Our Family Memories Hang On a Valentine Tree

This pretty, pink, tabletop tree is usually found somewhere in my home during the month of February.
 Valentine's Day has always been a sweet, nostalgic holiday because of the enthusiasm our
two girls have for it.

       Above you can see our family's pink tree decorated with all kinds of handcrafted Valentines, hearts, and paper garlands. I will serve a Valentine's Day dinner with chocolate deserts and pink sugar cookies as usual and exchange love tokens with family members that same evening. Every year at least one person spends a bit of time writing some special letters, rhymes or verse to every person that will attend our dinner. No one person is ever left out of the celebration and you definitely needn't have a "love interest" to be given gifts during this holiday in our family!

       Just right, you can see a variety of Valentine ornaments that my children have collected over the years. Scraps of paper lace hearts, stickers of cherubim, pink and red glass birds, vintage greeting cards and ornaments crafted to look like sweet treats all hang from the bubble-gum pink tree branches. Old lace table linens are used to wrap the bottom of the tree's trunk and an old-fashioned Valentine mail box, from school days long ago, is nestled under the tree waiting to be filled with secret notes and charming love tokens.

Below are just a few traditions our family participates in on Saint Valentine's Day:

• exchange letters and cards 
• give small boxes of candy
• talk about the qualities we appreciate in our family members
• we spend time together watching films about love and romance
• we often dine together either at home or in a restaurant on Valentine's Day
• play board games together
• craft cards/gifts for friends and extended family members
• bake special deserts for each other 

More Ideas for Sharing Valentine's Day With Family And Children:

• 15 Fun Valentines Day Family Traditions  
• Family Night Valentine Crafts - Love Trees
•  Family 
• Host a Valentine's Day Banquet at your church 
• 6 Cheerful Valentine's Day Activities for Seniors
• Valentines Day? You'll Love these Free Kids Ministry Ideas...
• 20 Family Friendly Romantic Movies for Valentine's Day

Draw Fun Valentine Cartoons!

"A Teddy Bear Mails A Valentine" (four steps)

        Here are two fun little Valentine cartoons or process drawings for teachers to draw on a chalkboard or whiteboard at the front of the classroom. Students can follow the steps at their own tables using a pencil, eraser and coloring supplies. After watching and completing their own drawing give them plenty of time to color their drawings in and encourage them to add their own details.

       This kind of drawing activity teaches students to listen and observe carefully and homeroom teachers can certainly use this method of practice drawing to teach additional lessons about shapes and sizes.

"A Valentine For Miss Hippo" (three steps)

A Rejected Valentine

A Rejected Valentine

Georgie, dressed up spick

and fine,

Presented himself as a valentine

To little Polly, who tossed her

head,

Turned up her nose, and pertly 

said:

"My goodness me! Why, don't 

you know

You're not a card, with a ribbon

bow,

You're just a boy-not a valen-

tine!"

Then George blushed and meekly

said:

"To you by Cupid I was led:

And my love for you, so very

true,

Is tied about by ribbon blue."

But Polly laughed in a teasing

way,

And said: "I'll bid you a good

day.

Some other girl may not decline

To take you as her valentine."

Repeating Patterns: Set Two

       This second collection of patterns uses two to three different tile combinations in order to challenge students just a bit more than the first set.

       If you are working with more than one child, you may wish to click directly on images to get them to focus on one pattern at a time. Watch your small group until every student has preformed the task satisfactorily and then move on to the next pattern.

Repeating Patterns: Set One

       Very young children can make the process of identifying and copying patterns a kind of game. These playful routines are excellent for teaching pre-math and pre-reading skills to children ranging from age 3 to seven.

       Below is my simplest collection, using only two repeating shapes, in limited colors: blue, red, orange, green, white and yellow.

       If you are working with more than one child, you may wish to click directly on images to get them to focus on one pattern at a time. Watch your small group until every student has preformed the task satisfactorily and then move on to the next pattern.

Repeating Patterns: Set Three

       These repeating patterns combine multiple tiles to suggest more complicated designs that require coordinated placements.

Answers for the geometric puzzle shapes...

       Above are the answers for the puzzle challenges located here.