Click Here to find out if YOUR CHILD is ready to read.

This week is Valentine's Day Crafts. Hopefully this issue will give you lots to work with and plenty of time to plan out your Valentine's Day crafts with your children.

Next week we'll tackle President's Day. Until then, Enjoy!

Little Kid^TM Crafts

• Silly Heart Head - You're sure to get a big smile and a lot of silly behavior when you finish these little headbands. Kids just can't help but act silly when they slip one of these on... Then they look at themselves in the mirror and see how silly these headbands really are.

• Stained Glass Hearts - These hearts are quick and easy to make and they are great for younger children because you can't mess it up. You can hang them up in a window, dangle them from a ceiling, or make a bunch of them and create a mobile.

• Colorful Be Mine - A colorful and fun way to ask your special Valentine to be yours. This is a fun project for younger and older children alike because it allows them to combine colors and paint any kind of shapes they want.

• Heart Man - You're bound to get a lot of giggles when you make a heart man! This is one of my favorite projects and we still make them each year.

• Valentine Fashion Necklace - This cute little necklace is a big hit with younger children. My own little ham, who is two, hasn't hardly taken it off since she made it... Except when she eats dinner. She likes it so much that she doesn't want to get any food on it. If that's not an endorsement from a two year old, then I don't know what is!

• Stuffed Hearts - These little stuffed hearts are a nifty little Valentine craft. Kids love them, you can make them simple or more complicated, they are made out of recycled materials, and they are just plain fun.

• Rolling Art Heart - Younger children will have a ball making these little hearts and they will be very proud to give them to Mommy on Valentine's Day. It's also a good lesson in cause and effect and "what would happen if..."

More Challenging Crafts

• Faux Lace Heart - Well, it's not exactly faux lace, but it does kind of look lacey. This little heart is another one of those crafts that you can make as hard or as easy as you want. This particular version is strictly for older kids because of some of the materials used.

• Heart Hanger - This little Valentine hanger makes a great group project. Not only is it cute, but there's no wrong way to do it and there are a lot of ways you can customize it and make it unique for each child.

• Victorian Handkerchief Pin - Okay, this isn't exactly a Victorian pin, but it kind of looks like a Victorian handkerchief folded neatly. This is a super simple craft to make and there are tons of variations to adapt it to just about any theme you want. It would also make a great Mother's Day present!

• Love Is Patient Stone - This painted slate is really easy to do and makes a great gift. The slate is fairly inexpensive and makes a great project to do with older children or even as a special project with a scouting group. It's the kind of craft that parents will keep and hang up all year long!

• Kissin' Fish Valentine Bag - A lot of kids need to decorate a lunch bag for Valentine's Day in order to exchange Valentines with their friends. This one is just a little different than the average bag and may appeal to boys a little more than the average "heart" bag.

• Lovely Mailbox - When we finished this project, my son thought we could just take off our old mailbox and replace it with this one... He said our new pink one was prettier than our plain black one and the mailman might bring us more packages if we used this one instead. Oh if only it were that easy.

Fun Activities

• Cupid Bingo - If your kids love a good game of Bingo, then they will love playing Cupid Bingo! It's the same as the regular game except that I created bingo cards with the word "Cupid" instead of Bingo. All the game cards and a deck of playing cards are included.

• Valentine Fallen Phrase Puzzle - Re-arrange the letters to find the original phrase. This printable puzzle is a little bit difficult and should only be tackled by older kids.

• Simple Valentine Heart Maze - A simple heart Valentine maze aimed at younger children. Older children won't find much of a challenge here.

• Valentine Heart Slider Puzzle - See if you can solve this online puzzle by sliding the hearts around to complete the picture. All you have to do is click on the hearts to scramble the pieces.

By the way, don't forget to check out the message boards at: