Happy Valentine’s Day --- It’s almost here!!
Have you been trying to think of a little something different to do with your loved one/ones this year for Valentine’s Day? If your answer is ”Yes.” --- Me too. Children (and most of us) get candy, more than we need, most any time we want. Candy just isn’t as much of a “treat” as it used to be. Admitted, cards are wonderful and appreciated, especially the homemade kind. Well, how about something to actually DO together--- something that requires spending a little time. Even something that can be carried on for a few days or even weeks, if you’d like.--- And it doesn’t require spending a large block of time, unless you want it to. I have an idea for you that I tried with some of my grands a few days ago. I fixed up a couple of LOVE BUCKETS. You might be asking, What is a Love Bucket? Just keep on reading...
To do this little activity, you’ll need a couple of containers to make into buckets. For instance you might want to get a couple of plastic food containers and glue or poke holes to attach handles made of something like card board, string or pipe cleaners. I went to the dollar store to look for a couple of simple buckets, preferably in the color red. I found some that were just right and the price was right as well---- 2/ $1.00. So I bought 4 buckets since I have 2 sets of grands and I’ll need two buckets for each set. So the buckets cost me a whopping $2.00. I was pretty satisfied. Are you with me on this?
So after I had secured the buckets, the rest was simple since I knew that I had the rest of the necessary materials at home. If you wish to do this activity, your materials and equipment list goes like this:
· 2 buckets
· construction paper, preferably in Valentine’s Day colors
· glue
· scissors
· markers, crayons, pens, or pencils
The pictures can show you just what to do:
Let’s just call this activity, “Love Buckets”. [Since I made it up, I figure I can call it anything I’d like.]
Onto one bucket, glue a heart that says, “LOVE Bucket” on one side and a heart that says, “The LOVE Goes Out” on the other side. For this bucket, you ask the child, or your spouse, or your sweetheart, etc..... the question something like this-----
For our grands, I asked: “How do you give love to your daddy?” “... to your Mommy?” ~ “...to me?” ~ “...to your Dodaddy” (that’s my husband) ~ “... to God?” ~ “... to your sibling?”. You can make it up as you go, however it is appropriate in your situation. I especially liked TheJoy’s answer to the question on how he likes to give love to his Daddy and his answer was, “When I watch football with him.” Next, the child is to write, on a paper heart, the answer on one side and his/her name on the other side and put into “The LOVE Goes Out” bucket. (If he/she cannot write yet, some one else can do it for them.)
Onto the other bucket, glue a heart that says, “LOVE Bucket” on one side and a heart that says, “The LOVE Comes In” on the other side. For this bucket, you ask the child, or your spouse, or your sweetheart, etc.... the question something like this-----
For our grands, I asked: “How do you like to receive love from your daddy?” ~ “... from your Mommy?” ~ “... from me?” ~ “... from God?” ~ “... from your sibling?”. As before, you can make it up as you go, however it is appropriate in your situation. I especially liked Grana’s answer to the question on how she likes to receive love from me. Her answer was, “When you invite me over.” Then as with the other bucket, writing it on paper hearts and put it into the bucket.
I suggest that you keep the buckets in a visible place and have available more blank hearts so that more love responses can be added to each bucket as people think of other ways they like to give and receive love.
So far, I have done this with my husband, my parents and only two of my grands and they really did enjoy it. I hope to get to continue it more with all four of the local grands. And I am planning a trip down south in a few days and plan to do it with the down-south grands while I’m there there.
This activity is great to do in a family unit and would be terrific in a Sunday School class as well. It could be easily adapted to just focus on God---- the ways He shows love for “me” and the ways “I” show love to Him. So get your LOVE Buckets ready ‘cause Valentine’s Day is right around the corner! Spread the LOVE around!
~~~Today’s Granny Camp Recipes
This is my favorite Valentine’s Day Cake, and
I like to make it in heart shaped pans.
Strawberry Cake
1 10-oz. pkg. frozen strawberries
1 white cake mix
3 oz. pkg. strawberry gelatin
4 eggs
1 c. oil
1 stick butter, softened
1 lb. box confectioners sugar
Drain strawberries well, reserving juice. Add enough water to juice to make 1 cup. Combine cake mix, gelatin, eggs and oil. Add water-juice mixture & mix well. Pour into sheet cake pan. Bake at 350* till done, about 24 – 30 min.(Depends on oven.) Cool.
Blend butter, conf. sugar, and strawberries. Frost cake.
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