This Valentine’s Day, teach your kids to make ‘Eco-friendly’ heart garland formed by using recycled material. This craft activity creates a sustainable awareness among children. When your chain of heart garland is ready, use it as a decoration in the house for Valentine’s party. (Courtesy: Martha Stewart)
Difficulty level
Easy
Time required
1 hour
Resources required
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Construction paper or card stock
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Heart template which you can download from internet or you can simply draw a heart shaped template yourself
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Glue stick
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Stapler
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Scissors
Instructions
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Take heart shaped template, place it on top of 4 stacks of card stock or construction paper and staple in the center of the heart.
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Once you have the center of the heart stapled into the card stock, cut out outlines of heart shape.
Make a 1 inch vertical cut on the pointed end of the heart, and cut the heart all the way around inside with about 1 inch wide cut.
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From the center of the heart, make two 1/2 inch horizontal cuts.
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Repeat the process to draw more hearts.
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From the pointed cuts, link two hearts together.
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Glue these ends together and trim the cut ends to create a pointed edge.
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Repeat the process until you have linked up all the hearts together.
Quick tips
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Allow the children to create the pattern of the hearts according to what they feel inspired by. This will bring out a more homely touch to the hearts.
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You can have the children decorate and embellish one heart each, to bring out their personality and creative styles.
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You can make a long garland for the hallway or a part of the living room wall for which you can measure the length.
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This garland can be folded and stored away for future use.
Things to watch out for
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When it comes to young children, cut out the hearts for them and let them do the decorating part. Sharp scissors can be quite dangerous for little children.
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Use only safe glue, free from toxic chemicals.
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Arrange a large table where everyone can accommodate and sit comfortably.
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When your craft is done and the decoration put up, your children will have a fulfilled sense of spending the best hours, creating something unique towards a good purpose. This is an ideal way of letting your children understand the value of recycling and being Eco-friendly.
