Excerpt

St. Valentine's Day: Feb. 14th

Memory verses: "Love is patient, love is kind" - 1 Corinthians 13:4-7


Only 200 years after Jesus died, there lived a man named Valentine. Saint Valentine was a priest in Rome and a doctor. He was put in jail for helping the martyrs. These martyrs were people who died to defend Jesus. The Romans didnt like Jesus or any of His Christian followers. Like Saint Paul, Valentine preached to his jailer and his jailer became a Christian. Then his jailer went home and told his family about Jesus and they became Christians too. God worked a miracle through Saint Valentine by making the jailer's blind daughter see again. After the jailer and his family were baptized, Saint Valentine was punished for it.

Saint Valentine was a man with many friends, for he was brave as well as kind. Lots of children wrote him letters of love and praise. A holiday was even named after their special friend, Saint Valentine.

In 1630, John Winthrop, a famous Puritan settler wrote his wife a letter before leaving for America. It said, February 14, 1629. Thou must be my valentine. Therefore, the English settlers probably brought the first valentines to America. Today, many children mail cards to their own friends and family members. Some children choose to make their valentines with scissors, glitter, crayons, glue and construction paper. Children can then write, "For You," "Be Mine," or "Will you be my valentine?" This is a time when we can reflect on the reasons why we love our friends and family members. More importantly, we can also focus on God's great love for us.


1. (All) Write a Love Letter To Jesus.


2. (All) Read a Love Letter From Jesus To You.


3. (Easy) Make Thumbprint Valentine's That Say, "Thumb-Body Loves You."


4. (Easy) Make a Candy Cane Heart.


5. (All) Make Sure Children Understand That Our God is a Jealous God.


6. (Moderate) Be Heart Smart!

What foods are good for your heart? Get out a few grocery sales flyers and cut out healthy foods. Collage them onto a piece of red construction paper in the shape of a heart.


7. (Moderate) Make a Heart Mobile.

NEEDED: markers, glitter, glue, yarn, and red or pink construction paper, scissors, and a hole puncher.

INSTRUCTIONS: Cut out one large heart. Cut out small hearts; one for each member of your family. God told us to "love one another deeply, from the heart"- 1 Peter 1:22. On the top, center of the large heart, punch a hole. Also, punch a hole along bottom, center of the large heart for each family member. Now, punch a hole on the top, center of each small heart. On the large heart, write "Love one another deeply, from the heart." On each small heart, write the name of a family member. Dribble on some glue around the edge and sprinkle it with glitter. Let it dry. Attach small hearts to the bottom of the large heart. Slide a piece of yarn through each hole and tie. Tie a piece of yarn into a loop through the top hole of the large heart to hang it up.


8. (Difficult) Make Old-Fashioned Paper.

NEEDED: blender, water, wire screens, towels, 2 plastic containers- like dishpans, newspaper- torn in strips, rolling pin, plastic bag, thick dishcloth, and old book.

INSTRUCTIONS: 1. Have a parent fill a blender to the 2/3 mark with lukewarm water. Turn the blender on "low". Then drop in approximately ten narrow strips of torn newspaper. Do not use glossy paper or shiny advertising inserts. Blend until its goopy.

2. Take two pieces of wire window screen. They should fit inside two identical shallow plastic containers, each with the bottom cut out in a rectangle the size of the piece of paper you want. Put the screens in between the openings of the nested containers, and then place the whole arrangement in the sink.

3. Pour the pulp from the blender onto the top screen. Let the moisture drain into the sink. Remove the top container, and then set the top screen (and the pulp) on your counter. Now place the other screen on top of the pulp, cover with a plastic bag, and roll carefully with a rolling pin.

4. Remove plastic bag (but not the screens), then weight the pulp down with a thick dishcloth and an old book that is the size of your paper. Let stand. (Drying times will vary from one to three days.) When dry, carefully peel away your sheet of homemade paper and get out that quill!



PRAYER: Lord, thank you for your unconditional love. We know we can always trust you, no matter what. We know that you will always be there. Thank you. We love you. Amen.