Monday, February 12, 2007
Saint Valentine's Day or Valentine's Day is on February 14. It is the traditional day on which lovers express their love for each other; sending Valentine's cards, candy, or donations to charities, often anonymously. It is very common to present flowers on Valentine's Day. The holiday is named after two men, both Christian martyrs named Valentine. The day became associated with romantic love in the High Middle Ages, when the tradition of courtly love flourished.
The day is most closely associated with the mutual exchange of love notes in the form of "valentines". Modern Valentine symbols include the heart-shaped outline and the figure of the winged Cupid. Since the 19th century, handwritten notes have largely given way to mass-produced greeting cards. The Greeting Card Association estimates that approximately one billion valentines are sent each year worldwide, making the day the second largest card-sending holiday of the year behind Christmas. The association estimates that women purchase approximately 85 percent of all valentines.
Regardless, it is a great day to share and celebrate with the children in your care.
It's been a while since I offered a list of some of my favorite online resources for children's crafts and activities. So here are some excellant Valentine's Day resources...
- Crayola.com one of the best craft sites on the web
- Enchanted Learning a favorite for every holiday
- KinderArt
- Family Fun
- Wonder Time
- Everything Preschool great resource for preschool children
- Apples 4 The Teacher has pages are literacy builders that sound out the sentence for toddlers and preschoolers who are beginning and nonreaders.
- The Idea Box provides links to several activities
- Coloring Castle has a variety of Valentines Day coloring pages
- DLTK has lots of activities and crafts
- Child Fun has activities, coloring pages, and more
- Many Valentine Crafts About Family Crafts
- Valentine Crafts Woman's Day
- Crayon Hearts Martha Stewart
- Better Homes & Gardens
- Valentine Paper Mache Heart Kids' Turn Central
- Valentine's Day Project List Michaels.com
- Sweet and Easy Valentine's Day Crafts Parents.com
- Stuck On You Pin Sesame Workshop
- Cute Valentine Crafts iVillage
- Valentine Crafts MakeStuff.com
- Valentine Crafts Making Friends
- Valentines Day Crafts Kids Domain
- Kids Soup
Hope you have some fun!