Use tennis balls to make an easy Valentine's Day craft.
Valentine's Day is associated with romance and love. Tennis is played with two on a team or only two players, making it the perfect sport for couples. Additionally, just like Valentine's Day, the scoring of tennis is romantic since a player who has no points receives a score of "love." These easy crafts are perfect for tennis lovers or those who want to make a special craft for Valentine's Day.
Bring on Birds
When people think of two birds fluttering around, or even two people who look in love, they call them "love birds." According to a website on love symbols, these special birds are said to choose their mates around Valentine's Day. The romantic notion of two birds makes a bird perch and feeder a terrific Valentine's Day craft. Take an empty tennis canister and poke holes in two opposite sides of the width so that a stick may be placed through the can and extend as a perch on either side. Fill the can partially with bird seed. Use a heavy duty hole puncher or small drill to create holes on either side near the top of the can. Use a drill or knife to create a few extra holes above the perch so birds will be able to eat the seed. Run clear thread through the holes and place the plastic cap on top. Decorate the feeder with small Valentine's Day stickers.
T-Shirt Love
Make a special tennis t-shirt that shows your love. Take a plain white t-shirt and draw a heart on it with marker. Draw a few tennis balls outside the heart using yellow marker or draw a tennis racket next to the heart and write a cute Valenine's Day message on the shirt, such as "Let's hit the court for love" or "There is a lot of love on my court."
Valentine's Day Tennis Racket
This craft is best for third or fourth graders. Draw a tennis racket on a poster board or piece of cardboard that is about 15 inches long -- slightly smaller than a real,19 inch children's racket. Look at a child's racket before you make your drawing or use a template. Make the frame of the racket wide enough to be decorated. The children also need white yarn strips to stretch horizontally and vertically across the racket head, clear tape, thin black tape, markers, 2-inch-thick red ribbon and glue. Have the children decorate their rackets with red and pink markers. Give each student a piece of red ribbon large enough to wrap on a diagonal around the grip. Glue the edge of the ribbon to the grip of the racket, and wrap it once straight across the bottom of the racket. Then apply glue to the poster board grip and wrap the remaining ribbon on a slight diagonal until the grip is covered. Cut the end of the ribbon and glue it securely to the top of the grip. Put a stripe of black tape horizontally around the top of the grip. Stretch pieces of yarn horizontally and vertically across the racket head and secure the ends with clear tape.
Paint Fun
This hands-on craft is easy for first or second graders. This craft is messy so consider doing it outdoors on a sunny day. Cover a grassy area with a large plastic tablecloth. Give each student two tennis balls and pink and red paint. Put the paint in small plastic bowls. Tell students to use one ball for each color paint. Students dip the tennis balls in red or pink paint to create a Valentine's Day poster by rolling the balls on a piece of poster board. Students use their hands to roll the paint covered ball so that it creates the outline of a heart or Valentine's Day slogan. Write slogans on the board such as "Be mine" or "Happy Valentine's Day" so they may copy them on their posters.
Tags: tennis balls, poster board, across racket, across racket head, around grip, balls pink