What's Red, Pink and Green All Over? Eco-Valentines for Kids

Remember the joy of exchanging valentines with your classmates?  From heart-shaped candy to cartoon greetings, Valentine's day is a sweet opportunity to share your sentiments with your best friends or first crush. This year, help the little tots in your life learn how to share their affection for family and friends in an environmentally friendly way.  

Instead of focusing on buying dozens of disposable cards and plastic bags of rose-colored candy, think about creative crafts that you can do in the house together. Celebrate your children's creativity by creating homemade valentines with them using the paper and art supplies that you already have in the house.  Snowed in? Each family member could make a collage using newspaper and magazines of all the images that your valentine inspires and then recycle the rest of paper.  

Kids grow when they are affirmed. Show your children you value these homemade items by placing them in a special place in the house-on the fridge art gallery or in the hallway entrance. 

Homemade and homespun: One of the most powerful elements of comedian Dave Chappelle's stand up performance For What It's Worth comes in the end when he emotionally recalls that the most meaningful thing that happened to him at the height of his success was his son giving him a macaroni necklace.  If you want to create a macaroni necklace with your child, consider using natural food coloring.  You can buy organic natural food coloring or make your own.  Pomegranate juice may help you add a great, red color to your homemade creations.  

Edible expressions: If you have a little baker's assistant, you may prefer to bake sugar cookies with whole wheat flour and natural food color frosting. Try something different and make vegan sugar cookies. 

Share the love: If your child plans to distribute valentines at school, think about eco-art supplies and eco-friendly valentines cards.  Stubby pencil studio valentines cards have adorable, kid-appropriate messages printed on recycled stock paper.  Plus, they also sells soy crayons made from soybean oil and natural coloring so children can safely leave their creative imprint on their valentines cards.