Mythology Crafts

Teaching Kids History and Mythology with Crafts

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Edmund Cain

I love art and mythology and teaching others about history.

Greek and Roman Activities

St. Valentine’s Day Stationary Kit
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Valentine's Stationary Set

The history of Valentine’s Day and St. Valentine himself can be a little murky. Some people think St. Valentine’s Day comes out of the Roman festival of Lupercalia, which took place on February 15th and was related to fertility. Of course, when the Romans turned Catholic, the pope and the church did NOT like the idea of a pagan ritual taking place in the city.  So, the church banned the event and declared February 14th St. Valentine’s Day.

But just who was St. Valentine?  Great question, because no one is 100% sure.  It seems there is more than one saint named Valentine who was killed by the Romans. One married young couples in secrete and another may have written the first Valentine to a young woman he was in love with while being held in prison. And still another may have helped early Christians escape Roman prisons. 

Whatever the real story, in the Middle Ages the holiday became one dedicated to celebrating love. The nobles at court would send each other love notes or compose love poems and songs for one another. During the Tudor period, friends would draw names to see who they got as a Valentine.  Then much like “Secret Santa”, they would purchase small gifts and leave their Valentine notes of friendship. Historical rumor also claims, King Henry VIII was the first monarch to declare St. Valentine’s as February 14th.  
"Vintage Valentine Day Card - Cupid's Messenger" by France1978 is licensed under CC BY 2.0
"Happy St. Valentine's Day! Cherish the ones you love." by cafecesura.com is licensed under CC BY 2.0

By the 1700’s, the tradition of sending cards and poems eventually drifted down to the common people and it became popular to send each other cards on Valentine’s Day.  In the Victorian period, it was thought to be bad luck to sign your name to a Valentine’s card or maybe people back then were simply to shy too openly declare their love. 

 

In modern times, Valentine’s Day is about celebrating love and friendship with cards. 

Make these cute pencil and stationary sets and use them to start writing your own Valentines or give them instead of candy at school. 

If you are looking for more fun crafts or want to learn about the myths and legends of Cupid, try making some of Cupid’s Yummy Gummy Arrows, Cupid’s Krispes or the You’ve Skewered My Heart Arrow.

 

Supplies:

  • Valentine’s Themed Pencils (or Pens) 
  • Mini Heart Shaped Notebooks 
  • Sticker Paper in a fun color (Pink, Red, Purple)
  • Tape

Directions:

  1.  Fold the sticker paper in half.  Cut out two V-shapes. Peel off the sticker backing and adhere the two “Vs” to the pencil.  If you they do not stick together perfectly, don’t worry about it.  Just cut off the edges. 
  2. Use a small piece of tape to gently attach the mini-notepad to the pencil.

Check out the Video for more Information on Valentine's Day!

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