I'm crafty.

I was really bothered when the note came home from school telling us parents that the Valentine's Day party was approaching and that the kids would exchange valentines. I don't have a problem with this in practice, but rather in principle, because the expectation is that we will go out and buy a box of stupid character-themed valentines from Hallmark which we will then stuff into envelopes. We were told not to buy special ones for special kids so that everybody felt included, which really sends mixed messages to kids about the sentiment and the holiday. On the other hand, we're pretty much railroaded into it because no kid wants to be the only one who didn't bring cards for the class. So the boy and I hatched a plan to make our own. Okay, mostly I hatched the plan. Here's how we did it:

Coloring templates

First, we took five blank cards (bought in bulk at Michael's craft store) and opened them up. On them, I drew patterns with a black crayon. Then it was the boy's job to color them.

Templates colored

Once they were colored, I thought they looked pretty nifty. The designs are easy to see when they're full size, but they will become more obscure when they're finished. So they're abstract but colorful, and since there was not a lot of detail, it was easy for the kiddo to color them in nicely.

Cards cut into four strips

 Then I folded the cards with the design on the outside and creased them well. Because we were planning to eventually turn them into hearts, I cut each card into four strips with a crease at one end while they were closed. This ensured that the two ends would be of equal width.

Stamped

We picked up a "Friends" stamp at Michael's too. We both agreed that it was the message that applied the best to all kids equally. I also like the fact that it doesn't send a confusing message about expressing love toward one's classmate, regardless of gender or how one gets along with that classmate on the playground. The boy is dealing with a girl who has a crush on him and who expresses it, as most little girls do, by being alternately annoying and slobbery. He agreed that although "friends" was a little nicer than he wanted to be to this girl, he could safely say it without thinking he'd encourage her further. *giggle*

Paperclipped

I had the boy sign the opposite side of the inside of the card, and then we folded the two colored edges together into a heart shape and secured them with a paperclip (these cute striped ones were $1.50 for 70 at a drugstore.)

A box full

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We stacked them all in a shoebox so they wouldn't get crushed or come apart, and now they're ready for him to deliver tomorrow to his classmates. Not a dime to Hallmark along the way, either.