Happy Valentine's Day!

Survival tools for (slightly) crafty parents.

Picture a lollipop stuck through a slit in the top and bottom of his hand, and bam - there’s 3rd grade Valentine’s Day, handled.

This design actually worked for elementary school all the way up through 5th grade and required only a fist-forward photo, a design program to add the text (I’ve used Microsoft Office Publisher forever, because I’m old school), a color photo printer, a sharp knife, and 30 lollipops. I made the cards and cut the slits for the lollipop sticks, then handed them off for the kids to thread the sticks in through the top slit and out through the bottom one, so the stick looked like it was held in their fist.

As far as my kids were concerned, probably the most successful Valentine they ever gave classmates was “Airmail.” They each folded a paper airplane, drew their message on the wings, unfolded the paper to do 30 color copies, then spent the next hour folding paper airplanes (helped along by hot chocolate at the dining table). While their teachers were slightly less than thrilled with the Airmail each student received, the kids had a ball sending their paper airplanes all around the classroom until they were finally banished outside.

Another inexpensive, yet appreciated Valentine can be made with glow stick bracelets that can be found on Amazon for less than $8, and with a message printed on cardstock and taped to the bracelet, your child has another non-candy option for their Valentine.

I found this Valentine idea on Pinterest, and while it might not be the best idea for a class full of little kids, I feel like it would be fun for a crafty kid to make for their friends. I really enjoy the painted rocks I sometimes find on my walks, or the ones hidden in gardens, and painting little heart people on river rocks is a unique and fun Valentine’s gift.

It’s pretty clear from these suggestions that I was never a big "go buy a pre-printed box of Valentines” for my kids’ classmates. I have always appreciated homemade SOOOO much more than store bought, and my strategy seems to be paying off as if I’d planned it (I didn’t - I’m just getting lucky). For Christmas and birthdays, my kids’ first thought for gifts for their parents and grandmothers is “what can I make?”