Valentine School 2012

Today was a special blessing that still has me smiling! Almost 2 years ago, Allison came home from Sunday School and announced she had a friend. It was the first time she had really said that, so it was kind of fun to hear. We go to a big church, so it can be difficult for the kids to connect since there are so many different services to go to.

Fast forward to today. Of all the kids Allison has since met at church, she has always loved "B" the best. It turns out B is a homeschooler as well! So, we finally had B and her family over for a "school date." And, while the kids had a blast, B's mom and I were the ones truly blessed! She is a kindred spirit, and an instant close friend. We're looking forward to many more school dates in the future! God is so good.

B's mom is also an amazingly talented woman. She gave each of the kids a hand-crocheted item along with fun Valentine treats. The 2 big girls are in love with their purses. Sierra got the most adorable headband, and Malachi got a precious owl bib and burp cloth! She even has her own Etsy shop. You have to check out her work HERE! (Great, now I have to add learning how to crochet to my list of things to do!)

Much of the planning for today's school came via Pinterest. For example, the chocolate-rimmed glasses for chocolate milk: (I used recycled Thai Tea bottles rather than glasses).



...And, almost everything else we did came from Pinterest, as well! We began with a box of conversation hearts. I wrapped them in verses and had the kids look-up the verses in the Bible about God's love for us.

Next, the kids graphed their hearts on a sheet I got from... yup, Pinterest!

Our third and final activity with the hearts was playing BINGO. Rather than just saying a number, I had math problems the kids had to draw and complete.

Another Pinterest find: these Valentine tortilla chips. Each kid got one tortilla and a cookie cutter. Just brush on olive oil, sprinkle with salt, and bake at 350 for 10 minutes!

They were so easy, fun, and yummy! We will be doing them again!

And yet another Pinterest find: how to make origami heart bookmarks. These are pretty simple, and very cute! I still have a huge stash of origami from when I was a kid and wanted to be Japanese, (but that's a whole different post!)



Once again, I taped a word search to the window. Whenever the kids found a word, they would get an m&m.

And, here is my sweet new friend who held Malachi most of the time for me. Would you believe she is the mother of five of the sweetest kids ever, and has already homeschooled 2 of them all the way through high school? Such a blessing to know her!


We didn't even finish all our activities. We did get through a mad libs from Classroom Jr. and a few worksheets from Enchanted Learning. But, sometimes the most important part of learning isn't the grammar or math; it's learning to love God and love people. (Our church's motto!) And, today that was accomplished!