Easy Classroom Chocolate Fondue and a Valentine Freebie!

I could have called this post One Great Valentine Party because I cover the fancy treat, a cute hat that doubles as my teacher Valentine to students, and a crazy way of Valentine exchange, with a little Freebie thrown in for good measure. Here we go!

One of the BEST treats we have all year is "Chocolate Fondue" for our Valentine's Party. Ok. So I use the term "fondue" loosely... no flames are involved. snort It is more like chocolate dip... but it IS warm. And it is easy. And it is nut-free. And it is DELICIOUS!

Simply get a jar of Trader Joe's Speculoos Cookie and Cocoa Swirl spread.

I tell you this stuff is wonderful in any form on anything you choose. I found out about it from the mom of a nut allergy student who could not have many forms of chocolate, but could have this stuff. What a find!

Put some in a safe container and microwave for ten seconds at a time, stirring in between ten second blasts. It doesn't take long to turn it into smooth, warm, liquid heaven. It mixes the two flavors into the BEST chocolate flavor. I put the fondue in little sauce cups, another reason why the chocolate should only be warm, not hot. If it cools down it is okay because once liquified, this dip won't harden again. Also put out whatever items you are going to let the kids dip– pretzels, bananas, crackers, marshmallows...  it's all good!

Then let the kids have at it! Voila! You will be the most popular teacher in the school. One of my parents gave glowing praise, "It figures you'd figure out a way to do Chocolate Fondue with five year olds! My daughter can't stop talking about it! I think we're going to be having it this weekend." Hee

If you don't have a Trader Joe's nearby, not to worry because I found it on Amazon! Click on the pic below to go there. And if nuts aren't an issue in your classroom, I'm betting good old Nutella would work, too, though I have not actually TRIED warming Nutella, so experiment first!

Click to find on Amazon

Now, take a look below at the kids' Valentine hat close up. I think they are the CUTEST things around and I use them as my Valentine to each kiddo. Here's how you can do it, too, with the help of my FREEBIE download.

Print out the "Happy Valentine's Day, Love Bug!" sheet on pink paper, one for each child, and cut the paper in half lengthwise. This message is printed on the back part of the headband, which you can't see in the photo. And it's printed in bubble letters so the kids can color it in.

Print out eye sheets on white paper– you get six pairs of eyes per sheet and each child needs a pair.

Include a small heart sticker, paper heart punch-out, or those press on foamy hearts for a nose. Do Love Bugs have noses?? Mine do!

Add two pipe cleaners or one pipe cleaner cut in half, or if you don't have pipe cleaners handy, just cut skinny strips of paper. They'll need four more hearts to make the antennae. The kiddos will sandwich the pipe cleaner tips in between two hearts to form antennae that can be taped to the hat's inside edge. As you see, the hearts don't have to be red or pink.

To turn the hat into a Valentine for my kids, I sign my name under the word "Love Bug" on the message at the back of the headband. Then I make little Valentine "kits" by rolling up all the parts into a scroll tied with red curling ribbon. I hand one to each kiddo as our party begins and let them cut, glue, color and tape their hats into place. It makes a lovely, wearable Valentine and a great valentine party activity.

Hat making is followed by the fondue, and then the big valentine opening event. We open Valentines with everybody sitting in a circle on the floor with their lunch bag mailbox of Valentines in front of them. On my signal everyone starts to take out their Valentines, one at a time, and when they figure out who it is from (it takes a while for five year olds to read five year old handwriting!) they then yell, "Thank you, So-and-So" across the circle. Then So-and-So has to yell back "You're welcome!"

You have never seen or heard such chaos!!! So much happy yelling. Warms my heart! I've done it this way for years and won't do it any other way. Then all the Valentines go back in their bag with any candy that came in Valentines, so it can all be taken home.

One heck of a good party, and a level of prep that I can handle. Try it! Bet you like it!

OH! Almost forgot! For the simple freebie hat download, just click on either of the photos with kids in hats! Kuddos to DH Jonathan for putting the hat handout together to my specifications. Life would be SO much harder without him... it's why I keep him around... well, that and a few other reasons. TeeHeeHee

As always, Pin Pin Pin please!!!

See you next time! News Flash– Next time is TODAY. I put together a compilation of dance party brain breaks featuring Black artists performing a wide variety of music over the years to use throughout February. This collection for Black History Month is coming out in a couple hours! You'll want it for easy reference. AND going BACK in time, don't miss my post with the Safe Youtube QR Code cards for students to use to watch Storyline Online! Click HERE for that one.

FitFlops, Pie Tag, and Stamping Fun for Friday

Well, here's another bitterly cold Michigan Friday link up with Doodle Bugs Five for Friday. I'm huddled under three blankets and thinking of you all in warmer temps.  brrr.

1. I don't usually blog about fashion too much, but a month ago I got a pair of boots that have become my comfort and joy. I have this bum knee with issues that come and go. I've always been really flexible and apparently really clumsy, too. Take a look at this photo that my mom recently unearthed.

A looooong time ago

Yep, my brothers and I were cute... but note my KNEES. Bandaids and I had a very close relationship when I was growing up.

Jump to current day and it's not too surprising that I have sore knees now. During the summer I wear nothing but FitFlop sandals and they do me very well. They have this special patented sole that really works for me. I thought I should try a winter version of FitFlops and YIPPEE! YAHOO! I'm so glad I did. They felt good on my feet from the first minute and I noticed a difference in my knee right away. No breaking in period needed. They are every bit as comfortable as the sandals. They go with everything and I've gotten tons of compliments.

New favs

They're not cheap, but the best price I found was on Amazon. I'm a FitFlop kinda girl I guess. Check them out for yourself.

2. If you live in the snowy states I hope you remember that new fallen snow is great for playing games like pie-tag. I took the kids out to the front yard where few people walk. Then I had them line up behind me and told them to stay in my path– a rather large challenge for kindergartners. I made a BIG circle, and twenty pairs of little feet turned it into a narrow walkway.

Making the pie

Then I tromped across the "pie" to cut six slices, designated the first "It," and let the fun begin. Kids had to stay on the path as they chased. It was interesting to see them use strategies to figure out how to change direction to tag someone.

Playing pie tag

It wasn't too long before someone's excitement got the better of them, of course, and they charged their own path across the pie, but it was fun even then.

Tuckered out from pie, but happy!

I have to be truthful– these are pics from years gone by... I forgot to play this year! Duh. I hope we get just ONE more big snow dump so we can play this year. Thought I should share the idea so you don't forget like me.

3. I seem to have lots of activities to help kids sort words by word families once they are familiar with the particular letter pattern. What I needed were more ways to let kids practice making words in one particular family right after I taught it. So I got out the letter stampers, of which I have two sets, and put out the letters for just that chunk, and then some letters to make words in that family.  To save on copying, I folded the paper into six parts so the kids had a specific place to stamp each word and an illustration to go with it.

Letter stamps and folded paper equal word family activity

I liked the easy set up, and the kids liked discovering all the chunk words they could make with the stamps I put out. Thought it was an idea worth sharing. If you have letter stamps, it's low-prep, low-cost, hands-on learning.

4. Have you seen this video? I found it SO inspirational! If you're fighting the Get Fit War and thinking it's a battle you'll never win, take heart because you're not alone, Sister! Here's 90 seconds of Pump Up!

5. I leave you with this little Valentine scene. All these Valentines around our classroom fireplace came from fourteen different states– note the little map in the display.

We loved sending our own Valentines off, then getting mail and reading the letters. I also loved all the new ideas for kid-made Valentines-- especially the heart peacock that is front and center. And this little project brought on all sorts of discussion about maps and climate. This coming week is a winter break for us, but I'm leaving the love letters up for our kindergarten round-up which takes place the Tuesday we're back. The incoming newbies and parents can see what's ahead. Check out this post at PAWSitively Teaching to participate next year.

Hope you have a terrific Valentine Weekend! Scoot on back to Doodlebugs and catch what's going on with everybody else. Thanks, Kacey, as always!

Glad you stopped by. Hope you enjoyed your visit!

Five for February Funny Kid Friday

Happy Five for Friday AND Funny Kid Friday. I have five goodies to share thanks to Kacey at Doodlebugs Teaching.

1. I've been saying for two months now that I was going to make a Valentines garland for our fireplace mantle, and last week's snow days finally gave me the time.

The basic materials are simple– playing cards and narrow ribbon. I got the playing cards from Dollar Tree, two decks for a buck, and the spools of Valentine ribbon from Target's Dollar Spot.

I pulled out all the heart cards, including the face cards and joker... usually there's a joker or two thrown into any game of love... heh, heh.  I also had another set of heart face cards that I pulled out from a deck that I used as number cards in class. I punched two holes at the top of the cards and strung the ribbon through. I had enough ribbon to hang nicely along our mantel by using two lengths of the ribbon that comes on those little spools. I strung the cards on the ribbon, putting a queen in the center as Valentines is all about the queen, after all  :)

I cut the other kinds of Valentine ribbon on the spools into short lengths and tied those in between the cards. It seemed to need a bit more so I raided my sewing and crafting bins, of which I have many, and came up with some sparkling rickrack, fine netting, and two red and white tassels. I had two gilded stocking hangers that I picked up cheap after Christmas to use for SOME thing SOME time and they gave it the finishing touch.

DO NOTE– the fire in the fireplace is there simply for the sake of the photo and you CANNOT leave the garland hanging down when you are using your fireplace. I don't want a part of anybody burning their house down! It is easy to pull back when the fire is lit as I just looped the ribbon ends. That's Popeye, the little photo bomber, sitting so nicely. I swear she runs in front of any camera that comes out. She loves being on the blog, too, I guess :)  This was an inexpensive, easy-peasy way to add a little festive cheer to an otherwise cold and gray February. Best of all, there is still time if you want to make one too.


2. I got a surprise email last week. The Little Free Library organization chose our little free library as a Library of Distinction. They write, "Its unique design and the creativity and enthusiasm you put into it make it an inspiring example for other Little Free Library Stewards to follow." Pretty neat, huh! I posted about it last summer when Jonathan and I put it up in our yard and you can read about it by clicking on this photo I took recently.

It's really Jonathan's design and little owl bracket that makes it so fun. We laminated a miniature version of the certificate they sent and put it inside. We didn't create our library for special recognition, in fact we didn't even realize there was such a thing. We enjoy it so much because we love sharing books and meeting passersby. The distinction from LFL is just icing on the cake. If you have any questions about how a Little Free Library works I'd be happy to share.  You can visit their site by clicking Little Free Library. 


3.  Here is a truly amazing video. I know how important ecosystems are, but this demonstrates how just ONE element can change everything, even the course of rivers. Everyone should see this, not just teachers and school kids.





4. And now a detail about the classroom... that's what I blog for anyway, right :) I participated in the nationwide Valentine exchange that Lisa from PAWSitively Teaching organized. You can read about it here so you know to sign-up next year. I combined a couple ideas I saw on Pinterest to come up with the valentine that each of my students made to send to other classrooms. I wanted it to be a bit interactive as kids are all about that.

Using Astrobrite red paper (easier to print on than construction paper) I drew writing lines on the front and lines for gluing inside. The kids wrote the Valentine phrase on the cover.

Front cover

Then I gave them a spiral heart. Someone had already cut out the heart around the outer edge when I took this photo, but they got just a square paper and had to cut out the heart, too.

Cut on spiral

I worried that this cutting would be too difficult for my little kiddos, but only one of them cut through the spiral and that was easily fixed with a piece of tape.

I had drawn a heart inside the card that matched the spiral heart's shape. They wrote Happy Valentine's Day inside the heart. Then they traced the heart in the card with a glue stick so the glue would hold down just the outside edge of the spiral heart. Using their thumb and an ink pad they drew a "love bug." They loved that part. Using their tiniest writing and a ball point pen they wrote "lift" beside the bug.

Glue down outside edge and make thumbprint love bug.

Here we go making the valentine "work."

Lift!

See the message inside!

Cute, eh?

Our Valentines went to 21 different classrooms in 14 different states. One of the nicest features of this project was finding and marking the states that sent us Valentines on the map. Several of the classrooms also wrote accompanying notes which gave details of their state and what the weather was like now. It made geography meaningful in new ways. As the Valentines arrive, I put them up around our classroom fireplace. Fun learning all around.

5. And last but not least, this is the first Friday of the month so I have a Funny Kid Story for you.

One of the greatest things about being a teacher is all the hugs you get, especially in kindergarten. At least daily, a little one will throw their arms around me for a quick hug. Just a couple weeks ago, I sent the kids from the carpet to line up for gym. One little guy, a frequent hugger, threw his arms around me before I could even stand up. Then he stepped back, and putting his hands on both my cheeks, said "I love your face."

I almost fell over. I just looked at him and said, "Wow, R, that's not something I hear every day." He looked thoughtful and said, "Why not?"

You really never know what they are going to come up with next!

Remember, if any of your posts include a funny kid story or saying, you can link up right here. We all like to hear them.  The link will be open all month.  I try to mention Funny Kid Friday at least once during the month to help readers find a chuckle or two. You can grab the Funny Kid Friday button to put on your post or not.

Now scootch on back to Five for Friday and check out some more blogs by clicking on the button below. I love to hear what's going on. I find out the neatest stuff.

Have a great month, folks. See you soon.

An InLinkz Link-up

Currently February

Oh Boy! It's February! I'm linking with Farley to stop for a minute and take a pulse on life.

We have had almost 24 hours of snowfall, and it's not supposed to taper off until tomorrow morning. Everybody is clearing it away every few inches so the task is doable.

Got notice just a bit ago that we don't have school tomorrow. How do you spell teacher happiness:
S-N-O-W  D-A-Y!

I found the cutest heart garland to make for Valentine's Day. You use only the heart suit from a couple decks of cards. I bought cheap cards at Dollar Tree and Valentine ribbon at Target's Dollar Spot a while back, so maybe the snow day is the excuse to make it. I think it will look festive hanging from the mantle with some little lights. You can see it here.

Okay, like the rest of the world I'm following up on New Years Resolutions to eat better and exercise more. Sort of getting sick of the same old food choices though. I have sugar snap peas to use up so I think I'll stir fry them as a vegetable side dish.  And my doctor and physical therapist have recommended a recumbent stationary bike to use for strength training and cardio even with my bum knee. My PT cinched my decision to buy it when she said the best thing about it was that you can multi task while you ride, and hence people use them more than other pieces of equipment. Should have it up and going by next weekend. Yippee.

Not going out in this mess of snow, so tomorrow I'm going to plan as much for next week as I can from home. And, yes, the age old issue of taxes. "Ugh" about sums it up.

This post is as close as I'll ever get to a pageant, so I guess I'll chose Ms. Multi-Task. I ALWAYS have multiple "stuffs" going on. It's both a blessing and a curse.  sigh.

Click the button to read more Currentlys. The pageant answers are funny ones to read!