Teaching outside has a long list of challenges, and trying to complete paper crafts in the wind, rain or snow tops my list of tasks that are nearly impossible! With Valentine’s Day being a holiday primarily made up of paper crafts, here is a round up of alternative, eco-friendly, Valentine’s Day ideas for your outdoor classroom that support the big ideas of caring and sharing for others!
To make bird seed heart treats, you’ll need:
- a heart shape mould
- 3 cups of bird seed
- 3/4 cups of flour
- 1/4 cup of water
- 1 tablespoon of corn syrup
- 2 tablespoons of lard
- a chopstick or straw
- twine or pipe cleaners
Mix the flour, water, corn syrup and melted lard together. Add the bird seed. spoon them into heart shaped moulds. Be sure to use a chopstick or straw to punch a hole in the heart for the string before putting them in the freezer for several hours. Remove from the moulds and allow to dry overnight. This recipe does not use gelatine, so the hearts take longer to harden… be patient! Use pipe cleaners or twine to hang from trees for your bird friends to enjoy at school, or send them home as gifts for the family.
To make cheerio hearts, you’ll need:
Shape the pipe cleaners into hearts and then string on Cheerios. Hang them up in a sheltered location, because once they are wet, they are done!
Hearts In Nature:
Use found objects in your school garden to create hearts! Red Ted Art has instructions on making raffia & dogwood twig hearts on her blog.
Check out the seriously gorgeous and inspirational examples of heart shaped nature art over at Rain or Shine Mamma’s blog.
These wood slice bracelets form Mother Natured are the perfect gift for anyone looking to pass on the junky cards and candy this Valentine’s Day!
Teachers using tech in the outdoor classroom will enjoy this valentine’s nature hike to find & photograph hearts in nature from Fireflies and Mud pies.
This is a sweet play on an easter egg hunt, using hearts, that gets everyone outside and exploring the garden from Simple Play Ideas.
Any day is a good day to advocate for consuming less. Valentine’s Day is one of those holidays that ends up producing an abundance of paper and cards. Consider trying any of these eco-friendly ideas this month with your students! And if you enjoy Pinterest and are looking for more fun Valentine’s Day ideas, come join me on Pinterest!
Such wonderful ideas. I adore them all!
Thanks for sharing all of these great ideas! We have made your Cheerio hearts the last two years as part of our Valentine’s celebration. Can’t wait to make them again 😊. It’s a great way to revisit how seasonal changes affect living things—such as birds—and stewardship.