If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed or visit the store for great kid activities. Thanks for visiting!

The February newsletter if filled with great activities to share with your family and because it’s leap year you’ll have an extra day to enjoy the fun! I’m featuring 2 new products that you can order to share with your grandchildren, Valentine Bling Bags and a February Activity Kit. Free downloads include “Service From the Heart” a unique way of performing service to family and friends and directions for making an envelope placemat that can be used throughout the month. There’s a math activity using Conversation Hearts that helps children learn organizing, classifying and patterning. The fun part is you get to eat the candy when you’re finished with the activity. I have a new feature beginning this month. I’ll be recommending books that are great to share with your grandchildren. This month I’ve included some favorite Valentine books and a fun book making activity to do after you’ve finished reading together. You can find more book suggestions by going to Children’s Book Award Winners for 2008. Books are great gifts and a present you can open again and again. I hope you enjoy these activities and as always I would love to hear from you. 

These are fun to have for a Valentine’s party . Make the envelopes ahead of time and have each person decorate their own to be used for a placemat. You can also have each person write a note to the others at the party to put in their envelope. I had several different sizes of paper hearts cut out to use for notes.
Finished size - 17 inches X 13 inches
For each placemat you‘ll need: paper that measures 34 inches long & 13 inches wide (butcher paper, newsprint, large paper sacks, wrapping paper, wall paper). Scissors & glue.
Items to decorate the envelope: stickers, crayons, markers, paper, glitter, etc.
Directions:
1. Measure 13 inches from the bottom and fold the paper up. This will form the opening of the envelope.
2. Fold down from the top 8 inches to form the flap.
3. Make the flap pointed by folding each side into the center, cut the extra paper off.
4. Glue the sides of the envelope along the edges.

Download Conversation Hearts Activity Graph

This is a fun activity to do with any colored candy but especially fun at Valentine’s to do with Conversation Hearts.
What you will need for each person:
A graphing sheet
Conversation Hearts
Before you begin estimate how many Conversation Hearts you have then check to see how close you were to the exact number.
1. Classify the hearts by color
2. Cut out the squares on the graphing sheet.
3. Color a square for each heart. If you have 8 pink hearts you color 8 squares pink.
4. Create a bar graph by placing all the squares with the same color together as shown in the photo.
5. Talk about the graph. Ask questions like; which color has the greatest or least squares? Are there any the same? How many more or less does one color have compared to another color? What is another way to classify the hearts.

Grandparents can help their grandchildren learn to read or become better readers by:
1. Having books available when they come to visit and encouraging them to explore books.
2. Reading together and talking about what you’re reading.
3. Make reading a pleasure and show enthusiasm as you read together.
These ideas came from the Michigan Department of Education.

Download Accordion Fold Card & Book
There are so many great Valentine books to read to your grandchildren. Some that my grandchildren have enjoyed are The Valentine Bears by Eve Bunting, Little Bear’s Valentine by Maurice Sendak, and Max’s Valentine by Rosemary Wells.
When you’re finished reading together you can make an accordion folded Valentine card.
Directions:
1. Print out the pattern on white or colored paper.
2. Cut out the strips only along the outside edges.
3. Tape or glue the 2 strips together and fold along the vertical lines accordion style.
4. Write a special Valentine message or story to give to someone.
5. Put it in an envelope or tie together with a ribbon.

Download Service From the Heart
This is a fun activity to help children think about doing service. The service can be done for family or friends. Keeping your service a secret makes it more fun.
Directions:
1. Print out the “Service From the Heart Cards” and cut apart.
2. Think of service that you can do in secret for someone.
3. Perform the service and leave the card.
As a family set a time limit for the secret acts of service (1 week, 2 weeks, etc.). When the time is up talk as a family about how you felt doing service in secret.