You've got mail! Valentine card boxes are a staple of classic Valentine’s Day parties. You’ll love our super-cute valentine box idea for elementary classrooms.
Supplies
- Red Sparkle Terrific Trimmers® T91410
- Hearts Bolder Borders® T85027
- Scrapbook Hearts Terrific Trimmers® T92057
- White 1-Inch STICK-EZE® Stick-on Letters T78002
- Valentine-themed Scratch 'n Sniff Stinky Stickers® (optional)
- Empty oatmeal canisters
- Shoebox lids or additional trimmers/borders
- Wooden craft sticks
- Brass brad fastener (optional)
- Scissors, glue, tape, and any additional decorations of your choice
Directions
Elementary children love creating these valentine card mailboxes and decorating them with their own personal touch!
- We start with an empty oatmeal canister for the mailbox base – it’s sturdy, the pop-off lid is handy, PLUS it can be recycled when you’re finished.
- Invite students to bring empty oatmeal canisters and shoebox lids from home and any other stickers or special add-ons they wish. You’ll be surprised how many different ideas they’ll have!
- For a more advanced design, make the mailbox door open and close. Cut across the lid about ¼ of the way into one side. Tape the lid back together and fold along the taped edge to make a hinge (you may need to help children create this cut - a light score works too). Cover in a border color that matches your theme. Place the lid back on the canister.
- Create a handle from a scrap of trimmer or border paper and attach to the top portion of your mailbox door. Now it can now open and shut!
- For an easier design, keep your canister lid on and cut a slit in the top of the mailbox for valentine cards to slide through. Design the lid to look like a shut mailbox, including a handle. Open the lid on the canister to access the cards after the party.
- Lay your canister in the shoebox lid and and mark how much shows (you'll only need to decorate what shows). Make a rectangle from borders or trimmers if you don't have a shoebox lid. Adding this base gives your mailbox its iconic look and keeps your canister from rolling away!
- Let’s decorate! Whether your motto is “less is more” or “more is marvelous,” there are lots of ways to make your valentine box a hit!
- We love the shimmering, irresistible finish of Sparkle Terrific Trimmers® so we chose Red Sparkle as the main color in our Valentine’s Day box theme, but any valentine-themed color is great!
- Add Hearts Bolder Borders® strip to the sides of your mailbox.
- Cut out little hearts from Scrapbook Hearts Terrific Trimmers®, heart-shaped stickers, and accents to give your box extra frills.
- Glue or tape on any other decorations children might have brought from home.
- Create a side signal flag using a craft stick and a brad fastener. Use a marker to color the craft stick to match your mailbox. Decorate the flag with stickers, cute accents, or cut hearts from border trim.
- Punch a hole in the end of the craft stick that's just large enough for a brad fastener to fit through. Punch a similar hole in the side of your mailbox. (Kids may need help with this step.)
- Secure your signal flag to your mailbox using the brad fastener. Tighten the fastener on the inside of the canister.
- Lay your mailbox in the lid or border/trimmer base and tape in place. Add additional borders around the outside to cover, if needed.
- Write your name on your mailbox with STICK-EZE® Stick-on Letter Stickers.
©TREND enterprises, Inc. 125
