Class Valentine's Day Valentine Round-up

Here are our top 5 favorite DIY class valentines to deliver to your child's classmates.  We chose our top 5 based on cuteness, ease in production, and cost.  No matter how cute a Valentine is, it won't be as cute on the fortieth step on your twenty-fifth valentine. 

#1
We love this Valentine because it is low cost and memorable without having mom do all the work!  Have your child, draw their best picture of a heart.  Use that photo to make one of a kind Valentines for our child's classmates.  Check out the blog "A Mom with a Lesson Plan" for this adorable tutorial.

From a Mom with a Lesson Plan


#2
Another totally cute idea that is customizable to your child's class!  What kindergarten or 1st grader wouldn't love to search for their OWN name in a puzzle.  Check out Soft Schools word search builder or Discovery Education word search builder to make a free word search featuring your student's classmates. 

#3
We love this Valentine idea for three reasons.   First off it is just adorable, extremely resourceful using up the broken crayons that are in the bottom of art bin, and as well as being candy free. Pinterest has several versions of these upcycled heart crayons but we like this packaging the best. Check out this design on East Coast Mommy's blog.  We found some heart molds at Joann's fabrics or Wal-Mart online. 

From East Coast Mommy blog



#4
We love this one because its a Valentine that is fun weeks after Valentine's Day.  Find inexpensive bouncy balls to the dollar tree, party store or Wal-mart using the free printable from The Crafting Chicks. 


From the Crafting Chicks

#5
We love this one because it is perfect for both boys and girls, contains no food allergies and extremely inexpensive!  A 12-pack of pencils and 25-count cellophane bags can be found at your local dollar tree.  We couldn't find this printable exactly but here are some free printables from Darling Doodles.

Happy Valentine's Day!

"Spare the Bear!"

A little over a hundred of years ago on a hunting trip, avid hunter and sportsman President Theodore Roosevelt refused to shoot a helpless adult female bear who was unconscious, tethered and bloody.  The President is believed to have said "spare the bear! I will not shoot a tethered animal" (1). This moment of generosity and good sportsmanship was applauded by the general public (even though the bear was eventually killed by another member of the hunting party). 



Clifford Berryman, a popular political cartoonist of the time, portrayed this incident in a cartoon published in the Washington Post on November 16, 1902 as the President refusing to kill "a wide-eyed cub" instead of a huge adult bear (2) which led to century long love affair with the Teddy Bear.  While many people profited by the adorable stuffed creature, Berryman never saw a dime (1).

Using the cartoon as a guide, Morris and Rose Michtom of Brooklyn, NY, created and named a stuffed replica of the bear "Teddy's Bear" (2).  After being sold in their card and stationary shop, demand for the bear rose to such a high level that the Michtoms closed their card and stationary shop and opened the first Teddy Bear factory, Ideal Novelty & Toy Company, in the US.  The teddy bear remains a staple of childhood to this day.

Ideal Novelty & Toy Company has changed hands several times over the years, but chances are you own or have owned a toy that originated from this company.  Ideal is responsible for such toys and games as Mousetrap and Toss Across. While the company doesn't remain in existence today, Mattel currently continues to manufacture the Magic 8 ball and Rubik's cube which was originally part of Ideal's line (3).

http://www.feelgoodfalls.com/stuffed-animals.html

We at Feelgood Falls love the Teddy Bear as well and have the privilege to making two customizable teddy bears (with some help from our friends at Funky Friends Factory).  These bears are available on our website, www.feelgoodfalls.com.  We are so happy to include them in our Valentine's Day plush sale.  Until 2/14/14, all plush animals are buy 1, get 1 for $15.  Use coupon code VDAYPLUSH at checkout to receive this discount!


Bibliography

1.  Bryant, M. (2007). If You Go Down to the Woods Today…. History Today, 57(3), 58-59.
2.  Clay, M. (2003). TEDDY TURNS 100. American History, 37(6), 48.

3.  Ideal Toy Company & Novelty. (2014). Wikipedia. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ideal_Toy_Company

4.  Berryman, Clifford. (1902). Drawing the Line in Mississippi. Retrieved from http://www.collectorsquest.com/uploads/blog/2012/04/TR-and-bear-cartoon.jpeg