DIY Day: Owl-themed Valentine's card

I believe that children are born intelligent. They have an innate ability to grasp ideas quickly and comprehend hidden meanings and patterns in their surroundings. As parents, it is our responsibility then to hone this ability.

beat that einstein!

A good way to do that is by putting them up to a challenge. This DIY tutorial tries to do exactly that. And since Valentine's is coming up, I thought of coupling the challenge with the occasion.
The owl-themed valentine's card by Annette is a puzzle in itself and once finished is an adorable present.

Step 1: what you need

• Glue
• Scissors
• Coloured or patterned paper (for heart-shaped cut-outs)

Step 2: snip, snip ...

The project involves using only hearts to make a complete body of an owl.

Use the coloured/patterned paper to cut out heart shapes. 

You will need 1 big heart for the body (as shown in the picture above)

2 medium hearts for the head outline (white hearts in the top row)

2 medium hearts about half-inch smaller than the hearts used for the head outline - these will be used for the head (the second row patterned hearts)

2 small hearts for talons (white coloured bottom row) - these will be pasted upside down to give the appearance of toes

1 tiny heart for the beak (to be pasted upside down under the head)

Step 3: the puzzle at hand

With the cut-outs spread out, ask your child to figure out how they might go together. You can show her the picture of the final project which will look like this:

Here's how it is made.
Glue the smaller medium sized heart shapes onto the medium hearts, cut out for the head outline. Paste these onto the big heart cut out for the body. Remember to fan out the two heart shapes used for the head to give it the shape of a head. Place the smaller heart cut out for the beak upside down atop the now formed head and glue it. 

Use the small hearts for talons. You can paste it onto the body either at the front or as toes peeking from behind.
I drew in round eyes with eyelashes to let the other person know that it was from a girl. You can choose to use different shapes or stickers for the eyes.

By the end of the project your child will be left mentally stmulated to try more puzzles of the sort. And with each additional owl she makes you can accompany them with tiny goodie bags to share them with her friends.

Happy Valentine's