KNI Kind Heart Insert

YO UR BOX WAS THOUG HT F U L L Y AN D C AR E F U L L Y P AC K E D IN O U R O WN FA C I L I TY BY TRI -DEVE L O P ME N T C E N T E R O F AIK E N C O U N T Y

Kid Welcome Kind Hearts!

Happy love month from the Kids Night In Box Team! We want to take the time to thank you for allowing us into your home and letting us build memories with you and your little one(s). We are honored to be a part of this experience!

There is something so magical about the pure, limitless love given by children. It’s indescribable and fills one’s heart beyond measure. The goal of this experience is for you and your little one(s) to expand your love for yourselves, the earth and others. The book we have included, Love from The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle, will set the stage for a truly magical experience!

We love seeing pictures of your little one(s) completing their Kids Night In Box! This month, we are giving away a FREE Kids Night In Box to one lucky subscriber. To enter, snap a picture of your little one(s), with the box visible and post it to Facebook or Instagram using the hashtags #KidsNightInBox and #KNIKindHeart.

If you received this box as a gift, we would love for you to keep your Kids Night In Box journey going! You can do this by visiting our website at www.kidsnightinbox.com; use code BEMINE for 20% off any new subscription. We value all feedback, and we encourage you to reach out with any comments or concerns you may have. Feel free to message us on Facebook or e-mail us at customerservice@nightinboxes.com.

Wishing you lots of joy and love,

Megan Pruitt Founder of Kids Night In Box

ds Night In Box Journey to Having a Kind Heart • Let’s Get Cooking • Reading Time • DIY Birdfeeder • Get Jumping • Heart Healthy Snack • Heart Ornament • Ways to Continue Your Kind Heart Journey Enjoy your optional yet amazing yogurt bowls

Find a cozy spot and read Love from The Very Hungry Caterpillar

Practice having a kind heart to the earth

Use a jump rope to practice being kind to your heart

Enjoy a snack that is good for you while designing your own cup

Practice having a kind heart to others by making a gift to give to someone

Enjoy your optional yet amazing yogurt bowls Art in a Bowl (Makes two yogurt bowls) Prep time: 10 minutes Total time: 15 minutes

A NOTE FROM MARINA MAKES Hi, kiddos! I’m Marina from Marina Makes (marinamakesblog.com). Isn’t it crazy to think that most of the food we eat comes from the plants and animals on our planet? I don’t know about you, but I love figuring out what countries or states my food comes from. This month, I created a healthy yogurt bowl filled with delicious fruit and honey. I encourage you to make fruit art with your bowl, whether it’s creating the world out of blueberries and kiwis (like I did), or creating a rainbow heart full of the fruits you love most. Raspberries, oranges and bananas would make for some fun colors. I hope you have a great time in the kitchen!

Adults, as always, I encourage you to involve your little one(s) in the cooking process, whether you have them make the honey and blueberry syrup, cut the kiwis, or just taste test. The directions section includes specific ways that children can help out. I hope you have fun cooking together! I’d love to see how your bowls turn out, so please feel free to share pictures on social media. Don’t forget to use the hashtag #marinamakeseats. Happy eating!

Tools

Ingredients

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Knife Cutting board Spoon Bowls Small saucepan

2 cups of blueberries (divided) 2 tablespoons of water 2 tablespoons of honey 3 cups of Greek yogurt 2 kiwis (peeled and diced) Optional: other colorful fruits

Hint

Directions

The smaller you cut your fruit, the more detailed you can make your food art.

Alright friends, let’s start off by making the blueberry honey sauce to put on top of our yummy yogurt! If your little one(s) are old enough, try letting them add the ingredients to the saucepan and help you stir.

Heat a small saucepan over medium heat. Add 1 cup of blueberries, 2 tablespoons of water and 2 tablespoons of honey.

Cook for 5–7 minutes or until the blueberries become soft and the mixture becomes syrupy. Keep an eye on it and stir every so often while cooking. Set aside and let the blueberry mixture cool in the fridge for 5 minutes.

Next, divide the yogurt between two bowls and spread it flat to make a smooth surface. Top each bowl with a tablespoon or two of the blueberry honey sauce and let your little one(s) place fruit on top to create their own masterpiece. Enjoy!

Find a cozy spot and read “Love from The Very Hungry Caterpillar” by Eric Carle Read about all the different things that make you lovable!

Book Summary

Using a variety of images from the world of Eric Carle featuring The Very Hungry Caterpillar, this special book offers numerous examples of how each of us makes the world a better and brighter place.

Quote from Eric Carle: “Simplify, slow down, be kind. And don’t forget to have art in your life—music, paintings, theater, dance, and sunsets.”

Take some time to discuss the following questions with your little one(s) before reading Love from The Very Hungry Caterpillar.

Pre-reading questions for the little one(s) (grades Pre K-3): 1.

2.

3.

4.

Who is someone you love?

What are some things you love?

Who is someone that loves you?

What are some ways you can show people that you love them?

Pre-reading questions for the older one(s) (grades 4-6): 1. Based on the book cover, what do you think the book will be about?

2. What does it mean to you to love someone or something?

3. Who are some people you love? Why do you love them?

4. What are some things you love? Why do you love them?

Now, read Love from The Very Hungry Caterpillar. After, take some time to discuss the following questions with your little one(s).

Post-reading questions for the little one(s) (grades Pre K-3): 1. Why do you think there are hearts in the book?

2. Look at the page with the sunshine. Do you see anything in the sun?

3. Which page is your favorite? Can you explain why?

Post-reading questions for the older one(s) (grades 4-6): 1. Why do you think we use a heart to represent love?

2. Why do you think the Very Hungry Caterpillar said, “My heart flutter” on the page with the butterfly?

3. How can you show love to people around you?

Kids Night In Box believes it is important to slow down and appreciate the small things life has to offer. Whether this means creating crafts with your little one(s), reading with them, watching them play or watching the sunset together, we encourage you to cherish the simple moments you have with the ones you love.

Practice having a kind heart to the earth There are many ways we can practice having a kind and loving heart.

We talked during reading time about showing love to the people and things around us, but there are also other ways we can show love.

One thing we can show love to is the Earth and all the animals living on it. The Earth is good to us in many ways, so we should be kind and thoughtful in return.

Today we are going to practice having a kind heart toward the Earth by making a bird feeder! Animals are a necessary part of the Earth and deserve our love, too. By making this bird feeder, you are being KIND and LOVING to birds by providing them with a yummy snack that is safe for them to eat.

Follow these steps to create your heart-shaped bird feeder!

We encourage you to let your little one(s) contribute as much as possible and we’ve included suggestions on different ways they can help.

PLEASE NOTE: THIS ACTIVITY REQUIRES THE USE OF A HOT STOVE.

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Items Needed Birdseed mix Heart-shaped cookie cutter Yarn Gelatin ¼ cup of boiling water Container Large spoon for stirring Wax paper or aluminum foil

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First, create your gelatin mixture by combining your pack of gelatin and ¼ cup of boiling water. Let your little one(s) stir the mixture until the gelatin has completely dissolved.

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Next, allow your little one(s) to add birdseed to the mixture. Stir well and set aside to cool.

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While you wait for the birdseed mixture to cool, you can prepare your work surface. We suggest using wax paper, aluminum foil, cardboard or even a paper plate to create your bird feeder. Once your work surface is ready, find your included heart-shaped cookie cutter.

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Take the yarn included in your box and weave it through the center of the cookie cutter. Leave the yarn untied.

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Let your little one(s) help stuff the mixture around the yarn inside the cookie cutter. Be sure to pack the mixture down tightly.

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Refrigerate the mixture in the mold for a few hours or until hardened.

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Pop the hardened mixture out of the cookie cutter and tie the loose ends of the yarn together so it can hang! Find a place to hang your bird feeder outside where you can see it and watch birds enjoy the delicious snack you lovingly created for them!

Learn the importance of

Often, we think of February as the month of love because of Valentine’s Day. Did you know that February is also American Heart Month? We have proudly partnered with the American Heart Association to bring awareness to our little ones’ lives about the importance of keeping our hearts healthy! Having a kind heart should not stop with being kind to the people and things around you; we should also be kind to ourselves. Some ways we can practice being kind to our hearts are exercising, eating healthy foods and drinking lots of water!

Items Needed Jump rope

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We have included a jump rope in your box because jumping rope is a fantastic way to have fun while exercising! We want to provide you with a few jump rope games along with an awesome jump rope rhyme. After trying the games provided, feel free to make up your own games and tricks.

Math Game This game requires two players. This is a great way to take the extra step to get little brains and hearts pumping. For this math game, simply give the child(ren) an age-appropriate math problem and ask them to figure out the solution. After they determine the correct answer, encourage your little one(s) to jump rope as many times as the answer! Of course this game can be modified for different ages and can be played using addition, subtraction, multiplication or division!

Snake Game This game requires at least three players. Begin by having two people hold the jump rope on either end with the rope touching the ground. The two people holding the jump rope wiggle the handles back and forth in a snake-like motion. Once your jump rope becomes a slithering snake, it is time for the third person to jump over the wriggling rope without landing on it. If the jumper lands on the rope, it is time to switch roles; the jumper can now become a snake handler, allowing another person to take a turn jumping over the snake.

Helicopter Game This game can be played with 2 players, but the more the merrier. It is a really fun game, although it requires a fair amount of space to play, so we suggest taking your little one(s) outside.

One person holds the jump rope by one handle and begins spinning around to make the jump rope go in a circle on the ground (think of the blades on a helicopter and the circular motion they make to help the helicopter fly). The other player (or players) stand around the circle and try to jump over the rope as it passes them!

keeping your heart healthy

Be kind to yourself and others, Especially your fathers and mothers.

Use kind words every chance you get Love the Earth and the animals on it.

Kids Night In believes in you, Now you have to believe it, too!

Many people enjoy jum ping rope to rhymes, so we cre ated a rhyme that goes along with this month’s “Kind Heart” theme!

Items Needed Apple chips Cup Drawing utensils (crayons, markers, colored pencils, etc.)

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Enjoy a yummy snack that will make your heart happy Find your apple chips and included cup! Take a break from all that jumping and enjoy these delicious apple chips. While snacking on your apple chips, use drawing utensils to decorate your cup, then fill it up with water and enjoy! Do you know that your body needs water every day? Drinking lots of water is a great way to keep your heart healthy and happy!

Create a heart ornament for a loved one Another way we can practice having a kind, loving heart is by showing love to those around us! It is very important to take the time to show the people you care about that you love them.

For this next activity, you are going to make a craft to give to someone you love and appreciate! Taking time to make something for someone is a perfect way to show your love for them. While you are making your heart ornament, begin thinking about who you would like to gift it to.

Items Needed Magic black hearts Wood drawing tool Red ribbon Optional: photo, tape and scissors

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t c u d o r Final P

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1 Steps

Find your included magic black hearts and wood drawing tool in your Kids Night In Box.

2 Optional: Find (or print) a photo of yourself and tape it on the heart.

You may have to cut the photo to make it fit inside the heart (please note: Adult supervision is highly suggested with the use of scissors).

Ways to Continue Having a Kind Heart ·· ·· ·· ·· ·· ·· ··

3 Use the wood drawing tool to create a supercool design on your heart. You can even write kind words about the person you are giving it to around the heart to express the different things you love about them!

Make a list of ways you can help your loved ones around the house!

Write a letter to someone special telling them why you love them!

Collect toys to donate to the less fortunate!

Practice using kind words to the people around you!

Go outside to run and play. Exercising and playing outside are great ways to be kind to yourself!

Check out these books and movies. Talk about ways the characters used their kind hearts: Beauty and the Beast, Charlotte’s Web, Wonder, Up and The Fox and the Hound.

Don’t forget to check out our blog at www.kidsnightinbox.com/blog for more activities to help your heart be kind!

4 Thread ribbon through the hole at the top of the heart to create the ornament.

5 Deliver your gift to the person you love!