Toddler Activities for Valentine's Day: Heartstrings

So here's a Valentine's Day activity from the great Family Fun magazine. My good friend Paige put this together while watching my two girls, plus her own two kiddos and she managed to take pictures for me. What a woman.

Materials:
yarn
cornstarch glue
water
parchment paper
heart shaped cookie cutters

Step One: Make the glue by combining 1/4 cup cornstarch with 1/2 cup water in a saucepan. Stir until smooth and heat on medium heat until thick and translucent. Let it cool to the touch.
(Paige didn't have pink string, so she put red food coloring in the glue)


Step Two:
Cut the string into foot-long pieces and dip them into the glue mixture, removing the excess with your fingers. Place the strings into the cookie cutter (which is on the wax paper) one at a time until they fill all the space.





Step Three:
With clean hands (not sticky ones like my daughter's), gently press the strings flat. Remove the cookie cutter and allow to dry for at least a day. You can speed the drying process by placing hearts in the oven on the "warm" setting for two hours.





You could pop these into little padded envelops and send to grandparents with a note that says,
"You really pull at my heart strings." Ha! How cute.

P.S. Not only does Paige do Activity Time with her kids (and mine!), she also makes beautiful baby wraps. Check her out here. Here I am in mine: