Romantic Rocks
This is an activity and craft for the whole family to grab hold of. Find heart-shaped rocks out in the wild and then tame them at home.
CRAFT MATERIALS:
Heart shaped rocks
Paint
Newspaper towels

1. Search for heart-shaped rocks in the rockiest places near you: a stream bank, a driveway, the parking lot. They don’t have to be perfect, as long as they have the two telltale lobes of a heart and some sort of point at the bottom.
2. Clean them and let them dry on newspaper or a paper towel.
3. Now it is time to get creative! Set everyone to work painting the rocks.
4. add Valentine message, quotes, names of kids…

Bighearted Hello
CRAFT MATERIALS:
Scissors
Red card stock
Hole punch
Heavy red yarn (we used chenille)
Tacky glue
40-millimeter googly eyes
Markers

White paper or card stock Scotch tape

Throwing the Smile
In this game, players are forbidden to smile, but trust us–giggling and laughing will abound.
HOW TO PLAY:

1. Players sit in a circle, making sure they can see everyone else. One player who is It starts the game by smiling widely, while all the other players are somber. It then uses his hand to wipe the smile off his face and throw it to another player who has to catch the smile with his hand and put it on.
2. This new It can then wipe off the smile to throw to someone else–though he will probably choose to mug wildly at everyone for a few minutes before relinquishing his happy role. Meanwhile, all other players must sit stone-faced. One smirk and they’re out.

TIPS: The youngest players are the least successful at winning this game (they simply can’t stop themselves from laughing), but they also tend to enjoy it the most.

BEFORE I KNEW YOU, I HAD ALWAYS LOVED YOU
Before I knew you, I had always loved you,
Even as I dreamed of whom I’d love.
My inner picture was a portrait of you
Years before your heart my heart would move.
Vistas of enchantment are but rarely
As we find them in reality.
Love with you is what I dreamed, but really,
Eden as no dream could ever be.
Nor is this the magic of the moment,
The proper costume for the holiday.
In words like these one finds the winnowed ferment,
Not of the desire, but of the way,
Else lost amid the longings of the day.

Romantic gifts
To set the mood for romance, it’s all about the little details. If you’re planning to spend a romantic Valentine’s Day at home, you can create inner warmth and a romantic candlelight glow in your bedroom or bathroom with Floating Heart Candles. Light the candles and place them in your tub or a bowl for a romantic presentation. Have a glass of wine and some Sweetheart Berries to nibble on by the side of the bed or bathtub. You can also increase the intimacy of your bedroom with “My Heart Beats for You” Couple Pillowcases as an addition to your pillow talk with your loved one.

Chocolate

You likely have seen fair-trade coffee in bags with pretty designs and an interesting story about the place where it was grown.

Now get ready for fair-trade chocolate.

“In the next year, we’re going to see an increase in the demand for fair-trade chocolate,” predicted Nicole Chettero of Trans Fair USA, which certifies fair-trade products. “Fair-trade chocolate grew almost 85 percent in 2005 alone.” And its reputation is approaching the “high-quality, gourmet” buzz of fair-trade coffee, she said.

Fair-trade chocolate means “not only did it come from a small, democratically elected collective of cacao producers, but they were paid above-market prices, and no child labor was used,” Chettero said. While fair trade does not equal organic, she said it does connote “sustainable farming, strict environmental standards and none of the worst pesticides.”

Polly Politico
Character – Polly Politico dreams of one day being President

Dream – In her early 20s, she ran for mayor of her small town, She dreamed of the young, old, disenfranchised, and privileged involved in revitalizing her town

Challenge – You’re too young, You never ran for public office before, You have no degree, Who would vote for you?

Solution – Made cold calls door-to-door at all kinds of events and meetings, Invited everyone she knew to campaign for her (with flyers, bake sales, low-cost fund-raisers), Media became interested, The more people heard, the more they liked her

Advice – Lost the election, “Win or lose, keep on playing!”, Remember her name – you may vote her into office as President of the U.S!

You
Character – you

Dream – Have a dream, Have high hopes that you will make it happen