Have a Green Valentine's Day!

It’s February, and you might be gearing up to celebrate Valentine’s Day with your family and friends. How about making it a “green” Valentine’s Day this year? It’s easy — just remember the three Rs: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. One of the best ways to do that is to reduce the amount of stuff that you buy. And, since you probably don’t have a job, you probably don’t have much money to buy things any way! Here are a few ideas to celebrate the holiday and give a little something sweet to the people you care about.

• Bake a present. With an adult, try your hand at making heart-shaped cookies or another sweet treat. Your friends will love it, and there won’t be any waste, except a few crumbs!

• Make a present. How about a heart-shaped bookmark for your mom or teacher? All you need is a scrap of pretty fabric, attached to a paper or cardboard heart. Decorate with stuff you have around the house, like lace, yarn, beads, buttons and paper scraps. (Helpful hint: Glitter might be pretty, but grown-ups don’t like it in their books!)

• Make your own cards out of recycled materials. Cut out your own hearts and decorate. You can use pictures cut out of old magazines to make a pretty collage heart. Or, try decorating your Valentine with things you have around the house, like lace, fabric, buttons — even macaroni! Here’s a fun idea: Take old crayon pieces, and using a sharpener (or a knife with a grown-up’s help), make crayon shavings. Fold your card or heart inside out. Sprinkle the crayon shavings inside. Then using a warm iron (again with a grown-up only!), gently iron the card so that the crayon pieces melt. Unfold, and you’ll have a pretty card with lots of colors. Write a special message inside, and you’re done!