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Kids' Krafts: Make a valentine for one you love

By Kathy Antoniotti, Akron Beacon Journal, Source: MCT News Service

Legends abound about the origins of Valentine's Day and why it is still considered a day for courtship and romance, centuries after people began to celebrate it.

Historians believe the holiday is a combination of ancient Roman traditions and Christian beliefs. But since the Catholic Church recognizes three men named Valentine or Valentinus, it is difficult to pinpoint which one the holiday honors.

One of the most intriguing stories recounts the life of a young priest whose romantic nature landed him in jail and in trouble with a Roman emperor.

The priest, named Valentine, served in Rome in the third century. He caught the ire of Emperor Claudius II after he ignored an edict that banned soldiers from getting married.

The emperor believed a man with no romantic ties would serve the empire better during battles than one who pined for a wife who waited at home.

Valentine disregarded the law and secretly married couples who came to him for help. After he was thrown in prison and awaited a death sentence to be carried out, the young priest sent the very first love note to his jailer's daughter, signing it "from your Valentine."

Use these instructions from the January/February edition of American Girl magazine, to make clever and unusual valentines for your friends. I modified the directions for our use.

For more fun activities, visit the American Girl Web site at http://www.americangirl.com/fun.

	Supplies you will need:
	_Colored paper.
	_Scissors.
	_Glue.
	_Rhinestones.
	_Ribbon.

_Heart-shaped hole punch or heart-shaped stickers.

To make a pocket, cut a 4-by-5-inch rectangle and a 4-by-3-inch rectangle in a contrasting color.

Glue the rectangles together along three edges of the smaller rectangle, leaving one of the 4-inch edges unglued.

Write the beginning of a saying along the outside of the pocket. Finish the sentence on the shape you will make next.

Use glue to decorate the pocket with ribbon and rhinestones and let dry.

Cut a colored-paper shape that illustrates the saying. Make it small enough to fit inside the pocket. Decorate the shape with different pieces of colored paper and let dry.

Use heart-shaped stickers or make hearts with a hole punch to use as decorations, like confetti, to place inside the pocket.

Write the rest of your saying on a shape, such as a bee, candy, a bug, a star or a cupcake using these saying ideas: You're sweet as can . . . bee. You're cute as a . . . bug. You're sweet as . . . candy. You sparkle like a ... star. You're sweet as a ... cupcake.

Finish by writing Happy Valentine's Day! on the back.

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(c) 2010, Akron Beacon Journal (Akron, Ohio).

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