Use heart-shaped Valentine's Day candy for several types of math learning activities. For instance, provide several jars of candies of different colors in each jar and have students figure averages. Have them count each jar's total number of different-colored candies, and from that they can determine the average number of candy in each jar; the average of each color in one or all jars; or the percentages of each color or each saying on the candy. Students can assign fractions to each color's appearance in a jar.
Use a triangle with the word "heart" spelled down each side, with each row containing blocks with the same letter as the edge of the row. For instance, the first row has one block with the letter "H" and the second row has two blocks with the letter "E." Ask students to figure out how many ways they can spell the word "heart" from the top of the triangle. In another brain teaser, give your students a Valentine-themed word problem to solve. For example, tell them there were 10 students in a class and that each student gave a valentine to all the others. How many Valentines were exchanged in all? Ask them to show how they figured out the answer.
Learn to apply numbers to a lesson about the heart. First, watch a video at pbs.org of the heart pumping. Ask students to research such questions as, How many pints of blood are pumped through the heart in a day? Have them extrapolate the answer to a year or 50 years. Get students to graph their heart rates for several readings in a day. Have them measure each other's hearts and figure out the class's average heart rate.
Students can create a tally and ratio chart through a graphing activity with several different colors of paper hearts. Issue handouts with a random number of hearts of five or six different colors, and rather than simply asking them to count the hearts, ask students to chart a ratio. For example, what is the ratio of green hearts to red ones? How could the ratio be expressed in the lowest numbers? Finally, have students chart their findings by using an x- and y-axis and a title.