Mail Truck Valentine Holder

Every year my class makes this cute mail truck valentine holder for all their valentines and candy.  I've been using it so long that I no longer remember where the original pattern came from.  It's possibly Mailbox Magazine but I'm not sure.  If you know where it came from and are able to send me a link then I'll give credit where credit is due... until then, on to the post.

First you need 12x18 white construction paper.  Fold it in half and and cut a notch out for the front of the truck.  Staple the sides so that you now have a large pouch.  You could glue the sides but I find that the staples really help when the mailtruck is bursting at the seams with candy and cards.

Next, the children can glue on ( I like glue sticks for this) a 4x12 strip of red paper.

On top of the red paper glue a 3x12 strip of blue paper.  This gives your mailtruck it's stripes.

Next add your wheels.  These can be any size.  I give the children different size black circles for this and some of our mailtrucks become monster trucks while others eek along on little tiny tires.  I'm always curious to see what they choose.

Now the mailtruck is ready to be decorated.  Of course we use hearts for this auspicious occasion.  Some of the trucks get real fancy and almost flowery with all the hearts while others don just use a few.  I freehand cutting the hearts because it doesn't matter what they look like or how big they are. I do use at least 3 or 4 different valentine colors.

I have the children write their names and U. S. Mail and then the trucks are ready to be filled with goodies.  After all the valentines are delivered I put a few staples in the top and it's a nice little package to go home and be opened in front of Mom and Dad.

What do you use for Valentine collection?