fvalentinesday

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Valentine's Day Share your ideas too. E-mail me at stormie@preschoolbystormie.com

From Stormie:

Although I'm posting ideas below as often as I can, my very favorite activities have been reserved for my "VALENTINE'S DAY" booklet (see the "Stormie's Stuff for Teachers" section of my website).

Got lots of candy canes left from Christmas? Give each child two and let them see if they can figure out how to make a heart shape from them. Glue the candy cane hearts on paper. Cute!

Candy hearts are great for collages! (Give each child a couple for eating, but instruct them to use the others for gluing only. Don't forget to explain why.)

February Bulletin Board Border: Hey, how about having children glue white yarn pieces onto pink crepe paper strips and then using the strips as your bulletin board border? (Or, go with pink yarn on white crepe paper.)

Easy Stencils: Fold all sizes of posterboard pieces in half then cut a heart shape from them. You end up with positive and negative stencils. Children can trace around the positive stencils (heart shapes). The negative stencils are great for painting projects as children paint inside the cutout then remove it to see the heart shape. Cut several of these in advance of February and then place them in your creative art center. Now, just stand back and watch how children enjoy them in their own way throughout the month.
Extension: Pre-Math: Matching: Place both the positive and negative stencils in the math center. Children match the positive stencils to the negative ones. (In other words, they place the individual heart shapes inside the corresponding cutout of the negative stencil -- where they came from.)
You can make your own inexpensive positive and negative stencils for any theme by cutting almost any shape from folded posterboard.

Here's a great idea sent to me from Cheryl Stafford:

Stormie, I was having an awful time trying to find a short, easy song my pre-k students could perform for parents during our Valentine's Day party. I never found one and since time was running out I decided to write one myself. (The children love it.) I thought I would share it with you and others:

A VALENTINE SONGWritten by: Cheryl Stafford, pre-k teacher (CPS)(Tune: "I'm A Little Teapot")I'm a little valentine cute and stoutI'm sweet as sugar there's never been a doubtWhen I get all cuddled up hear me shout!I love you! I love you!Love's what I'm all about!

Help students cut out heart shapes then attach them to paper head bands to wear while performing. Teach the song to the children, attaching much expression to the rhyming words and using fun gestures similar to "rap" gestures during the song.

Making a Multi-Cultural Connection:
To provide a frame of reference, show children where countries are located on your classroom globe or map, and if possible, provide related pictures and books:

From Maryanne G., in Tonga, an island in the South Pacific:
In the Tongan language, "Ofa atu" (pronounced O-far are-to) means "with love."

Favorite Books:
From Stormie:
*Froggy's First Kiss, by Jonathan London; Illustrated by Frank Remkiewicz: This is a story of "froggy love." Froggy falls in love with the prettiest girl-frog in school (Frogilina). How cute this is!
*Love Bugs, by David A. Carter: This is a cute little 10 page heart-shaped pop-up book full of "love bugs."
*Valentine Mice! by Bethany Roberts; illustrated by Doug Cushman: The children will enjoy going along with these silly mice as they deliver their valentines.
*Clifford's First Valentine's Day, by Norman Bridwell: If you've taught preschool for any length of time, you've no doubt come to know Clifford. In this book, he's a puppy experiencing his first Valentine's Day. Of course, as usual, he runs into trouble.

A four-year-old boy recently ask a girl classmate at our preschool, "Do you like my mother?" Before she could answer, he said, "I just need to know because I'm thinking about marrying you."

(Sent by Renee Davis, North Carolina)

Here are some definitions of love from children, sent to me from Lynn Kandrac, New York:
*Karl, age 5: "Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne and they go out and smell each other."
*Lauren, age 4: "I know my older sister loves me because she gives me all her old clothes and has to go out and buy new ones."
*Bethany, age 4: "I let my big sister pick on me because my Mom says she only picks on me because she loves me. So I pick on my baby sister because I love her."
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