Masking Tape Valentine Placemats

We have had rolls of different colored masking tape in our art cabinet for a few months now, and we finally pulled them out.

I cut hearts out of large, white construction paper and gave one each to C and R, along with the rolls of masking tape.  I showed them how to tear small pieces of tape off the roll and told them to decorate the hearts with the tape however they want.  C (age 6) was able to tear the tape, but R (almost 5) had to use scissors.

They worked on this for quite a while.  This is definitely a great project to give your kids when you are busy with something else.

When they were finished, I traced their hearts onto clear contact paper, leaving a border around the edge so that the two pieces of contact paper enveloping each heart would create a seal.

Here is C's finished placemat, no surprise AT ALL that he stuck with traditional Valentine colors:

R, on the other hand, did her own thing and used many different colors.  She said this heart is a map of our neighborhood.  FYI:  our house is green, our neighbors' house is pink, and there is a yellow house across the street (do you see the houses represented?):

C and R have nice new placemats for Valentine's Day!

One of my all time favorite books that is just perfect to read for Valentine's Day, or any other day, is Guess How Much I Love You by Sam McBratney.

This is the sweetest book about trying to show someone just how much you love him or her.  I think this book is perfect for all ages.

I am linking this to stArt at A Mommy's Adventures and Kids Get Crafty at Red Ted Art.