DIY
Make a Valentine’s Day Heart Garland
Gather your supplies
Start crafting
I feel strongly that crafting and creating is a
win-win for parents and children.

If there’s one thing that I learned from
being a mom is that kids want nothing more
but to spend quality time with you. Add
some crafting fun to it, and you’ve created
memorable holiday traditions that will last a
lifetime and that hopefully one day they will
carry on with their kids.

My daughter Sofia and I decided to make a
fun and easy Valentine’s Day garland together
that we used to decorate her new market cart.

A garland is a great craft to create with your
children; it’s very simple and can be used as a
décor piece anywhere in your home.

Valentine’s Day Heart Garland
Materials • Scissors or a cricut cutting machine
(available from michaels.com)
• Baker’s twine (my favorite for garlands)
• Cardstock (choose any color—we chose
pink and white)
• Hot glue gun (you can also use a
craft tacky glue)
8 Washington FAMILY FEBRUARY 2022
s n Way
u F
e Mor elebrate
to C tine’s
B coo ake Vale
Cre alen
kies V
ntin ate h
t Mak
e o
geth eart
e a c
Day er. Wear m
-sha oup
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Directions 1. Decide how long you want to
make your garland. We made
ed f
o ay–t atchi
one for a market cart, so we
ood hem ng V
date n for a o
. M
ed p alen
cut our twine for the garland
with ne-o
ajam tine
you n-on th ake Va
as to ’s
r kid e
l about 24 inches long.

e e
m to ntin
geth Dre
dos. the es an
ss in
er. 2. Cut your hearts from the
O n
d eigh
d e
red pink o m rganiz
bors liver
toge e
cardstock. We cut about five
r o
a v
Rea .

V ie n
ther ight alentin
. P
Day d a Val
hearts to fit nicely with about
. e’s D
repa –the enti
ay med ne’s sm re a
2 ½ inches of space between each
ooth “ber
boo k. straw ie w ry” d
heart. You can keep the cutouts as
i rasp berrie th fre eliciou
berr s or sh
s close or as far away from each other
ies. Plan
as you’d like.

a Day Vale
3. Position the hearts over the twine so
pho family ntine’s
that you can visualize the placement of
shoo to
t. each one in the garland.

4. Hot glue two spots on each side of the
heart at the top of the cutout.

joy and fulfillment. I know these memories
5. Place the twine on the hot glue spots
will last a lifetime, and we both will cherish
on the hearts and press to close. Keep
them forever. T
applying until you finish the garland.

Here’s to creating more holiday traditions with
Sofia enjoyed placing the twine on the glue your children and making memories that will leave
spots while I focused on hot gluing each heart a long-lasting impression.

XO, in the garland. There is something about
Mimi crafting with my kids that brings me so much
PHOTOS COURTESY MIMI MARKOPOULOS
BY MIMI MARKOPOULOS



WF BLOG
Questions to Consider
When Selecting a Summer Camp
for Your Child
BY MICHAEL VYSKOCIL
• What’s the condition and safety of
equipment? How does the camp ensure
campers’ safety? Find out what types
of safety and security protocols are
in effect.

• How is medical care handled?
• What’s the camp’s mission?
• What are the types of activities planned?
• What does a typical day at camp look like?
• What is the age range of campers?
• What are the camp’s hours?
• What type of transportation is available?
What to ask overnight
camp staff
In addition to the questions above, parents
considering overnight camps for their
children should also ask the following:
I • Is the camp director available outside
• What’s
the ratio
of staff
to camp
attendees? regular business hours?
t may be cold outdoors, but summer
The American Camp Association’s recom-
camps in our region are thinking ahead to
mended ratios range from one staff member • What type of overnight supervision does
warmer weather and summer camp season.

for every six campers ages 7 and 8, to one
Explore the following questions to ask when
the camp offer?
staff member for every 10 campers ages 9 to
considering camp options for your child.

14, to one for every 12 campers ages 15 to 17. • How do staff handle kids and homesickness?
KALI9/E+/GETTY IMAGES
What to ask day camp staff
• What’s the background and experience of • What’s the expertise level of staff at specialty
camps such as music, art and drama?
the camp director?
• What criteria do you consider for hiring
staff? Does the camp check for ages,
experience levels and criminal history
backgrounds of its staff?
• What are the sleeping arrangements like?
Does the camp provide electricity in the
cabins? Where are the bathrooms?
• What’s the cost? Find out about camp fees
and any other expenses. Inquire about To view camp offerings available in our region
the possibility for financial aid. Ask about and beyond, browse the summer camp directory
refund policies.

on our website. T
WashingtonFAMILY.com 9