The Best Valentine's Day Party and a Winner!

It was not the most creative party I have ever had, but I got to plan this one alone and it was the calmest and most organized one yet! In the words of one student, "It was the best day ever!" I love when they say that!

Every year, I get wiser and simplify my parties and activities a little. Too much excitement just sets my little ones up for failure with self-control. They really can't help it! The students were much more calm and had just as much fun as when there are a million crafts and games and tons of food and sweet treats.

Valentine's Day was filled with theme-related learning activities and projects. Here are a few things we did:

an estimation station

 candy heart toss for sums to 20

candy heart graphing

These are from my candy math pack.

 Each student had a dixie cup I filled ahead of time.

Here's a storage tip~ 30 bathroom cups fit perfectly in this Sterilite container (Walmart). It comes with a lid to keep counters like this clean until you are ready to use them. 

This year, we wrapped cereal boxes in white paper (twice) and I added the belly to the pandas to hide the box design that wanted to peek through. In the past I had spent around 30 dollars ( and a lot of time running around to craft stores) on white bags and the boxes worked out just fine with the patterns I had.

A few students at a time passed out their valentines while the others waited with their mailbox on their desk. This went well and gave each child a chance to thank their classmates and actually see what they were getting. 

When this was finished, the students opened, read and sorted their valentines. At their seat was a recording sheet my teammate had shared. This was the best idea ever! I'm not sure of the source, but it was genius!  The kids had to record how many of their cards had animals on them, how many came with candy attached, how many were folded in half and a few others too. They loved this!

While all this was going on, a few volunteers ran the activities in the shared area outside of the classroom.

We enjoyed one simple treat. The office provides a tray of these cookies for every class. They were huge, so nothing more was needed. Perfect.

We added red and silver glitter to our owls and our room looked very festive! 

The students listened to Arthur's Valentine and watched Charlie Brown Valentine while the volunteers and I cleaned up the very little mess afterward. 

 However... I have to admit, I was envious when I saw this masterpiece!

This was a Dairy Queen ice cream cake donated from a parent for the party in the classroom next to mine. The envy quickly faded to relief. I was thankful I did not have to keep it cold, cut it and serve it or clean it up. But they did share a piece with me and it was THE BEST!

Hope your party was lots of fun too!

Congratulations to Jaime P. who won the owl set and five items of her choice from my shop! Thanks to everyone who played along too! It's always nice to hear your comments!

I'll be gone for a while this week to Kalahari Water Resort! I've never been there before and am looking forward to a fun little getaway with the family! I wish it was sunny and 85 inside the water park :)!

 Michigan winter pale skin + bathing suit = trip to the tanning salon tomorrow