From the ArcaMax Publishing, Features Newsletter:
http://www.arcamax.com/news/features/s-291104-108819
Valentine's Day is a day to celebrate love in any form. Whether
romantic or platonic, we use this special day in the middle of winter
to warm our hearts by declaring our love for the people in our lives.
In elementary schools everywhere, children celebrate Valentine's Day
by giving each other cards. Big, small, decorated with stickers, or
filled with candy, these cards are the children's first foray into
articulating their respect and appreciation for each other and it is
an important part of the Valentine's Day tradition. In order to give
and receive these cards, the children often create their own Valentine
box in which they collect their cards. And, as is often the case,
these boxes are constructed at home and then brought to school for the
festivities. For those craft-challenged parents faced with the
prospect of helping their child with such a project, there are several
easy Valentine box ideas that will have your child ready for
Valentine's Day in no time.
First and foremost, the shoebox is your best friend when it comes to
simple Valentine box ideas. All you need to do is take an ordinary
shoebox and cover it with brown paper – turn a grocery shopping bag
inside out and you have all the brown paper you need. Or, if you have
any on hand, you can cover the box with Valentine's Day wrapping paper
–anything, white, red, or pink will do. Once the box is covered, cut
a slit in the top of the box lid so that cards can be slipped inside
the box. Then let your child go to town decorating the box with
stickers, drawings, fabric, glitter, beads, paint – all of which you
can pick up at your local craft store. Just make sure that their name
is on the box somewhere.
Another one of the equally popular Valentine box ideas is to take an
empty Valentine's Day candy box – heart shaped or otherwise – and
cut a slit in the top into which you can slip cards. Again, cover the
box so that your child can decorate it the way that they want to and
be sure they put their name on the box somewhere.
The most important part of any Valentine box ideas, of course, is that
your child has fun doing it. Make it a craft that the two of you can
do together by gathering all the materials and shopping for what you
need. Then you can both sit down and plan the design of their special
Valentine box.