There’s something so special about a homemade valentine! Today we’ll be using a couple of fun painting techniques to make bee-autiful bumble bee valentines that are filled with love and creativity! Little fingers will be busy bees as they cut, glue, stamp, and paint to create a one-of-a-kind collage. This art activity will make a wonderful keepsake and is ideal for art at home or in the classroom.
Looking for more Valentine’s Day fun? Check out our list of Valentine’s Day Activities for Kids!
GET A FULL WEEK OF VALENTINE’S DAY THEME ACTIVITIES IN OUR PRINTABLE PRESCHOOL LESSON PLANS.
Watercolor Resist
Incorporating a resist painting technique into a traditional craft is a great way to infuse process art and a bit of “magic” into the art-making process. The process of applying the tape, painting, and then the big reveal are sure to engage and excite young artists. The artists’ eyes will light up as the tape peels away to unveil the crisp, clean stripes on the bee.
Collage for Kids
Young artists often love the freedom and spontaneity that often comes with making collages. Fine motor skill development is in full focus as items of different sizes, shapes, and textures come together to make one masterpiece. Cognitive skills are also highlighted as children make decisions, plan, and practice trial and error. Collage lends itself nicely to student choice. Let the child decide what supplies to use and where to glue the items.
Bee Facts for Kids
- Bees live in hives.
- Bees collect nectar from flowers to make honey.
- Each hive has a queen bee, drone bees, and worker bees
- Bees pollinate many fruits and vegetables that we eat.
- Bees sting humans when they are threatened.
Materials:
- Construction Paper
- Watercolor Paper
- Newspaper
- Tissue Paper
- Glue Stick
- Scissors
- Masking Tape
- Watercolors
- Brush
- Buttons
- Yarn
- White Glue
Step By Step Directions:
Tape it Up!
Draw an oval on a piece of watercolor paper for the bee’s body and cut it out. Place the oval on a piece of scrap paper and add the stripes of masking tape. As a result, the oval will be secured to the scrap paper.
Paint Away!
Paint the oval with watercolors. Consider using reds and purples for Valentine’s Day. Let the paint dry.
Peel Away!
Gently peel the masking tape up to reveal the white stripes on the bee. Glue the body of the bee to a piece of paper. Use construction paper, buttons, or yarn to add details to the bee including wings, eyes, antennae, a stinger, and a mouth.
Collage
Use newspaper, construction paper, and/or tissue paper to cut out a variety of hearts and glue them around the bee. Overlap the hearts if you wish. Dip the end of a paper tube into paint and stamp circles. Add buttons if you wish.
Spell it Out!
Print out letters in a variety of fonts, cut them out, and glue them to spell a message for your valentine. Ideas include: BEE MINE, I LOVE YOU, BEE MY FRIEND, BEE MY HONEY, and LOVE.
Art and Literacy
I am a Bee by Rebecca and James McDonald is a great book to read before starting this art activity. The reader gets an in depth description of the daily life and activities of bees. Pollination is explained as well as the many benefits of bees.
We would love to see your valentines! When posting on Instagram please tag @fantasticfunandlearning and @youngschoolartwithmr.g so we can share your work.
CONNECT WITH VIN GIANNETTO
Learn more about Vin here on his author bio page. Follow along with him on Facebook at Young School Art with Mr. Giannetto and on Instagram @youngschoolartwithmr.g for art project ideas.
MORE ART AND CRAFT PROJECT IDEAS FROM VIN
Winter and Winter Holiday Art Projects for Kids
Click on the images below to see the full tutorial for each art project.
PRINTABLE VALENTINE’S DAY THEME LESSON PLANS
Save time and get right to the playful learning with our printable lesson plan sets. Each set includes over 30 playful learning activities related to the theme, and we’ve provided different versions for home preschool families and classroom teachers so all activities are geared directly toward your needs.
VALENTINE’S DAY THEME
Learn about healthy hearts, symmetry and more in this week-long lesson plan set full of hands-on math, reading, & science learning activities for a preschool heart theme that’s perfect for Valentine’s Day. Watch this short video to see just a few examples of the types of activities and printables included in this set:
Also available on Teachers Pay Teachers.
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