Some of my favorite memories of Valentine´s Day include the celebrations from school. Once you begin kindergarten, which is the American equivalent of 3rd of infantil, you make a Valentine´s Day mailbox every year. This mailbox is normally an old shoebox or kleenex box that you cover with fabric or colored paper. You can decorate your mailbox with hearts and glitter, or you can get more creative. Most mailboxes are decorated with the typical colors of Valentine´s Day: pink, red, purple, and white. The most important part of your mailbox is that the box is big and that it has an opening.
Before Valentine´s Day, your teacher gives you a class list with the names of all the students in your class. You buy or you make a Valentine´s Day card for each of your classmates. This card can have a Valentine´s Day theme, or many children´s Valentine´s Day cards include their favorite cartoon characters. The most important part of the card is that you write something you love about your classmate inside the card. You also buy or make enough Valentine´s Day sweets or candies for each student in your class.
On the day of Valentine´s Day, it´s expected you´ll see children with pink or red clothing. The students come inside the classroom and put their Valentine´s Day mailbox on their desk. When the time is right, the teacher tells the students to begin walking around the classroom and dropping their Valentine´s Day cards into each of the mailboxes. Afterwards, the children also exchange sweets. Children bring candies, cookies, muffins, or small toys. Classes may talk about what they love and read books about Saint Valentine. The teachers may also bring sweets for one another.
Adults often celebrate Valentine´s Day with a nice dinner or by exchanging flowers and gifts. Parents often give their children small gifts for Valentine´s Day.
Valentine´s Day cards are the biggest tradition that all ages participate in. Writing a letter to someone to tell them some reasons why you love them is a very kind way to celebrate the holiday.
This year, at Los Olivos, we celebrated Valentine´s Day. The students brought 4 sweets to share with some of their classmates, they made letters for a friend or a family member, and we talked about the different people, places, and things that the students love.
Here are some photos from the Valentine´s Day celebration in 3rd D.
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