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Good to Go: Outside-the-box Valentine ideas for kids

By WTOP Staff

anti-Valentine’s Day celebration. But for kids, Feb. 14 brings an added burst of red and pink fun to an otherwise bleak winter day.

The holiday is a reason to have a festive classroom party and send and exchange valentines in the mail with their friends and family.

Do you remember decorating a shoebox to act as your mailbox to receive valentines from classmates? I do — as well as the little red doilies I used to make with the white construction paper messages for my classmates. However, like everything for kids today, valentines and class parties have received an upgrade.

Here are some new and old school ideas for classroom and home celebrations for your little valentines:

Bouquet of Valentines

There are a variety of valentines for kids that cover a spectrum of favorite TV, movie and book characters. Valentine senders can also get do-it-yourself kits from craft stores like Michael’s and A.C. Moore. Target, Wal-Mart and other local toy stores carry a selection the kids will appreciate too.

But one thing I noticed after my daughter’s first class Valentine’s Day party was the amount of loot and bling she brought home. I quickly caught the drift that Valentine’s Day doesn’t just mean a little card anymore — there’s merchandise and goodies now involved.

Many of the valentines she received included a pencil or little knick-knack toy. Some of her friends even attached treat bags with their messages. That’s when I realized I better up my game when it comes to this holiday.

We came up with the idea of lollipop flowers to send to her friends and teachers. We enjoy making them together and bringing them to class arranged like a bouquet.

Materials:

  • Red and pink construction paper
  • Hole puncher
  • Glue stick
  • Markers
  • Lollipops
  • Optional: A styrofoam holder from any florist that can be used to hold up the flowers for presentation.

Directions:

  1. Trace a pair of hearts on a sheet of construction paper.
  2. Cut each heart so that they are the same size and color.
  3. Place one heart on top of the other with each point of the bottom of the heart toward the other.
  4. Glue the hearts one on top of the other together.
  5. Poke a hole in the center with the hole puncher.
  6. Stick a lollipop through the hole to hold the Valentine’s Day greeting and act as a stem.

Homemade sweets

Another Valentine’s Day family-friendly or party activity is to prepare cookie dough with heart-shaped cookie cutters sold at most grocery stores or Target. My daughter loved using a rolling pin to flatten sugar cookie dough from a mix and cut out hearts with the cookie cutters. We followed the cooking instructions, and when the cookies cooled, we decorated them with pink icing, candy hearts, Red Hots and gel messages. If your family is staying in on Feb. 14, this is a fun, low-key and inexpensive activity.

That’s amore

Italian-themed dinners make for appropriate fare for little valentines on Feb. 14. Most kids love pasta, and the World Market and Fresh Market stores sell heart-shaped pasta. My daughters love to eat the pasta hearts with a little tomato sauce and a cucumber tomato salad on the side. It’s fast, easy and festive.

What you need:

  • Heart-shaped pasta
  • Tomato sauce (your own recipe or store-bought)
  • Cucumber
  • Medley of red cherry and heirloom tomatoes
  • Balsamic vinaigrette
  • Mozzarella cheese balls are also a tasty addition, but optional

Directions:

  1. Follow the instructions for the pasta and sauce.
  2. Slice and peel cucumber into tiny bites.
  3. Slice the cheery tomatoes into halves.
  4. Drain pre-made mozzarella balls or scoop mozzarella cheese into little balls.
  5. Add the cucumber, tomatoes, cheese and Balsamic vinaigrette together and stir.
  6. Chill in the refrigerator for 15 minutes before serving.

Please share your fun family plans or traditions for this Feb. 14 in the comments, and Happy Valentine’s Day to the littlest of valentines.

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Editor’s Note: WTOP’s Katie Howard is a mom on the go. With two children under age 5, she’s always looking for ways to provide her family fast and healthy snacks, meals and activities. Katie shares her go-to food and family fitness tips every Tuesday on her blog “Good to Go.”

Follow @WTOPLiving on Twitter.

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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