because they had the babysitting co-op to help provide daytime babysitters for younger kids.

In case anyone else has considered setting up a babysitting co-op, I wanted to share with you some of the rules we set up for our coop, as well as offer some free printable documents I created for using within our co-op.

About

When I was organizing the babysitting co-op, I distributed this Q & A to several of my friends who were Moms and asked them if they would be interested in joining me in creating a babysitting co-op.

BABYSITTING CO-OP Q & A

Q. What is a babysitting co-op?

A. A babysitting co-op is a group of moms who arrange in a formal way to be available for babysitting trading.

Q. Why would I want to join the babysitting co-op?

A. You might have a doctor appointment or errand to run during the day when it is inconvenient to take kids along, or you might just need a short break! During the school year most girls who are of babysitting age are in school. But sometimes it's hard to ask favors of other moms. The co-op allows us to do favors for each other in a more formal way.

Q. Does this mean I can never ask for help babysitting outside of co-op?

A. No. You can always ask your friends for help when you are in need. But sometimes if it is something that is not urgent or just for fun it is easier to use a babysitting co-op without feeling guilty.

Q. What would be my responsibilities as a member of the co-op?

A. Simply choose a 3-hour block of time once a week in which you would be willing to stay home and be available to babysit if anyone needs. Choose a time when you would be staying around the house anyway. People would drop their kids off at your house and "pay" you with fake babysitting co-op money. You can then turn around and use that money to "pay" others to babysit on their co-op days.

Q. When do I have the right to say "no" to someone who asks me to babysit during my assigned co-op time?

A. You need to know your limits as an individual. If you have a lot high-demand children you are already watching, you can say no to those who RSVP too late. If you have a small apartment, you can set a limit on how many children you will babysit. But if you feel comfortable, you can say yes to everyone. The more you babysit, the more "dollars" you earn, and the more you can take advantage of the co-op.

Q. What are some of the guidelines for the co-op?

1. You must RSVP in advance with the person who is in charge of the co-op that day. If that person already has too many children who have RSVP'd they have the discretion to say no.

2. On days/times that you are in charge of co-op, you must be available. If you have a conflict, you can trade co-op days/times with someone else. (i.e., you are going out of town one week, you can trade and do two days one week and have someone else cover you while you are gone.)

3. If 15 minutes of your assigned co-op start time has elapsed and no one has RSVP'd you are no longer obligated to stay home and be available that day. There may be days when you don't have to do any babysitting. But you can still stay around your house and wait for potential kids just in case.

4. In order to keep the babysitting trading fair, we will exchange fake money. We will all start out with a predetermined amount of co-op money. You will pay $1 of fake co-op money per hour per child. Once you have run out of your initial money, you can't take advantage of the co-op babysitting unless you have provided babysitting in return and "earned" money. This prevents people from using all the babysitting without paying back by babysitting.

Co-op Tickets

Below are the "tickets" we used to keep track of babysitting credits. I created both one hour tickets and half hour tickets. I printed each type of ticket on a different color of cardstock to make them easy to distinguish from one another. You could print out new tickets each year with a different color of cardstock or you could just be sure to collect all of the tickets at the end of the year to redistribute the following year. We started out each year with 15 hours of tickets per parent (10 one hour tickets and 10 half hour tickets).

Half Hour Babysitting Tickets

One Hour Babysitting Tickets

Rules

Below are some more specifics about the guidelines we set up for our co-op. When forming your own babysitting co-op, it is a good idea to consult with the other moms as to what guidelines you all feel comfortable with:

BABYSITTING CO-OP GUIDELINES

1. Call before you drop off your children. (The earlier the better.)

2. If it is the morning of your scheduled shift and nobody has called to reserve spots for their children, you’re off the hook.

3. Limit of six (6) children to be watched by sitter (including your own children) during day shifts. (An individual sitter may decide to watch fewer if she’s uncomfortable with these numbers, but please don’t watch more than these numbers.)  Up to eight (8) children may be watched if your spouse is available to help out.

4. One ticket per hour, per child.

5. Only children of co-op participants can be dropped off.

6. Babysitting can only be done by the co-op member.

7. Sitter must keep the children in her own home and yard unless previously agreed upon by parents and sitter.

8. You must drop-off and pick-up during co-op hours unless previously arranged.

9. If you are late picking up your child, you must pay double tickets for any time you’ve gone over.

10. Pull-ups must be provided if you’re dropping off any children who are being potty-trained.

11. One snack should be provided by sitter during the co-op time.  (Please refer to the personal information sheet for any food allergies a child might have).

12. If you become unable to fulfill your scheduled shift, you must find another co-op member to replace you for that shift. All co-op mothers must be notified of the change by email.

13. You must use the co-op to make it work and keep the tickets circulating.

14. If you choose to leave the co-op, you must return 15 hours of tickets.

15. Do not bring sick kids to co-op. (Green noses and fevers are bad. Allergies and asthma are understood.)

16. Feel free to email other co-op members if you need a babysitter during a non-co-op time to see if someone is interested in earning some extra tickets.

Co-op Information Sheets

I had each parent fill out an information sheet with the following information:

• Mom's name
• e-mail address
• Children's names and ages
• Address
• Phone
• Emergency Contact
• Pediatrician
• Allergies
• Other notes/comments

You can get a printable version of the information sheet I distributed to other moms by clicking the link below:

Babysitting Co-op Information Sheets

I also had the parents contact me with their top choices for three-hour blocks of time in which they wanted to be in charge of babysitting. After looking through everyone's wishes and consulting with everyone about their schedules, I came up with a co-op calendar. Here is a sample co-op calendar from our first year (I have changed the names and phone numbers for anonymity).

 

(Everyone in my babysitting co-op was also a part of an existing playgroup so I added our playdates on the calendar as well)

A babysitting co-op works best if you have at least five moms so each mom can take one morning a week. It can also be done with up to ten moms, having one mom in the morning and one mom in the afternoon each week day or having each mom take a day every other week. I found that people prefer to use babysitters in the morning. Afternoon schedules are generally crazier with those who have school-age children. Some have had babysitting co-ops with even more than ten moms, but I think 5-10 is just about right. We only had five moms to start with, and it still worked fine.

After I created the calendar and collected information from all of the moms, I distributed this calendar and along with a document with all of the information that I had gathered from each parent about themselves and their children to each babysitting co-op member. Fortunately, we all already knew each other from our playgroup, but if that is not the case for your group, I would suggest having a meeting at a park or someone's house to get to know each other and make sure you are all comfortable with dropping of your kids for babysitting at each other's houses. If you can get it all organized, a babysitting co-op can be a life saver!

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