If you have snow where you live, here is a fun idea that is sure to surprise your kids!

After your kids are in bed for the night, get on your winter gear, grab a flashlight, and head out to your backyard and make gigantic hearts in the snow just by walking and shuffling your feet. To make this idea even more special, spray paint the snow heart outlines.

For smaller hearts, use our Snow Paint Kit to paint red hearts in the snow.

When your kids wake up on Valentine’s Day, see how long it takes them to notice the giant hearts in the yard!

This is a fun “gift” to give a friendly neighbor, too.

Have fun, and Happy Valentine’s Day!

You May Also Like:

• Ice Lantern Mold – Freeze Red Hot candies in ice to make a sizzling cool lantern for a Valentine’s Day dinner!


• Ice Dessert Mold – Freeze your favorite juice, along with red cherries, and then serve ice cream in this clever frozen dessert bowl! Perfect for Valentine’s Day!


• Water Wizard Buddha Board – Paint giant hearts with water on this red Buddha Board!


• Cool Jewels – Make dazzling “diamond” ice cubes to serve in your Valentine’s Day beverages! Cool fun!

Copyright © 2007-2011 Escapade Direct LLC. All rights reserved. All content on this site is property of Escapade Direct LLC and may not be used without our written permission.

Help your kids count down to Valentine’s Day with these special cards that tell them how much you love them!

The countdown cards are a fun way to celebrate Valentine’s Day (or any day of the year)!

Valentine’s Day is almost here – get started on your countdown today!

What You Will Need:

• Valentine’s Day Countdown Cards (click this link to download and print the FREE countdown cards from our store)


• Cardstock Paper


• Color Printer


• Scissors


• Pen

What You Do:

• Click the link above for complete directions and to download your free cards

♥ While visiting our store for this activity, make sure to check out our Valentine’s Day Shop for lots of fun gifts and ideas! Place your orders by February 9, 2011 to ensure delivery in time for Valentine’s Day!

As a Mom of three boys, my kids and I are usually inventing gadgets, building things, digging in the yard, riding go-karts, catching frogs… you know, all things young boys like to do. We also like to make things from scratch. We experiment with cool concoctions like slime and putty, and we make some awesome marble runs. Making Valentine’s Day cards, however, is not really something that is at the top of my boys “most fun” list – go figure!

But, since we like to send cards to family and friends, I wanted to find a way to make creating handmade Valentine cards more fun for my kids. I remembered a saying from my childhood – “Yours till the horse flies” – and my kids thought it was cool. So, we’ve been brainstorming to come up with more sayings like this one.

Here are the sayings we have so far – just waiting to be turned into Valentine’s Day cards and gift tags:

• Yours till butter flies


• Yours till the bed spreads


• Yours till the kitchen sinks


• Yours till ginger snaps


• Yours till the barn dances


• Yours till the fire escapes


• Yours till the cat naps


• Yours till the car tires


• Yours till the peanut butters


• Yours till the cookie crumbles


• Yours till the square dances


• Yours till gold rushes


• Yours till bacon strips


• Yours till the ice ages


• Yours till space rocks


• Yours till the hedge rows


• Yours till the cow slips


• Yours till cement walks


• Yours till the video tapes


• Yours till the remote controls


• Yours till the glue sticks


• Yours till ice screams


• Yours till the banana splits


• Yours till the bubble wraps


• Yours till the water falls


• Yours till the sun burns


• Yours till the pool drains

Next, I think we’ll see what we can add to the age-old poem of “Rose Are Red, Violets Are Blue….” That should be fun, too!

Try this out with your kids and see what clever sayings they come up with!

Have fun!
…Yours till the board walks

Sure… you could give store-bought, prepackaged candy to all your Valentine’s this year, and that’s nice. But why not wrap the candy in a unique way instead?! Something straight from the heart.

Here are some of our ideas to wrap your candy in style! These ideas are all quick and easy – and your Valentine’s are sure to love them!

Get your kids together and have fun wrapping!

Painted Drawstring Bags Take plain Cloth Drawstring Bags and turn them into special surprises! Use craft paint, fabric paint, markers, or ink pads to create colorful hearts on the bags. Make sure to insert a piece of cardboard into the bag before painting or decorating to prevent the paint from bleeding through to the other side, then allow the paint or ink to dry before removing the cardboard. When the paint has dried, fill the bags with candy or small gifts.
Love Potion Candy Test Tubes Fill Wondertube Test Tubes with red, pink, and white candies for a cool “mad scientist” gift! Add a ribbon around the cap or neck of the test tube with a gift tag that says “I’m Mad about you!” You could even add a sticker to the test tube that says “Love Potion #9″!
Candy and Gift Sachets At Christmas, kids receive stockings full of small surprises. At Easter, it’s baskets full of goodies. For Valentine’s Day, fill Organza Sachets with candy and small gifts and hang the sachets on the doorknobs to your children’s bedrooms for a special Valentine’s Day surprise – what a fun treat to wake up to!
Jelly Belly Doilies White heart-shaped doilies are perfect for concealing Jelly Belly Conversation Beans! Sew two heart doilies together with red thread (with a sewing machine or hand-stitching) and fill with jelly beans or Red Hot candies before completely sewing the two hearts together. Present the candy-filled hearts to your Valentine with a note that says “You’re a heart breaker!”, “Don’t break my heart!”, or “My heart throbs for you!”
Elegant Glassine Bags Fill Glassine Bags with pink, white, and red candies. Fold the top of the bag over and punch two holes in the fold. Thread a red ribbon through the holes and tie into a bow. Add a special gift tag and you have an elegant Valentine’s Day treat! Put a bunch of these glassine treat bags into a large clear bowl, and place the bowl on a table for a Valentine’s Day Party – a nice decoration and a party favor, too!
Handle Boxes Make a special Valentine’s Day party favor box! Just add a sheer red ribbon and a few heart stickers. A quick and easy way to wrap your treats! Click Wire Handle Box for more information and ideas.
Silk Gift Wrap Ideas Make your Valentine’s Day gifts extra special… wrap them in silk! It’s two gifts in one! Not only is wrapping gifts in silk a unique, fun activity – it’s eco-friendly! The silk can be reused again and again for other presents, and can be played with for imaginative play. Wrapping gifts in silk squares is also easy for young children to do. No tape, no scissors required. Be creative! Click Silk Gift Wrap Ideas for more information and for folding instructions.

Copyright © 2007-2011 Escapade Direct LLC. All rights reserved. All content on this site is property of Escapade Direct LLC and may not be used without our written permission.

Well… okay, they only look like diamonds – sort of – but your kids will be just as impressed!

This is a fun science project for kids and it results in a unique Valentine’s Day gift.

Alum crystals are actually easy to grow and they really are stunning when done. If you get started today, you’ll have some really nice sized crystals just in time for Valentine’s Day! Give them as gifts, make them into a necklace, use them for holiday decorations, or keep them for yourself!

What You Will Need:

• 1 cup of Hot Tap Water


• 6 tablespoons Alum (found in the spice aisle at your grocery store)


• 24″ of Nylon Fishing Line


• Pencil


• 2 clean Glass Jars or Large Glass Beaker


• Spoon


• Paper Towel

What You Do:

• Pour hot tap water into one clean jar.


• Slowly stir in alum, adding a little bit at a time. Continue stirring and adding alum until it stops dissolving. NOTE: You won’t necessarily use the entire 6 tablespoons of alum. If the mixture remains cloudy, let it stand for a few minutes to allow the suspended alum to settle.


• Place a piece of paper towel over the jar to keep the dust out, set the jar somewhere where it won’t be disturbed, and leave it sit overnight.


• The next day, pour the alum solution from the jar into a second clean jar. Small alum crystals will have formed at the bottom of the first jar. These small crystals will be used as the “seeds” to grow larger crystals.


• Tie a piece of nylon fishing line around the largest of the seed crystals, then tie the other end of fishing line around a pencil. You will want the length of the fishing line to allow the crystal to hang in the second jar without touching the sides or bottom of the jar. Depending on the size of the crystal you want to grow, make sure to keep the seed crystal at least an inch off the bottom of the jar to allow it room to grow. NOTE: You may want to save the remaining seed crystals as a reserve, in case anything happens to your first choice. Just place these extra seed crystals in a plastic zip-top bag to keep them from drying out.


• Hang the seed crystal into the jar with the alum solution.


• Place a piece of paper towel over the jar to keep the dust out and set the jar in a place where it won’t be disturbed.


• Check on your crystal each day to observe it’s growth. Continue to allow the crystal to grow until you are happy with the size.


• When the crystal is the size you like, usually within a week, remove the crystal from the solution and allow it to dry. Your crystal is now ready to give as a gift!

Tips:

• Crystals will grow on a piece of sewing thread, but they cannot grow on nylon. If you do not have nylon fishing line, you can smear Vaseline or Cooking Oil on the thread to prevent the crystals from creeping up the thread.


• If crystals start to grow on the sides or bottom of the jar, carefully remove your crystal and pour the alum solution into another clean jar, then replace your crystal in the new jar. This will allow your crystal to grow, without having to compete with the other crystals in the jar.


• If you want to grow a really large crystal, you will need to remove the crystal from the solution once a week and then either redissolve any crystals that have formed in the solution or suspend your crystal into a fresh, saturated alum solution. You may also need to use a larger jar or beaker, so make sure your alum solution has enough alum in it to remain saturated.


• If no crystals have formed after several days, your alum solution is not saturated enough. You may need to warm the solution and allow it to sit for a day to let some of the water evaporate.

Notes:

• Alum is non-toxic and is safe for kids to handle.


• The materials used in this experiment can be safely disposed of in the trash.

You May Also Like:

• Sound Reactive Star Crystal – This little star brings a smile to everyone who sees it, and it lights up to sound!


• Ein-O Science Instant Snow – Grow snow with this chemistry kit!

Copyright © 2007-2011 Escapade Direct LLC. All rights reserved. All content on this site is property of Escapade Direct LLC and may not be used without our written permission.

Valentine’s Day will be here soon – now is a great time to sit down with your kids and get started on making unique Valentine’s Day gifts!

Rock Candy Sticks – Rock candy is fun to make, and a great way to grow sugar crystals; a science experiment you can eat! You will need about 6 to 7 days to allow the crystals to grow, so get started now! Click this link for our recipe and complete instructions.

Old-Fashioned Taffy – Making taffy is a fun activity for an entire family, and it tastes so good! Wrap several pieces of taffy and add a gift tag that says “I’m stuck on you!”, or “You’re so sweet!” Click this link for our recipe and for fun ideas.

Valentine Game Scrolls – Instead of giving candy for Valentine’s Day, use sheets from our Best of Mad Libs book as Valentine Day cards and a gift! Just roll the puzzle page into a scroll, wrap a band of decorative paper around the scroll and secure with a ribbon. Tie a gift tag made of cardstock to the ribbon with a clever phrase such as “I’m Mad about you!”, “You have Mad skillz”, “I Lib for you” – you get the idea!

We have lots more great ideas for Valentine’s Day! Make sure to check our blog regularly – or click the By Email icon in the upper-right corner of this window to subscribe to our blog posts via email!

You May Also Like:

• DIY Valentine’s Card Making Kit – We’ve assembled a variety of fun supplies for you to use to make your own Valentine cards! Be creative!


• Vintage Valentine Postcard Book – This book features many adorable cupids, pretty ladies and charming children, and much more.


• Red Play Silk – Use this beautiful red play silk to wrap your Valentine’s Day gifts in! Not only is it an eco-friendly way to wrap a gift, it becomes a gift, too!


• Heart Cookie Cutter Set – Sure, it’s a cookie cutter set, but click this link to see all the OTHER ideas we have for this set!

Copyright © 2007-2011 Escapade Direct LLC. All rights reserved. All content on this site is property of Escapade Direct LLC and may not be used without our written permission.

Show your Valentine spirit and enter the Escapade Direct Valentine Draw It! Color It! Contest for a chance to win!

This isn’t your typical coloring contest, it’s a “draw it your way” coloring contest! We get you started, but it’s up to you to finish the drawing and then color it in. Use your imagination and be creative. Think outside the lines, and draw it your way!

CONTEST INFORMATION

What Are the Age Groups?

There are three age groups. A first, second, and third prize winner will be selected from each age group.

• Group 1: Children ages 4 to 6


• Group 2: Children ages 7 to 9


• Group 3: Children ages 10 to 12

CONTEST PRIZES

Prizes are as follows:

• 1st Prize – $50 EscapadeDirect.com Store Credit


• 2nd Prize – $25 EscapadeDirect.com Store Credit


• 3rd Prize – $10 EscapadeDirect.com Store Credit

To download your coloring pages and complete contest information, please click Draw It! Color It! Contest.

Good luck, and have fun!

Our Valentine’s Day Newsletter was just mailed to our subscribers. In case you don’t subscribe to our newsletters, we’ve recapped it here.

In this issue, you will find fun art projects, crafts, and science projects that you can do together with your kids. These projects can also be easily adapted for other holidays and events.

Have fun – and Happy Valentine’s Day

Valentine’s Day Projects

Valentine’s Day Puzzles – “I go to pieces without you!” Instead of sending a regular card on Valentine’s Day, surprise your friends and family with a special puzzle that you make yourself.

Crystal Hearts – Surprise your sweetheart with a crystal heart on Valentine’s Day – one that you grow yourself!

Valentine Shrink Art – Make unique decorations and holiday gift tags using shrink art film! Kids love to watch their works of art shink before their eyes!

Eco-Friendly Silk Gift Wrap – Make your Valentine’s Day gifts extra special… wrap them in silk! It’s two gifts in one! This article includes detailed diagrams for a variety of different wrapping styles.

Scent-sational Dough – Mix up a batch of sweet smelling play dough, and color it red or pink! Kids love this colorful, sweet-smelling, easy-to-make dough. Use heart-shaped cookie cutters to make sweet hearts!

Valentine’s Day Magnets – Use our Valentine Hearts Template or our Conversation Hearts Template to make your own Valentine magnets! These templates work great with our Magnetic Ink Jet Paper.

Small Gift Box or Party Favor Box – Package small gifts, treats, or party favors in this gift box you can make yourself! Includes template to download.

Candy Cone Treat Holder – Surprise your special someone with a hand-made candy cone filled with sweet treats! Perfect for hanging on a door knob! Includes template to download.

Racing Hearts Game – Here is a fun game that allows kids to experiment with the laws of physics while racing hearts! Include template to download.

Outside the Box – Creative Thinking Activity

Do you really know how creative your kids are? Ask them our Creative Thinking activity for this month to find out:

You’ve been asked to create a new candy for Valentine’s Day. What flavor would you like it to be? What color is it? What does it look like? What will you name it? How will you package it?

Have your child write or draw pictures of their ideas!

Website Links

Necco manufactures 8 billion Sweethearts year ’round to meet consumer demand. See how this popular and iconic candy is made with this virtual tour! Click Virtual Tour to get started.

Free Printables

February Calendar – Customize your own calendar for February!

February Sketch and Tell™ – Download this activity sheet for your kids to express themselves!

Subscribe!

Subscribe to Our Newsletter – Click this link to read more about our newsletters and to subscribe.

Valentine’s Day will be here before you know it!

Now is a great time to get started on making your own unique Valentine Cards!

Making Valentine’s Day cards is a fun family project. We’ve added these new products to help you get started.

DIY Valentine Card Making Kit – No need to drive all over to find supplies for hand-made cards; this kit contains enough supplies to make over 60 cards. The craft box not only holds all your supplies, but doubles as a storage box for the Valentine cards you receive!

DIY Valentine Puzzle with Gift Box – “I fall to pieces without you!” Create your own Valentine’s Day puzzle, take the pieces apart and place them in the gift box. Decorate the box if you wish, add the ribbon and gift tag (included), and your special Valentine gift is ready to give!

DIY Valentine Puzzle with Envelope – Create your own Valentine’s Day puzzle, take the pieces apart, place them in the bright red envelope and mail to your special Valentine!

For more fun Valentine’s Day gifts, visit our Valentine’s Day Shop

Valentine’s Day is the perfect time of year to share your love with playful gifts.

We’ve created the list below with lots of ideas for educational Valentine’s Day gifts for kids of all ages (adults love them, too)! Just click the links for more information about each item.

Make sure to visit our store for more great gift ideas – we have over 800 gifts for under $10!!!

For the Artist:

• Water Wizard Buddha Board – Paint with water with this bright red buddha board!


• Wax-O-Glass Window Crayons – Decorate your windows this holiday with these easy-to-use (and clean) window crayons. Oh… and kids love them, too!


• Mini Buddha Board Gift Card – This handy buddha board makes a unique Valentine’s Day gift card!


• 3D Drawing Pad – Draw a pageful of hearts, then put on the special glasses and watch your drawings jump off the page!


• Wikki Stix Valentine Fun Favor – Instead of a typical Valentine’s Day card, give these fun favors – so many possibilities for play!


• Designs for Coloring, Flowers, Designs for Coloring, More Flowers, and Color Your Own Flower Seed Packet Illustrations – Real flowers fade so quickly; give a gift of flowers that will last and last!


• Paint Your Own Tea Set – Paint a tea set, then share a cup of tea with your smallest sweetheart! Don’t forget to serve fun heart-shaped cookies!


• Stitch It Bedtime Bear – This adorable stuffed animal kit is a fun way to share special time with your child. Includes a large heart you can add to your bear.

For the Do-It-Yourselfer or Crafter:

• DIY Blank Postcards – Create your own unique Valentine’s Day postcards to send to your favorite Valentine’s!


• Magnetic Paper – Make your own magnets for Valentine’s Day! Click this link to download our FREE Conversation Hearts templates and Valentine Heart templates.


• Precut Vinyl Magnets – Write all the reasons you love someone on these do-it-yourself magnets. Perfect for creating magnetic love poems for your refrigerator door!


• Glassine Bags – Use these simple and elegant glassine bags to create party favors and to package special treats for Valentine’s Day. Available in two sizes.


• Blank White Craft Box – No Valentine’s Day is complete without a special box to keep your Valentine cards in! Keep it white or have a blast decorating this quality cigar-style box.


• DIY Playing Cards – Use this deck of blank playing cards to create small, unique Valentine’s to give to your family and friends.


• Hardcover Blank Board Book – Why send just a regular Valentine’s Day card, when you can create an entire book! Fill this book with all the reasons you love someone, then seal it with a kiss and mail.


• Polyshrink Film – Remember “shrinky dinks”? Now you can create your own small works of art with this polyshrink film! Create small charms to use to decorate your Valentine’s Day cards. Create dozens of small hearts to use as table decorations. Be creative!


• White Wire Handle Box (Chinese Take Out Box) – This box is not just for take out anymore! Use the box for party favors or for packaging small gifts. Easy to decorate, and so many possibilities!


• DIY Valentine’s Day Puzzle and Gift Box Kit – “I go to pieces without you!” This is the sentiment you can convey with this unique Valentine’s Day puzzle and gift box kit! Be creative!


• DIY Valentine’s Day Puzzle and Envelope Kit – Create your own Valentine’s Day puzzle and mail it to your special Valentine!

For the Builder:

• 3D Heart Shaped Puzzleball – Learn to say I Love You in various languages as you build this 3D heart puzzle! Don’t forget to hide a special trinket inside the heart!


• DIY Drinking Strawz Construction Set – This crazy, wacky straw set is fun to build, and even more fun to use to share a special Valentine’s beverage!

For the Thinker:

• Scramble Squares, Roses and Scramble Squares, Pansies – These flower puzzles last longer than real flowers, and they are challenging to solve!

For the Game Player:

• Photo-Opoly – Relive favorite Valentine moments and make your own Monopoly-style game!

For the Scientist:

• Candy Factory Science Kit – Learn about the science that goes into making candy while making a batch of treats for your Valentine!


• Spectra Stone – It changes colors with your mood!


• Thinkonium, Brain Putty for Creative Play – Squish it, squeeze it, bounce it – it’s the Thinking Element! This Molten Magma color is perfect for Valentine’s Day!


• HEXBUG Echo – This robotic “love bug” is sure to put a smile on your Valentine’s face!


• Heart Throb Magnetic Attraction Buzzing Magnets – Show your special someone how attracted you are to them with these extra strong magnets!

For the Nature Lover:

• TickleMe Plant – Your kids will be tickled with this classic TickleMe plant!


• I Love You Message Bean – Tell them how much you love them with this special I Love You bean plant!


• Fairytale Garden, Jack’s Magic Beans – This unique garden kit is perfect for young children!


• Fairytale Garden, Cinderella’s Magic Pumpkin – A unique garden kit for children!


• Fairytale Garden, The Princess’ Pea – Grow your own peas with this unique kit!


• Garden Kit, Stone Soup – Grown your own garden and make Stone Soup!

For the Music Lover:

• Music Wand – Tap it gently and hear it’s sound!


• Mechanical Music Box Set – Make your own music box with this quality kit!

For Physical Fun:

• The Top – Show your kids you think they’re “tops” with this incredible spinning play top!


• Heart Silk Streamer – Dance, twirl, run – have fun!

Just for Fun:

• Vintage Valentine Postcard Book – Send vintage Valentine greetings to your friends and family!


• Origami From the Heart – This fun book set shows you how to make hearts and other paper models for Valentine’s Day!


• Hearts, Cupids, and Red Roses: The Story of the Valentine Symbols – Learn about the symbols of Valentine’s Day with this engaging book!


• The Story of Valentine’s Day – Learn the history and the story of Valentine’s Day with this delightful book!


• Red Play Silk and Pink Play Silk – Not only are these large play silks fun for dancing, costumes, and play – they provide an elegant, unique way to wrap your Valentine’s Day gifts! Click this link and download our FREE folding instructions for unique ways to wrap your gifts.


• Ice Dessert / Lantern Mold – This mold allows you to create delicious iced desserts or beautiful lanterns!


• Ice Lantern – Create unique, beautiful ice lanterns to light up your Valentine dinner table!


• Cool Jewels Diamond Ice Cube Tray – Everyone loves diamonds on Valentine’s Day – now you can make your own and serve them in your favorite beverage!


• Heart Cookie Cutter Set – This set of heart-shaped cookie cutters is perfect for making delicious cookies! They can also be used for tracing hearts on hand-made Valentine cards. Fun with play dough, too!


• Sweet Treats Candy Kaleidoscope – Design your own kaleidoscope with yummy candies!


• Red Tubtrug and Pink Tubtrug – Our Tubtrugs make perfect gift baskets! These unique tubs have so many creative uses – make sure to click this link to read our ideas!