FOR THE KIDS : Labors of Love : Classes for Kids and Parents Help Them Create Custom Valentines

Love is in the air. You don’t feel it yet? OK, so Valentine’s Day is still 11 days away. Now is the time to sign up your kids for one of several classes where they can actually make their own valentines.

That’s right, make . Sure, they can go to the store and buy a packet of valentines featuring Garfield the cat in some smug pose, or Snoopy in a love-sick dither.

But making a valentine for someone--Mom, Dad, Grandma, a pal--is so special. Those are the creations that get stashed away for keeps.

“People love getting homemade things,” said artist Parmlee Duke, who teaches a valentine class for kids through the Pleasant Valley Recreation and Park District. It’s kind of a lost art that is regaining popularity, she said, especially with the push to recycle paper and other stuff.

Duke’s class is on Friday from 4 to 5 p.m. at the Camarillo Community Center, 1605 E. Burnley St. It’s geared for kids 6 to 12 years old and costs $6. For registration information, call 482-1996.

Duke will show the kids how to make pop-up valentines, the old-fashioned kind that originated in Poland. To get the three-dimensional look, the paper is folded a certain way before it is cut. (Remember the snowflakes we made as kids by cutting folded paper?)

Duke will have some samples on hand, like the one of the cat that looks like it’s running, and a Noah’s Ark kind of creation with a slit for animals to be tucked into. She supplies all the materials for the class--paper, glue, glitter, ribbon, stickers, stencils and envelopes.

In Oxnard, at the Carnegie Art Museum, families can participate in a valentine workshop Saturday from 10:30 a.m. to noon. The session is part of the Mervyn’s Family Art Workshops, a program offered on Saturdays at the museum, 424 S. C St.

The workshop, taught by artist Jenny Salazar, is for ages 6 and older. (Children under 10 must be accompanied by an older family member or friend.) The cost is $2 per person for museum members and $3 for non-members. Call 385-8157 for registration information.

Salazar said the valentine workshop is a good opportunity for a parent or grandparent to sit down with a child and share in an activity. She supplies all the materials and lets them create whatever they wish.

Family members may bring a photo or other memorabilia, and Salazar will show them how to incorporate it into the valentine. She’ll also show them how to take a photocopy of a photograph and tint it with pastels to include in a valentine. And she’ll explain how to make some of the old-fashioned styles.

In Ventura, kids can take a valentine workshop from artist Christina Houlberg on Saturday from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Barranca Vista Recreation Center, 7050 E. Ralston St. Offered through Ventura’s recreation department, the class is for kids 6 to 12 years of age. The cost is $12.

The department also has another Valentine’s Day offering. On Feb. 10, artist Anne Matsuk will show kids how to make a Valentine’s Day gift--a decorated wooden heart for hanging jewelry or kitchen utensils. The class for children, ages 5 to 12, runs from 4 to 5 p.m. also at the Barranca Vista center. The cost is $8. To register for either class, call 658-4726.

Gull Wings Children’s Museum in Oxnard also has some valentine activities lined up. This Saturday at 1 p.m., kids can join a workshop and learn how to make valentines. There is no charge for the session with the regular admission to the museum, at 418 W. 4th St.

At the Feb. 12 workshop, kids will make a valentine-related craft. The cost is $1 plus the cost of admission. For information, call 483-3005.

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Gull Wings will have more activity than usual Sunday when it opens its doors for what it calls “Family Fun Night.” Jugglers, a magician and puppeteers will be on hand to entertain kids and parents, who will still have full run of the museum.

The festivities run from 5 to 7 p.m. It’s a fund-raiser to benefit the museum, which exists on contributions and volunteer support. The cost, which includes dinner, is $15 for adults ($20 at the door) and $5 for children ($7 at the door). There is no charge for children under 3. For ticket information, call 644-6271, or call the museum at 483-3005.