My Heart is Like a Zoo

It was my turn to host preschool at our house this week. With Valentine’s Day coming up, of course we had to do a fun Heart Day. I used some of the Valentine’s Day ideas I have posted before and threw in a few new ones.

 

• Sticker Name Page … an activity as the kids are coming in (so the moms can chat!)
  1. Write each of the kids’ names in the middle of a Valentine colored paper.
  2. Let them find their name and sit down.
  3. Scatter several foam heart stickers (available at craft stores right now) on the table.
  4. Let the kids decorate their name page!

• Read “The Day It Rained Hearts” by Felicia Bond … such a cute story. I love Felicia Bond’s illustrations. In this book, Cornelia Augusta collects several hearts that rain down. She makes Valentines with each one to give to the perfect friends.

• Read “My Heart Is Like a Zoo” by Michael Hall … another adorable book. Each page shows an animal made entirely from hearts! I love the rhyming story and bright colors.
  1. Take time to point out the heart shapes that make up each animal.
  2. See if the kids can find all of the hearts.

   

• Make a Heart Lion Valentine Card … using the book as our guide, we made our own heart lion on a blank card!
  1. Collect several paint chip samples (I got mine at Home Depot)
  2. Cut out a large orange heart, a medium yellow heart, and a small red heart.
  3. Give the kids one of each heart and step-by-step put together your lion!
  4. We added sticky-back googly eyes.
  5. The kids wanted to write in their cards, so we took time to do that. My 4-year-old was so excited to put his card on his brother’s bed for him to find!

     

• Read “Lilly's Chocolate Heart” and do an ABC chocolate heart hunt! (See original post here for the details and printables.)

 

• Musical Hearts Game … this was fun and the kids asked to do it over and over!
1. Cut out several large hearts from foam craft paper
2. Write a physical activity on each heart. We used:
• jump on one foot
• clap hands 10 times
• make a silly face
• wiggle like a worm
• run in place
• give everyone a high five
• jump 5 times
• do a rocket blast (squat down, count down 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 and jump as high as you can!)
3. Play some fun music and have the kids walk around the hearts.
4. We chose one person to be ‘it’ each time.
5. Pause the music and do the activity on the heart.
6. Start the music and repeat!

  

• Heart Snacks … here are several ideas:
1. Heart apple slice … Slice thinly and use a heart cutter to remove the seeds from the middles (I found these fondant cutters at JoAnn and Michaels)
2. Watermelon slices … not the cheapest this time of the year, but the red was fun and they tasted so yummy!
3. Heart cheese slices … we actually turned these into the heart-shaped frogs from “My Heart is Like a Zoo”
4. Heart sandwiches … I’ve seen these heart sandwich cutters at JoAnn and Michaels. I got mine at WinCo.

 

• Chocolate Heart Dice Game … we actually just sent these home with the kids. My 4-year-old had fun playing this game after preschool and lunch were over.
• Put numbers 1-6 on the back of six chocolate hearts (I added dots to my 2-year-olds game so she could just match the dots)
• Roll a dice (I found these eraser dice at Dollar Tree; any dice will do)
• If you roll a 5, turn heart #5 upside-down.
• Repeat until all of the hearts are upside-down.