Doodle Valentines (& a great activity book)

There are so many great Valentine's ideas out there, I had a hard time deciding on what to do for each of the girls' classes. But when I ran across this doodle valentine from Inchmark, I knew I'd found the perfect one for E.

Brooke provides a free pdf printable that includes the frame and a simple doodle-person shape. Give your kid a fine-tipped pen and let them fill in the features to draw portraits of each of their classmates. There's a place for the student's name on the front and your child's name on the back. She designed them to fold with a spine so you can place a small treat on the inside. I picked up a pack of little toys from Walmart and taped one inside. (C'mon, parents! Let's stop the candy-insanity!)

In the same post, Brooke mentioned a coloring/activity book that I instantly fell in love with and ended up ordering:

Doodles: A Really Giant Coloring and Doodling Book

by Taro Gomi

 

He's not joking when he calls it "really giant". It's big and THICK. Each page has the beginning of a doodle and some instructions for the kids to complete the picture. This one said "draw the water". I love that E added her own fireman who is bravely battling the blaze with what looks like a large coffee mug. 

This one gave her a chance to design the flag of the country of rabbits.

Yes, they are all that random and wonderful. She's already spent a couple hours buried in the book, alone with her pen and imagination. I'm loving peeking in at the book occasionally and seeing what she's dreamed up.