kissing fish

Tip 1:  Include the message "Wishing you oceans of love!" or "I'm fishing for some kissing!"

Tip 2:  Glue the heart animal paper craft to the front of a folded over piece of construction paper or a doily to make a cute Valentine's Day card.

Tip 3:  Purchase fancy paper from the scrapbooking store and print the B&W version onto this for an extra fancy Heart Animal.

Tip 4:  Scotch tape a straw or popsicle stick to the bottom to make a fish puppet.

Tip 5:  Glue a small piece of sandpaper on the back to make a felt board character.

Tip 6:  Cut construction paper into 4 inch wide strips as long as you can make them.  Tape two together to make even longer.  Measure around child's head to make a construction paper 'crown'.  Glue Heart Animal to front of the crown to make a Valentine's Day hat.

Materials:

• paper,
• glue,
• scissors

Craft Instructions:

• Print out the Valentine's Day template of choice.  As an option, you can print the black and white version on colored paper.
• Color (if making the black and white craft).
• Cut out the template pieces.  (The pieces on the template are at about the angle they will be on the finished craft. That should help you sort out which pieces belong where).
• Glue pieces together:

Glue largest heart (with the face) so its attached to the tip of the medium heart to form the tail.

Add the smallest heart onto the front as a mouth.

Glue on two small hearts sticking out the top and bottom of the body as fins.

Repeat the whole process with the second fish facing the other direction.

Arrange the heart fish so they're 'kissing' each other.

Option for mass-producing - young children:  Print out the B&W template.  Trace the pieces onto stiff cardboard (back of paper pads works well) or margarine/ice cream container lids.  Cut out to make permanent templates.   Allow the children to trace these permanent templates onto different colors of construction paper to make their animal

Option for mass-producing - older children:  Omit the templates.  Let the children cut out heart shapes in various sizes from colored construction paper (show them how to fold paper in half and then cut to make a perfectly symmetrical heart).  Let the children create their own animals by putting together hearts of different sizes (you can pre-make a few example animals to give them some inspiration).