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Positively Homemade Valentines


Positively homemade Valentine bookmarks were lovingly created for my students for this week's Paint Party Friday.  I always try to give Valentines that have a purpose, so it seemed natural to give Valentine bookmarks to encourage my students to read.  Each bookmark was personalized on the back.



As an educator and parent, I try trying to encourage children to develop a daily habit of reading at least twenty minutes a day.  The reading can be a novel, non-fiction, jokes, magazines, newspapers, comics, poetry, basically anything, as long as the child is reading.

If each student in my class reaches the goal of reading 400 minutes is a month, then we are going to have a reading marathon, when we spend the whole day reading at school  in our pajamas, cuddled up in blankets, along side our favourite stuffed animals. We will read recipes and make homemade waffles, participate in Readers' Theatre, and  read both individually and in pairs whatever reading materials they like.

Please, if you are a parent with a young child, or a grandparent with young grandchildren, read to your child/grandchild. It is such a special way to spend time with them.  You will not only be creating life-long memories, you will be helping your child learn a life-long skill that will help them every day.  It is a time to cuddle, discuss ideas, dreams and to get to know your child/grandchild.   Even if your child feels they are too old to be read to, you can still read side by side, each with your own book.  By seeing you read, it is wonderful way to role model reading and develop a reading habit and will give the child a person they can talk to about any questions they may have.

There are so many children around the world who wish they could go to school and read, but because of economics, gender biases, geography, politics, religion..., they can not go to school.  If you are lucky enough to be able to read, celebrate that you can read by reading with a child... You may be the person that helps a child to realize their dreams and you may be the seed to grow the imagination of a child!


To create the Valentine bookmarks, I used scraps of watercolour paper used my Geli Plate for the first time, acrylic paint, bubble wrap and sequin waste, the end of a paint brush, paint sprays and rubber stamps, a Sharpie fine tipped pen and embroidery floss.

Happy Valentines' Day and Paint Party Friday!

Comments

  1. These are beautiful, and getting children to read is so important. Valerie

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  2. How lucky your students are to receive such lovingly made bookmarks.

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  3. SO thoughtful of you! I love everything that encourages children to read - so your bookmarks sure are a treasure.
    Thank so much for stopping by earlier :)
    Happy PPF!
    Jana

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  4. Smashing gifts, what could be better than a great bookmark. Happy PPF, Annette x

    http://nettysartadventures.blogspot.co.uk/

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  5. These are really nice and super gifts for kids! What a fabulous idea :)

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  6. oh Renee.. these bookmarks are wonderful. Perfect idea for valentine's day. Reading is very important. I remember as a child if my mother was working late I read Harry Potter to my little sister. In the end she end up reading all the books her-self :) -Niina

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    1. Niina, thank you for visiting my blog. I read the first Harry Potter book to my son when he was in grade three. He wasn't much into reading novels, but once we got into the novel, he was hooked! He read ahead of me, and I had to catch up to him. Now he is an avid reader, and I am so pleased that reading is part of his life as an adult! We have read all of the novels, too, and of course have seen the movies.

      Thank you for your words of encouragement. It is very brave of you to start your own business and to share your disorder with us. It just goes to show you that if you want something bad enough, you will not let anything stand in your way!

      I really like your illustrations, and I am now off to see your older posts! Happy Paint Friday!

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  7. These are wonderful. Reading was the best part of the day when my kid were little.
    Nicole/Beadwright

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    1. Thank you, Nicole. I know what you mean by reading with your kids as being the best part of your day. I sure miss those days!

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  8. I so enjoyed your post and wholly support your sentiments - as a mother, grandmother and former teacher. I am sure your students loved the valentine's - they can recognize that they are gifts from the "heart"

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    1. One student said, "I should really make my own Valentines next time," after she saw the bookmark, so I guess she did appreciate the sentiment. Thank you for visiting and taking the time to comment!

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  9. Art, book marks and sentiments of love all in one. Lovely work!

    Annabelle : )

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  10. Wonderful to hear from you, Annabelle! Isn't it great how everything is connected!

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  11. We try to read to the boys every night! The challenge is transforming that into 'them reading!' I've been trying to get the boys to read 20 minutes each day ... and if we make 15 or if we make 40, either way I'm happy! I've actually started reading at the same time as them ... hoping that helps influence them! Our oldest is starting to read novels and I know that once he sits down and starts to read, he gets involved and will read and he enjoys it! The challenge is getting him to settle for long enough! I love your bookmarks! I might have to give this a whirl!

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