DIY Basketball Themed Valentine's Day Box

Up until a few days ago, I thought my days of helping my boys prepare for their school Valentine's celebrations were over. I was feeling a bit sad about it too. They grow up way too fast! But then I read No. 3's teacher's weekly newsletter, and that fear disappeared!


Just like No. 2 did when he was in the fifth grade, he has been tasked with creating a Valentine's Day Box! Here are the rules:

1. Create a box to hold your valentines- it should be big enough to hold valentines from your classmates.
2. You must be able to transport your box to and from school on your own!
3. You can get help from your family, but you must be the creator and be involved in every part of building your box.
4. All boxes must be at school by February 14th.

Winners will be chosen for each of the following categories; traditional, most creative, "green", sports themed, animal themed, book/movie themed. The winners will each receive $500 in bonus bucks which the students can turn in for things such as extra recess! And because No. 3 is MY boy, I'm sure you can already guess what theme he chose... sports, of course!


He decided on making a basketball box. (Click HERE to see the football themed box No. 2 made a few years back).

Want to make one yourself? Here's what you'll need?

• Box (we used one of Coach Hubby's shoe boxes)
• Construction paper (orange, white, and black)
• Wood grain printed duck tape (tan construction paper will work if you can't find any!)
• Markers
• Scissors
• Glue (a glue stick and hot glue)
• Paper towel roll
• Rings from two Gatorade bottles (they will become the rims)

He began by applying the duck tape to the top of the box.

Once the entire top was covered, he used the orange construction paper to cover the sides.

The next step was to draw the lines on the court (half court, 3-point, etc.) We used a black sharpie for that. Quick tip: tracing a paper plate will help avoid wiggly lines!

Now that you have a court, it's time to make your hoops! Unfortunately, I do not have any pictures of the actual process, but here's the finished product.

We made the backboard out of white cardstock. No. 3 wrote the words "shoot me a valentine" on them and glued on a basketball. The pole was made out of a paper towel roll. We simply cut it, colored it black with a sharpie, and glued them together. We then hot glued the Gatorade ring aka rim to the backboard, let it dry for a few minutes, and then glued the entire hoop to the box. He also made a scoreboard using the black construction paper. That's it!


As far as Valentine's cards, I found this super cool idea on Pinterest! I mean seriously, what can't you find on there?!?

(Click HERE for directions including free printable and 3 ingredient slime recipe!)

Happy Valenslime's Day, Sports Mamas! Wishing you love, health, and happiness today and every other day of the year!




*** Update 2/15/19- HE WON!!!!

*** Have a collegiate athlete? Click here for a care package idea!

Washington Redskins Valentine's Day Box

Valentines Day is only 4 days away! Prior to our boys being born, hubby and I were all about that V-Day life (fighting with crowds at fancy restaurants, spending a fortune on finding that perfect gift). Fast forward 15 years (and 3 kids later!) and it's all about them now. Well, for the most part anyway. We still enjoy a good dinner and an occasional small gift exchange, but I have to admit, I enjoy getting the boys ready for their school celebrations just as much, if not a tad bit more. I love going to craft stores and seeing all the red, pink, glitter, and hearts everywhere. Speaking of hearts, I found strawberry flavored heart-shaped marshmallows at my local Safeway. Shhh, don't tell my boys. It's a surprise!


Each boy is doing something different this year. Not that I wasn't expecting that. No. 1 is in the sixth grade and has decided that he won't be handing out cards this Valentine's Day. Sad, I know. My boy is growing up. He's almost as tall as I am and spends just as much time fixing his hair (if not more!) as I do.

No. 2 is in the fifth grade and his class is having a Valentines Day box contest. In a nutshell, each child is to create a box to hold his/her Valentine's cards from their classmates. They must create it on their own and be able to transport it to and from school without any help. Winners will be chosen in each of the following categories (traditional theme, most creative, most "green", sports theme, animal theme, and book/movie theme). The winners will receive $500 in bonus bucks which can be used towards privileges such as extra recess, choosing where to sit, etc. Anyone want to guess what theme No. 2 chose? Well, the sports theme of course!

He went with his favorite football team, the Washington Redskins! We used a USPS priority mail box. You can find them for free at your local post office.

We purchased all the materials at Michaels (construction paper, popsicle aka craft sticks, football shaped stickers). I love that you can always find a coupon to use. I actually had two this time!

Then he went to work!

I found the football field diagram on Pinterest and simply printed it out.

Coach Hubby helped him cut the hole in the top. Ha, check out his pajama pants. I swear this wasn't planned!

Lastly, he added a couple of football players aka Lego mini figures to the field.

A friend of mine is making Redskins Valentines cards to match his theme. Because we're hard-core fans over here!

I think he has a pretty good chance of winning, don't you?!

No. 3 is in the second grade and handing out store bought Minion cards. He loves Minions! This is the second year in a row that he's carried a Minion backpack and lunchbox to school.

Happy (early) Valentine's Day!!!

*** Click HERE to see No. 3's basketball themed box!

*** Have a collegiate athlete? Click here for a care package idea!