Weekend Warriors: I {Heart} January

This month my Weekend Warrior friends and I decided to share our favorite Valentine ideas. Can you believe that it will already be February tomorrow!?! Crazy!

And I will admit I did share this idea one other time... but it's my favorite Valentine project... and a favorite of the kids and their families....so I just couldn't help but to tell you about it once more.

There you have it.... it's them! The kids!

It is those cute faces that I can't show you.... but believe me they're cute.... dressed up as the actual Valentine!

It is a vest/ sandwich board/ poncho style valentine!

In the middle is this poem:

I'm giving you a Valentine
Don't put it on a shelf!
It's one that you can hold and love,
I'm giving you myself!

Just click on the image below for your FREE copy:

For the "vest meets poncho" thing you need to draw a giant heart template. I used to cut two hearts out separate and tie them with yarn at the top.... more like a sandwich board.

I have more recently stream lined the process so that the hearts are connected as one....faster and easier!

Since the hearts are so large {I don't have the exact size, but they cover most of the child from the waist up} I use butcher paper. The kind on a big heavy roll {that I am lucky to have access to at my school.... hope you do too!}

Then I fold the pieces and trace.... sorry that I can't just let you borrow my tracer.... it's just a bit too big for that.

I pre-cut them.... it's too big for the kids to cut!

And now is the fun part.... decoration time!

This year we are doing a sponge paint - string paint combination.

Sponge painting you saw above and let me just tell you... I don't buy heart shaped sponges.... they are out there, yes, I know... but ain't nobody got money for that... it's called...buy sponges at the 99 cent store and cut them yourself.  Super ghetto... but they work just fine!

We started the string painting side today. They L-O-V-E it! I feel it is one of those old school kindergarten activities that you don't see all the time, but it is great for fine motor skills, plus it is FUN! {It does take a while since they have to do it one or two at a time.... but worth it!}

Here's an action shot:

Here's a finished one {minus the poem}... which may go on the other side with the sponge paint...

If you are new to string painting.... I think the trick is to have "handles" on the string that can't go in the paint.... although let's be real... they do {I end up changing the string every 3 or 4 kids} And to have a paint brush that can help get the string covered in paint....

Need more Valentine's Day fun? Check out my Valentine Mini Unit on TpT!

And P.S. It's on sale right now... in fact my entire store is on sale through Monday.

And of course stop by and see what all the other Weekend Warriors have in store for you!

Sailing Into Second	Bright Concepts 4 Teachers	Crayons and Whimsy	Primarily Speaking
The Tutu Teacher	Creative Lesson Cafe	Saddle Up Second Grade	Second Grade Perks
Lucky To Be In First	A Burst of First	A Sunny Day In First Grade	First Grade Smiles
Hippo Hooray for Second Grade

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