February Class Activities         

Language Arts... 

100 Day Celebration 

Valentine's Day    

Dental Health 

President's Day     

Black History 

Some Books we read this month are... 

100 Hugs, Meanies and Mr. Grump by Joy Cowley

Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle       

Letters/Sounds we focus on this month...

Vv       Kk     Ll    Hh

Mathematics...        

Addition with sums to 10

Writing Activities...     

Review sequence of events and identifying 

the main characters of the story. Ask your child

to "rate" the stories they read and make a graph

of great books, good books and so-so books.

Short Valentine's Day History
Originally called "Lupercalia", this was a day when each person put their name
into a drawing and the person who drew their name became their partner for
the day. The pieces of paper have been tamed down to be notes of love.
Saint Valentine himself was invented later in order to give a Christian meaning
to the holiday.

Easy Valentine Sandwich Cookies

" This recipe makes 17- 3 inch sandwich cookies and 17 - 1 1/2 inch heart shaped cookies. You'll need a 3-inch heart shaped cutter and a 1 1/2-inch heart shaped cutter. Frost with Pink Valentine Frosting (see recipe). "

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter
• 1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract (optional)
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon cream of tartar

Directions

In a large bowl, cream together butter and confectioners' sugar. Beat in egg, vanilla and almond extract. Mix well.

In a medium bowl, stir together flour, baking soda and cream of tartar; blend into the butter mixture. Divide dough into thirds and shape into balls.

Working with 1/3 of dough at a time, roll out dough into desired thickness on a lightly floured surface. For each heart sandwich cookie, cut out 2 3-inch hearts. Cut out the center of ONE of the 3-inch hearts with the 1 1/2-inch cutter.

Place each piece separately on an un-greased cookie sheet, 1 - 2 inches apart. Bake in a preheated, 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) oven until lightly browned (7-8 minutes for 1/4 inch thick cookies). Cool completely on wire rack. Frost bottom cookie with Pink Valentine Frosting and place an open centered cookie on top to form the sandwich. Also frost the small 1 1/2 inch heart and serve as separate cookies

Pink Valentine Frosting

Ingredients

• 1 cup sifted confectioners' sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon water
• 2 drops red food coloring

Directions

Blend sugar, salt and flavoring. Add just enough water to make it easy to spread. Add 2 drops red food coloring and mix well.

Valentine Heart Necklaces

Ingredients:

1 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon lemon zest
2 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 drinking straw
3 cups confectioners' sugar
1/3 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 tablespoons milk
3 drops red food coloring
2 1/4 ounces colored candy sprinkles
60 long cherry or strawberry flavored licorice whips

Directions:

Cream 1 cup butter or margarine and 3/4 cup white sugar together. Blend in egg, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, and grated lemon peel. Sift together 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour and baking powder. Add to creamed mixture and blend well.

Cover and refrigerate dough for approximately 2-3 hours.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

Roll dough to 1/4 inch thickness on a lightly floured pastry cloth. Use a floured heart shaped 1-2 inch cookie cutter and cut dough into heart shapes. Lightly spray cookie sheet with non-stick cooking spray. Place the cut-out hearts on the cookie sheet.

Using the drinking straw, make a hole at the top center of each heart before baking. Bake for 5-7 minutes until very lightly browned. Cool the cookies on a wire rack.

Using the drinking straw, make a hole at the top center of each heart before baking. Bake for 5-7 minutes until very lightly browned. Cool the cookies on a wire rack.

To Make Butter Frosting: Mix 3 cups confectioners' sugar and 1/3 cup butter together. Stir in 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract and 2 tablespoons milk. Beat until smooth making sure frosting is of spreading consistency. Stir in food coloring to create a pink or red colored frosting, if desired.

After cookies have cooled, frost and decorate them with nonpareils, sprinkles, dragees, or colored sugar. Use a toothpick to dislodge the hole, if necessary. Let the frosting dry.

To make a necklace, tie the ends off of two pieces of red colored licorice with a knot. Thread it through the hole at the top center of the cookie. Tie the other ends off with another knot to create a "chain." Makes approximately 30 heart necklaces.

Makes 30 cookies

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