Young valentines delight today

Kindergarten students at Brown Early Childhood Center were busy Monday putting the finishing touches on homemade valentines and treats. Today students in Jean Harberts’ class will exchange store-bought valentines with their classmates and eat heart-shaped cookies they baked in class Monday.

“I told the students that Valentines Day is a day to share something special with someone,” Harberts said. “I think they just think it’s a time to have a party and get candy.”

Harberts’ students made homemade valentines Monday with construction-paper hands made to appear as the “I love you” gesture in sign language. Students were quick to demonstrate that gesture to each other. They also made heart-shaped valentines in which they inserted photos of themselves. Most students said they are giving those special valentines to their parents.

Pierra Hayes, 6, made a valentine for her little brother.

“He’s not even one year old yet,” Hayes said. “My mom has to hold it for him to look at it or he will rip it.”

Isaac Gonzales, 5, said his mother was running a little late in buying valentines for him to hand out to classmates today, but he said he was going to remedy that situation.

“I need to tell my mom to buy some today,” he said. “I want Spider-Man valentines. It’s fun to get valentines and to give them out.”

One student had a name that fits Valentine’s Day. Adrianna Truelove, 6, said she and her classmates made valentine cards for the school prinicipal, the secretary and the school custodian.

“He (the custodian) takes out our trash and vacuums our floor,” Truelove said.

Several of the girls said they had Dora the Explorer valentines all set to hand out to their classmates. Daniel Lopez, 6, said he will treat his classmates to Sponge Bob valentines, each with a sucker inside.

Some of the students donned chef hats as they prepared their heart-shaped cookies for baking. Valentine decorations adorn the hallway walls at the early childhood center. One student said he had put in several hours decorating. The big pay-off comes today when each student gets dozens of valentines and a heart-shaped cookie after lunch.