A 'Hearty' Afternoon

With MOPS being cancelled this past week due to snow, it created the perfect morning for Cole and I to work on our Valentine's Day crafts.  I try to do a craft of some sort every week with him to practice skills such as cutting, pasting, coloring, patterns, following directions, etc.  He loves it and I love it as well :)  

The holidays always provide the perfect crafts - so many ideas!  Last year, we painted handmade Valentine cards for the grandparents, and wanted to create something special this year too.  I decided to break out a favorite craft of my former first graders and try it with Cole. . . we had a ball!

First, we made love picture frame magnets for the grandparents and great-grandparents (they came 3/$1.00 at the Dollar Tree - what a bargain!)  Cole punched out all the parts and created them himself (placing the hearts, designs, etc. in his own pattern - didn't he do a GREAT job?!)

After the frames were made, we moved on to the cards.  Cole loves anything multi-colored. . . I think it reminds him of rainbows, which he loves :)  Taking that into consideration, we made tie-dyed heart butterflies.  Sound difficult?  They're super easy!

1.  Begin by coloring two coffee filters with various colored markers.  Scribbling works best, so this is perfect for preschoolers.

2.  After coloring, cut into a desired shape for the wings - we chose hearts of course!

3. Place each filter on a paper towel and spray with water.  Watch as the colors magically run together to create the perfect tie-dye/stain glass effect (especially when held up to sunlight!).

4.  After filters dry (about 10 minutes) glue onto colored paper to create your butterfly.

Ta-Da!  Cole was very proud and the grandparents were thrilled to receive such a special treat.

Cole also wrote his name by himself for the first time. . . I know, I know, he's an amazing little boy! :)