Cupid’s guide to love-infused learning

Happy Valentine’s Day, Superheroes! Love is in the air, and what better place to let it bloom than inside our classrooms? I have been on a quest to find captivating activities that will make students fall head over heels in love with learning. Here are three concepts you can incorporate into the classroom to celebrate love, kindness, and learning this February.

The biology of love

This first activity will get your students’ hearts racing! In this blood-pumping activity, students will learn how their hearts respond to varying levels of physical activity. Be sure to have your students measure their resting heart rate before they begin so they can observe the changes in their heart rate throughout the activities. 

Further enhance your students’ understanding of cardiovascular health by engaging them in the exciting task of measuring each other’s blood pressure. Through this hands-on experience, your physiologists will not only deepen their knowledge of how the heart works, but they will be able to observe the connections between physical activity intensity levels and heart health, too. Check out this easy-to-follow activity designed by Biology Corner for inspiration. 

The chemistry of love

Love is in the air, but what does it smell like exactly? Task your students with uncovering this aromatic mystery by exploring how perfumes are made. In this “Catch a Whiff of It?” lab activity, students will take on the role of chemists, running experiments to create their own perfumes and scents. Your chemists will learn about the importance of using controls, collecting data, and identifying the independent and dependent variables in this experiment. What does love smell like to your chemists? 

The Perfume and Smelling Activity created by STEM Learning is another great resource for experimental ideas for creating and testing fragrances and scents. While completing this activity, your chemists will create their own scents, test the various properties of their creations, and even use their scents to explain how humans smell. As if this activity wasn’t exciting enough, this resource includes instructions for students to write an article for a new teen magazine about their newly created perfume.

The history of love

Humans are not the only species that have a romantic connection to February 14. This tradition traces back to Medieval folklore, where it was believed that birds chose their mates on this date. Your historians can learn more about this fascinating belief, amongst many others, while exploring the various resources in the Valentines Day Activities and Lesson Plans collection on The Home School Mom website.

It is my hope that these activities serve as a catalyst for an unforgettable Valentine’s Day celebration in your classroom. May these activities not only spark a love for learning but also kindle an appreciation for science, creativity, and traditions.

How will you fill your classroom with love and learning this year? Let us know at Arizona PBS KIDS on Facebook!

About the author

Ashley Burkart is a Senior STEM Teacher at Bioscience High School in Phoenix. STEM research was her first passion as she holds a Masters in Biomedical Science from Midwestern University. When she isn’t teaching tomorrow’s leaders, she is either hanging out with her dogs, Raven and Bailey, or hiking the beautiful mountains of Arizona.