It’s Valentine’s Day, but now served up through the lens of Mom Goggles, as in “What do I have to make, bake, or create for a class of 23 small people?” Way different than, “Do I buy the sexy black teddy or the red one?” <Sigh> How things change once you become a mom.
Friday the 12th is the day most classrooms will be celebrating Valentine’s Day this year, given it falls on a Sunday. Which means YOU better get hopping to avoid that last-minute rush to CVS for the infamous box-o-cards complete with candy attachments. We all buy them, and we all wish we’d done something more creative, less caloric, and more like the days of old when we received that oh-so-special, homemade Valentine’s Day card from our favorite schoolboy crush. (Whose mom probably really made it.)
Try something different this year with one of these fun & ingenious Valentine’s Day cards that are just as heartwarming as yesteryears’ made from red construction paper, doilies and Elmer’s glue. They’re fun to create and sure to win the hearts of children and moms everywhere.
A+ for this Valentine’s Day Heart-Shaped Cake (without a heart-shaped pan!)
If you’re like me, the idea of buying a heart-shaped cake pan falls into the “Love-it-but-don’t-have-room-for-it” category, along with other holiday specific dishes and baking utensils. But THIS heart cake from Better Recipes is totally doable. Just fill an 8-inch square pan and an 8-inch round cake pan with your favorite cake mix box, and you’re off to creating the perfect Valentine’s Day cake. Be sure to ice it with “Be Mine” or your favorite candy heart saying to make it extra special. For the full recipe, read more here.
Hey Valentine, You’re Dynamite!
While too many fake bomb threats have us weary of dropping the “B” word, we still love this idea from Make it Do, with a couple of minor edits. Buy a pack of Rolos or Mentos for each child in the class, plus 3 for the teacher. Wrap each dynamite stick separately in red construction paper and add a pipe cleaner around the middle. The wick is made from black licorice or black string. Each student gets a single stick (too much sugar otherwise), while teacher gets all 3—just for being such a total blast.
Will Zoo Be Mine?
Got kindergarteners through 2nd Grade? We love these up-cycled Valentines by Blue Robin Cottage using empty Costco cardboard packaging, felt hearts and toy zoo animals. If you want to personalize them, you can even have fun deciding who gets which animal. Though you may want to leave out the pigs. Just sayin’.
You’ve got the write stuff!
Cupid’s arrow has struck, and we’re infatuated with this one from Happiness is Homemade. When you’re in elementary school, you can never have too many pencils. Here’s a creative way to say something sweet and avoid all those sugary attachments. Have a look at how to create your own Cupid’s arrows using pencils, glitter paper, and duct tape. Write on!
Won’t You Bee Mine?
Keep those sweet little lips ultra soft and protected with these original Valentines from PolkaDot Chair. Such a cute idea that will get all of the kids buzzing, and it’s sure to score points with all of the other classmates’ moms. We suggest taking it a step further by adding a felt bumblebee.
Date Night Out
And last but not least, a little fun for mom and dad to keep the spark alive because hey—it’s Valentine’s Day. Need a few tech ideas your hubby will love? Try these. Or make a few preplanned date nights for the rest of the calendar year listing out local favorite hangouts, some good flirty fun, to fully planned getaways. To get the creative juices flowing, see how the Thinking Closet came up with this great idea for hubby here.
What will you be creating for Valentine’s Day this year? Do you have an idea to share? We’d love to hear it in the comments below. Happy creating! And happy shopping!
