Our third Valentine's Day Challenge submission comes from Brooke of Inchmark. Inspired by this valentine? Vote for it in our poll.

Valentine's day is always a favorite with my kids, they can hardly wait to make something to pass out to their classmates and I always try to think of something they can actually help make. My kids are also big fans of candy, and what's a valentine without a treat? So we were a little puzzled at what to do when my daughter Bee's teacher asked that we not include candy in our cards this year (due to an allergy in the class).

We wanted to come up with an idea we could make at home, with materials we had on hand (if possible). I remembered these Fourth of July folding fans from Martha Stewart and we decided to make a Valentine-y version.

What You'll Need:

• Pretty paper
• Wooden skewers
• A glue stick
• Tape
• Tags

How to Make the Valentine's Day Fans:

1. Cut your paper to whatever size you like, we found that 12" long by 5" high works well. You can make smaller fans as well, but you always want your paper to be about twice as long as it is wide.

2. Starting with the short side have your child fold the paper accordion-style until they reach the end of the paper. Our folds were between 3/4" and 1", depending on the size of our paper. Don't worry if the folds are not perfect, it will still work as long as the creases are firm. Trim off any excess paper at the end of your folds. For a nice decorative edge around your fan, you can either cut the ends off at a 45 degree angle or cut the ends in a half circle to form a scallop.

3. Find the middle of your folded paper and staple it as close to the middle as possible (the staple should be perpendicular to the folds).

4. Start to fan out your paper folds by opening two sides so that the paper meets, making half the fan shape. Use your glue stick to glue the two ends that meet together (it helps if you use a binder clip to hold the fan together while it dries).

To Make Handles: Cut one bamboo skewer in half so you have two equal lengths (I also cut off the sharp pointy end). Tape one of the cut skewers onto the remaining end of the folded paper, repeat on the other side with the other skewer. Cut out a tag that says "Stay Cool!" or "I'm a fan!" and hole punch the top and bottom where indicated. Then slide your fan through the holes, which will hold the handles together and keep your fan open.

Print the Tag Templates

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