Love on Ice: Valentine's Day Ice-Skating Party

Toasty Treats

Set up a picnic table so you have a central party spot -- and a space for snacks.

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Sweetheart Sandwiches

Have a tray of sammies ready for the kids to enjoy during the party. Wrap each in a heart-punched wax-paper bag for an added touch.

Apple of My Eye Sandwich

What you'll need
Apples
Cinnamon
Lemon juice
Cinnamon-raisin bread
Peanut butter

Make It
1. Toss sliced apples with a sprinkle of cinnamon and a splash of lemon juice.
2. Sandwich the apple slices between 2 pieces of cinnamon-raisin bread spread with peanut butter.

Berries & Cream Sandwich

What you'll need
Berry jam
Light cream cheese
Whole-wheat bread

Make It
1. Spread jam and cream cheese on 2 pieces of whole-wheat bread.

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Crush-worthy Cocoa

Thaw out with hot chocolate. Add a few drops of pure vanilla extract to your favorite hot-cocoa recipe for a beverage that will have everyone swooning.

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I Heart Cookies

These baked treats make the ultimate post-skate snack.

What you'll need
2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
? cup light-brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
3? cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
? teaspoon baking powder
Red cookie icing, such as Wilton brand ($4.50 for 10-oz.; partycity.com)
Assorted Valentine's Day sprinkles

Make it:
1. Cream butter and sugars in a medium bowl with an electric mixer until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add eggs and vanilla and beat well.
2. Gradually add flour, salt, and baking powder until just combined. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour.
3. Preheat oven to 350?F and lightly grease a baking sheet. Roll out half the dough to ?" thickness on a floured surface and use a notched heart-shaped cookie cutter ($16 for 4 shapes; chefini.com) to cut out hearts. (You can also use a regular heart shape and cut a ?"-wide by ?"-tall notch along one of the straight edges.) Bake cookies until just set in the center and a little puffed, about 10 minutes. Move to a rack to cool. Continue with remaining dough.
4. Decorate the cookies with the red icing and valentine sprinkles. Hang cookies on the rim of your hot-chocolate mugs.

Makes 48 cookies.

• Buy Wilton's Red Cookie Icing from Party City.
• Buy heart-shaped cookie cutters at chefini.com.

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Cross-My-Heart Pins

Give each guest a homemade brooch to wear on the rink. It will help you quickly identify the members of your party.

What you'll need Felt, scissors, needle, silver thread, buttons, glue, pinbacks

Make it:
1. Cut hearts from felt, about 3" wide by 2" tall.
2. Stitch desired pattern onto felt with needle and silver thread.
3. Sew buttons on if desired.
4. Glue pinbacks to back of hearts.

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Be-Mine Bags

Fill hanging heart-shaped boxes with sweets for guests to take.

What you'll need Decorative craft paper, pencil, hot-glue gun, scissors, ribbon, candy

Make it:
1. Download the free template for Be-Mine Bags. Trace onto the back of decorative paper. Cut out.
2. Using template as a guide, score then fold along dashed lines.
3. Overlap the 2 end hearts and glue together to form cone.
4. Glue 2 strands of ribbon inside the cone to hang.

• Download the free template for Be-Mine Bags here.

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Super Skates

Skates with dual blades or plastic shells help beginners keep their balance.

• Shop for kids' skates.

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Headstrong Skaters

Supply a basket full of helmets for little skaters.

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Easy Does It

Whether the kids are experts or beginners, fun can be had by all!

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Snow Day

Trade in ice skates for snow boots and take turns pulling each other on a sled.

Originally published in the February 2012 issue of Parents magazine.

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