My son's kindergarten doesn't allow candy for health reasons. Instead, they have asked us to just have the kids bring a card and/or something small like a pencil/eraser/etc. My son got some cards from Target - do you think just the card would be fine or does that seem... boring? What's your kid bringing for V-day? And are you getting the teacher anything?
Bonus Question - would it be too "girly" for my son to give everyone a heart eraser?
nothing wrong with just a valentine. at what point did we all get so hung up on giving presents for every single possible event? when did the presents become the focus?
nothing wrong with a heart eraser either. but not necessary.
khairete
S.
A lot of the valentines come with stuff now - stickers, pencils, etc. I think since the teacher specifically said to bring something small with the card, you should get something. Otherwise, I would say go with just a card.
Target usually has 6-8 packs of pencils in the $1 section. You could just tape one to each card.
Cards are just fine. And no, heart erasers are not girly.
When I was growing up. We must have been lame. Honestly, very few people gave anything but those cheap valentines in envelopes. I agree, I was at Joann's and saw cute valentines with tattoos..I almost purchased them to give to my own friends!
just a card is fine. I may do a pencil, but and not counting on that happening
Add a sticker...stickers are always cool.
My kids have always brought just cards. We used to bring in cupcakes for the class too, but as more kids went to school it was just too much work to bring in 90 cupcakes.
My oldest is in middle school this year, so I'll be interested to see if she does cards or skips.
I'd add a sticker if nothing else.
The store bought card is perfectly fine! The heart eraser is fine too, not too girly especially in K, but don't feel like you have to. The kids would appreciate it though, they love that stuff.
Last year I did homemade valentines with my kindergarten son and NO way am I doing that again this year now that he's in first. Sounds negative, but it was a lot of work for him and I think he liked the store bought ones he got better anyways! They have a lot of cute ones in the store and to an elementary aged student they are NOT boring!! Have fun :)
When I was a kid, we just wrote notes and put them in people's Valentine's pockets. And let me tell you, Valentine's day was SO exciting. These days, they sell those little cards, and they are cute.
These days, kids are WAY to used to getting "stuff," sadly. I think an experience of getting cards or even personal handwritten notes! (think of it) would be great for them. They don't always need to be inundated with "stuff."
Yes, the cards are cute. Yes, heart erasers are fine for a boy to give. How about handwritten cards? It would be great for your son to do, and I think fun for the kids to receive.
Oh my goodness, how lame. :-(
I think the temporary tattoo idea is the best. Choose something you wouldn't mind coming back home.
Don't make this made up holiday into more than it is. the target valentines are fine. they have them with stickers and or temp tattoos those are fine as well. but the ones who go all out (little gifts for everyone one, candy for everyone etc) are the ones who 20 years from now will be unhappy with the spouse who doesn't do it. Just let it be what it is. more than likely they won't even allow names to be on the outside of the envelopes. just blank so that the kids put one in every box,desk, bag whatever they use.
Cards are great. There is usually a surplus of junk and the kids really don't know who gave what (or remember). If you feel like giving more go for it, but also feel free not to add a trinket.
Store bought card with heart eraser is perfectly fine.
Teacher gets one of the same, though sometimes there is a bigger "teacher card" included in the box.
Some parents do go overboard with homemade cards (I've done that myself on occasion) but the kids themselves really don't care one way or the other.
The majority of what comes home for us are just the cards. A few moms add pencils, erasers or stickers.
We had a really lovely Valentine card come home last year from my son's friend - it was a home made Valentine, a picture of himself made into a card with a cute saying for Valentines. It's still up on our fridge.
Back in the day, I'd hand out little boxes of Valentines Smarties with our older kids and that was always a hit - it's too bad they've curbed that, although I get it.
We've done stickers (they came with the Valentines one year). The tattoo idea is cute (kids love those). We haven't had that before, but I bet those would get used up quickly.
I don't usually do it - I leave it up to the kids to decide (my boys never seemed to care), but this year while standing in line we saw some of those heart shaped red straws and my daughter expressed interest. They were really cheap so I asked her if she'd like to hand them out and she thought that would be fun. I'll tape them to the Valentine cards so they go home with the kids, in case they have drinks at their party. I can just imagine the mess that could make for the teacher (all the kids with funky straws and drinks). She's in grade one.
Another one of my children handed out these neat Lego Valentines - they could be turned into little spinning tops. They were very popular and they made them in the classroom and played with them at lunch. It was just a neat design. I haven't seen them since.
We do have some moms who go to great lengths and that's fine. My kids don't really care - they just like the act of getting cards from their friends and checking them all out.
Oh - as for if it's to girly for your son to give out heart erasers, I don't think so at all. Kids at that age won't care. I should add to, by the time it all make its way home, the erasers have often separated from the cards and my kids can't remember who gave what.
A heart eraser would be fine and not too 'girly'. DS and I made heart shaped crayons (you chop all the crayon pieces from all the left over crayons in the red/pink/purple family and just put them in crayon shaped candy molds and melt in oven) and just attached them to little cards. The biggest issue I had was finding cards that didn't have some corporate character on them. So we made the cards ourselves. DS in now in third grade. Maybe we'll just but some pencils with hearts on them this year - the crayons were a lot of work.
Temporary tattoos are usually cheap and popular. So are sticker sheets:
http://tinyurl.com/nq2lw8m
:)
Not at all. My daughter is giving the boys in her class teenage mutant ninja turtle cards and the girls an etch a sketch type card and everyone a lollipop. She picked out the cards and I picked up the lollipops today.
If I get around to it, I am going to pinterest how to make those marbled crayon molds with the old crayon pieces, and melt them into heart-shaped molds. Then each kid gets a swirly heart-shaped crayon. Lord knows I have pleeeenty of crayon scraps around.
(I don't think this is girly either, because you can make boy ones with all the greens and browns... camoflauge!)
I would just give the kids what you want (re: eraser) and let them sort it out. It sounds cute. Last year we did swedish fish "bowls" (baggies - look for it online) but you could do those without candy or without a snack. LOTS of kids just did paper cards. Ask the teacher if they should be unlabeled. Some find it easier to just specify FROM and not TO.
My son chose tattoo V-Day cards this year. And we're buying his teacher one from the store (probably one that sings or something) and putting a $5 gift card to Subway (next to the school) in it. As far as him giving everyone a heart eraser - how does he feel about it?
Love the temporary tat idea!!! My kids loved those! You could get them at Oriental Trading Company for cheap. AND it's a "manly" gift! :)
