Beaded Valentines Heart Ornaments

My kids love to bead and spend a lot of their independent art time just stringing beads on laces, chenille stems, ribbons, and more.

So, for this project, we crafted beaded heart ornaments.

Materials

• pony beads of various Valentine’s colors
• smaller, plastic, crystal beads of various Valentine’s colors
• chenille stem
• fishing wire or floral wire
• red or pink ribbon

Directions:

1. Add pony beads to the chenille stem.  You can create a pattern, like my daughter did, or just add them at random, like my son did.

2. Add smaller, translucent crystal beads to a length of fishing wire or floral wire. (Note: This step was a bit too challenging for my son, as you can tell from the length of his beaded strand compared to his sister’s.  So, I think this step may be for older preschoolers and up.)

3. Twist the two beaded strands together. (Note: Initially I tried to form the hearts with the chenille stems and then twist the wire strand with the crystal beads around the heart form but I found it worked better to twist first and then form the hearts.)

4. Shape into a heart.

5. Add the ribbon to display as an ornament.

A Picture Book for Valentine’s Day:

Fancy Nancy: Heart to Heart: I must admit I resisted Fancy Nancy for a while. I expected a superficial title character who prized looks above all else. I was pleasantly surprised to find out that Nancy is a quirky, bright little girl, filled with curiosity and wonder…a good example of why I shouldn’t judge a book by its cover. In this story, Nancy receives a Valentine and puts on her detective gear to find clues to the identity of her secret admirer. While this is not the most educational of the series, it is still a fun little book with plenty of fancy words to learn and cherish.

Educational Connections:

• Emotional Intelligence: In an age-appropriate way, ask children about their feelings for the ones they love.  How does being with that person make you feel? How can you express your emotions in a positive way? This may be especially useful for little ones who tease or torment the object of their affections. Warning:  This may also set off a card-making frenzy in your household.  My children announce they are making cards for every person on every occasion…or for no special reason at all.
• Culture / Literature / Art / Music: For school-aged children, read the myths of Venus/Aphrodite and Cupid. How is romantic love depicted? Find images of the goddess and cupid in art and also look for mentions in song.
• Literature: Read age-appropriate love poems.
• Culture: Find out about Valentine’s Day and other similar holidays around the world.
• Biology: Why did the ancients associate emotions with the heart? What does a real human heart look like and what role does the heart play?
• History: With older children, examine how Valentine’s Day came to be associated with romance and love.  Find out how courtly love was part of the chivalric tradition in the Medieval Age.
• Current Events / Religion: With junior high school and high school students, look for news stories about the response to Valentine’s Day in more traditional countries and countries with strong fundamentalist movements.  Discuss the moral and religious objections and how they are a response to globalization and Westernization.

Visit History.com – Valentine’s Day for more information about the holiday.

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