SCHOOLS
First graders at Dames Ferry Elementary School celebrated Valentine’s Day by passing out Valentines cards and having a party filled with lots of love.
Ashley Smith, first grade teacher at Dames Ferry Elementary School, said students were excited for Valentine’s Day, ready to pass out their Valentines cards as soon as they arrived at school. She said it was a day filled with lots of love and excitement.
“They colored and decorated their Valentine bags with markers, then we did candy heart graphing,” she said. “We used the box of conversation candy hearts. We sorted them by different colors, and we turned that into a bar graph. We answered various questions about that. We also read a book about what people like to do on Valentine’s Day, such as making cards, passing out candy and baking cookies for loved ones.”
She said they learned a little about Valentine’s Day and did a few activities to become familiar with the words and feelings of the day. She said they don’t get to do a lot to learn about the day, but they do what they can to help the students understand why they do everything.
“I feel the kids really enjoy Valentine’s Day and what we do. They have made really good friendships with their classmates, so this helps celebrate those friendships and love. They get so excited to bring everyone a card or a piece of candy,” Smith said.
Benjamin Rader, a first grade student, said he enjoys making new friends on Valentine’s Day and being able to pass out his cards. He said he got to eat pizza for Valentine’s Day, and the day was a lot of fun to celebrate with all of his classmates.
“I love Valentine’s Day, because my mom gives me presents in the morning that day. Valentine’s Day is important, because it shows people love you,” he said. “We did a color sorting graph with hearts. Some of the colors didn’t taste good. Blue was really good.”
The teacher said Valentine’s Day in first grade will probably be something her students always remember. She said it’s important for them to get the experience of passing out Valentine’s cards because she said they may not get the chance once they are in middle school. She said it is a day for fun.
“I enjoy spending Valentine’s Day with the kids. They make any holiday a lot more fun and learn about the meaning of the holidays. We talked a little about Presidents’ Day, too. I’m glad I get to help them learn why we celebrate these holidays and why they are important,” the teacher said.
Ellie Elliott, another first grade student, said she enjoyed coloring her Valentine’s Day bag. She said her favorite thing about Valentine’s Day is passing out all of her cards and candy. She said it was a lot of fun.
“Valentine’s Day is my favorite time of the year, because you get to tell people how much you love them,” the student said. “If we didn’t have Valentine’s Day, that would mean we don’t have any love going around, so Valentine’s Day is important to celebrate.”
