With Valentine’s Day around the corner, there are LOTS of ideas for crafts and gifts that can be made so that kids can show their love for their friends and family members.
Being someone who tries to be as green as possible, I went on the hunt for gifts and decorations that students can make from recycled materials. I found many activities and crafts that can be completed by kids varying in ages and grade levels. As an added bonus, most of the activities and crafts that I found are inexpensive.
Below you will find some of my favorite ideas for an Eco-Friendly Valentine’s Day.
1) Magazine and Flyer Clipping Collages
With crafts like this, old magazines and flyers find new life. Students can practice fine motor skills and sorting (classifying) with their clippings. You can adjust time for activity based on the size of the canvas and by pre cutting for the younger kiddos. Also, to save money and be even more eco friendly, you can use the side of an empty cereal box, or other cardboard box rather than an actual canvas to do this activity.
2) Paper Roll Crafts
For toddlers and primary grades, this activity using paper roll edges bent into heart shapes is simple and fun for the kiddos.
These owls can be made with toilet paper rolls and rather than decorating them with Valentine’s themed paper, you can use old newspapers and red accessories to make the owls more lovey looking.
3) Seed Paper Hearts
What better way is there to teach kids about recycling and to begin units about the life cycle of a plant than by making recycled paper with seeds in them to give as gifts? Here are two methods that can be used for making the seed paper that you can choose from.
Making seed paper using moulds:
Making seed paper by laying the pulp flat to dry and cutting out the hearts:
4) Heart-Shaped Bookmarks
Encourage reading at home and in the classroom. Students can make these bookmarks for their friends and family members. The first method, made with used envelopes, is the simpler of the two I’ve pinned. The origami version is a bit trickier and should probably be used with older kiddos.
5) Puzzle Pieces Valentines
Most family homes have puzzles with missing pieces or puzzles that the kids have outgrown. Scout them out! Ask families to send their gently loved puzzle pieces to school to use for these neat Valentine’s Day gift ideas.
6) Recycled Crayon Crafts
Save your crayon remains and broken pieces throughout the school year to melt down into moulds for all holidays. Use heart shaped moulds for Valentine’s Day crayons.
Below you will find instructions for making heart shaped crayons, as well as an example of a card that can be made to display the heart crayon with.
7) Heart-Shaped Bird Treats
Help those critters that haven’t flown to warmer climates for the winter by showing them some love and making them some heart shaped snacks. Add pretty tags with sweet messages to their strings and ribbons to add some charm to these adorable outdoor decorations.
For more ideas like those shown above, check out my Pinterest board by clicking here.
Also, click on the image below to sign up here for my newsletter before Tuesday and get your Valentine’s Day themed Supply Refill request notes for FREE!
Cares Education 