Children's Valentine's Day Party

Love is an act of endless forgiveness, a tender look which becomes a habit. ~Peter Ustinov

Last week I shared from the 1905 book Bright Ideas for Entertaining by Mrs. Herbert B. Linscott. I wanted to share this week from her ideas for a children's Valentine's Day party. Before I do, I wanted to mention that I have helped plan two classroom parties in past years and helped during many others. Hands down, the favorite activity is making homemade Valentines for parents and/or grandparents. Last year I brought in small paper doilies, plus red, pink and white construction paper. The teacher had crayons and markers we put in the middle of the table. I also had precut hearts I had picked up at the store. The kids LOVED making cards; boys and girls alike. I think sometimes we try to make things more complicated than they need to be, and forget that kids just love to express themselves.

Mrs. Linscott recommends these things:
Cut from pink paper as many hearts as there are to be boys, but no two of these hearts must be the same size; cut from gilt paper the same number of hearts, one for each girl, matching in size those cut from the pink paper.

When the guests arrive, give each boy a pink and each girl a gilt heart. When a boy finds a girl who holds a gilt heart matching in size his pink one, they are partners for the evening. In this search, all the formality will have worn off.

Notes: Gilt paper was a paper that had a very very thin layer of gold on the top of the paper itself. You can find gold metallic paper, but I think it would be much cheaper and easier to use pink and red construction paper for the hearts.

I have to admit I'm not sure what age this would work with. The tiny ones; 3 to maybe 6 or so wouldn't care too much, but after that age it would be "I have to partner up with a BOY?". I still think it's a cute idea though.

MORE PARTY FUN
Next Mrs. Linscott describes this game:

Cupid's Dart will pass a jolly half hour. Make a large heart of several layers of pink tissue paper, and fill in loosely with bonbons; encase this in a slightly larger heart of open-meshed bobinet; hang on the wall on one side of the room by two loops sewed to the large, upper part of the heart. Provide a toy bow and arrow, and let each child in turn shoot at the heart. The arrows will remain sticking in the lace and paper, and the one whose arrow comes nearest the center receives the first prize-a heart shaped box of candy.

Also provide small heart shaped boxes filled with candies for each child to take home.

Notes: I did some looking, and bobinet is material much like a screen or some type of netting. So open-meshed would mean the holes are bigger, which would allow the arrows to "catch" when they hit the heart. I also noticed she mentioned lace and paper later. I'm thinking maybe it was more like loose doily material?

Lastly, she suggests refreshments and decorations:

Make sandwiches from heart-shaped pieces of bread, cut with a cake cutter; bake the cakes in heart-shaped tins, and have the ices frozen in the same design. As red and pink are the proper colors for decoration on this day, it will be a pretty idea to have the lemonade colored pink with fruit juice.

Pretty favors can be made from crepe tissue-paper. Flowers, bonbon boxes, handkerchief-cases, and many another trifle, will please young folks, more especially if they are the work of their little hostess's own hands.

This last paragraph is an example of why I love learning how they entertained in years past. How many of us have handkerchief-cases laying around or bonbon boxes? But then some things are timeless like tissue paper and tea sandwiches!

~Brenda

Halloween Fun and Games from the Past

Play these friendly Halloween games during classroom celebrations, parties or family get togethers. Involve both the kids and the adults for a howling good time!

Guess How Many

Fill a jar with candy corn and have guests guess how many are in the jar. (Don't forget to count as you put them in the jar!) Place the jar near the door and hand each guest a 3x5 card to put their name, their guess and their favorite Halloween candy. Halfway through the party read them all off and announce the winner.

Halloween Memory Game

Place a few themed items such as a candy corn, apple, mini pumpkin etc. on a tray. Show the tray to the guests for a few seconds, then have them write down (or call out) as many items as they remember.

How Many Words

Hand each person a sheet of paper printed out with a Halloween word or phrase such as Haunted House, Trick or Treat, or Scarecrow. Do these on the computer so you can include some small Halloween Graphics. Ask each person to make as many words as they can out of the letters in the phrase or word you've given them!

Mummy May I

One child, or an adult, is "mummy". The other children stand in a straight line, with the mummy standing in front of them with enough distance for them to move forward towards him or her. (It's really neat if you can rip up an old pillow case or sheet and stain them with leftover coffee or tea to wrap around the "mummy's" head.)

The children move toward mummy by asking permission to take steps. For example, a child could ask, "Mummy May I take ten steps forward?" The mummy can be creative as to the type of steps they ask to take, such as giant monster steps, pixie steps, as well as ogre, howling dog etc.

Mummy answers, "Yes, you may" or "No, you may not," and the child must follow her instructions. If the child moves when he or she has not been given permission, they must go back to the starting line. The first child to touch mummy becomes mummy in the next game.

Who's Got the Pumpkin

Place everyone is a circle. Start a song (Halloween themed songs like Monster Mash are neat to use!) and toss a mini pumpkin to one person, they throw it to the next, and so on until the music stops. The person who is caught holding the pumpkin has to leave the circle. The last one left is the winner and keeps the pumpkin!

Halloween Hunt

Using the same idea as an Easter Egg Hunt hide little bags of candy corn, or other fun candy around the back yard. Set the kids loose and let them find the candy. Be sure to keep back several extra in case someone does poorly. You can give them a few more!

More you might like

An Old Fashioned Halloween
A Vintage Halloween Celebration

Old Fashioned Valentine's Day Games

Oh, the comfort - the inexpressible comfort of feeling safe with a person - having neither to weigh thoughts nor measure words, but pouring them all right out, just as they are, chaff and grain together; certain that a faithful hand will take and sift them, keep what is worth keeping, and then with the breath of kindness blow the rest away. ~Dinah Craik

Today I have some Valentine's Day game ideas from Bright Ideas for Entertaining (1905). From reading the entire text it seems like these were games played by young, unmarried adults. My, how things have changed! I think these would be great for all ages, and especially at a get-together where there are great grandparents, parents, older kids and toddlers. They would also make fun group or classroom games.

THROWING HEARTS: A low scrapbasket was placed in the centre of the room, and the company arranged into opposing parties, forming two half circles around the basket. Cardboard hearts in two different colors were given the sides, an equal number to each side. We were then requested to try to throw them in the basket, and all endeavored to do so, but found they had a tantalizing way of landing on the floor. When we had exhausted our cards, those in the basket were counted, and the side having the most of its own color won the game.

BLIND HEARTS: A small blackboard was placed on an easel at one end of the room, and we were each in turn blindfolded, and handed a piece of chalk with which to draw an outline of a heart,and to write our name in the center. The one doing the best to have a prize of a large candy heart.

SHADOW PICTURES: White cards with numbers in cherry ink and small cherry colored pencils were passed to each. As the shadow (profile) was thrown upon the sheet, the name was written after the number on the card. Prizes were given for the most correct guesses. The girls' prize was a cherry-colored satin pin cushion in the shape of a heart; the boys', an earthen pig.

On OFL we have more old fashioned Valentine's games:
http://oldfashionedliving.com/holidays/valentines.html

New Year's Family Fun

Year's end is neither an end nor a beginning but a going on, with all the wisdom that experience can instill in us. ~Hal Borland

Today I have some last minute fun to involve the kids in New Year's Eve and New Year's Day.

Party Hats: Roll poster board or any thicker paper into a cone shape and tape securely. Gather up leftover ribbon, bits of fabric, stickers,confetti, glitter---all the things you may have used for Christmas crafts. Glue items all around the cone hat in a collage style.

Time Collage: Using a piece of cardboard or poster board as the base, find as many pictures of clocks and watches as possible. Glue them onto the piece of paper or cardboard and in the middle of the collage attach a piece of paper that says "Welcome in the New Year---2009!"

Easy Time Centerpiece: On a tray place 3-5 clocks of different heights in a grouping. Scatter pieces of silver and gold tinsel, ribbon or confetti on the tray around the clock bases.

Fun Snack/Favor: Check the warehouse type stores or restaurant supply stores for bags of fortune cookies. They are inexpensive. Place them in a large basket or bowl for the guests when they arrive. For an extra touch, have each person's name and a square of paper on a large bulletin board at the door and tape or glue the fortune they pick to the square for everyone to see.

Resolution Game: Have everyone write one New Year's Resolution on a piece of paper and have them include their name-- they should list the biggest, best resolution they can think of that would change their life. Have one person read them aloud and have everyone guess who wrote the one being read aloud. Include the kids on this one too!

If you have a lot of younger children in the family or older folks who don't like staying up late, plan on making this is Noon Celebration instead, either on New Year's Eve or New Year's Day---there may not be the big ball dropping in Times
Square, but everyone will have a great time!

Serve this yummy non-alcoholic drink:

Crock pot Spiced Hot Chocolate

Ingredients:
8 ounces Semi-sweet chocolate chips
3 cups Half & Half
2 cups milk
1 cup strong coffee
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
pinch salt
Frozen whipped topping

Add the chocolate chips, half & half, milk, coffee, brown sugar, vanilla, spices and salt to the crockpot. Stir and cover. Cook on the high setting, stirring every 15 minutes, until the chocolate has melted, about 1 hour. Serve immediately, or turn crock to low (or warm if yours has that setting). Serve with the thawed whipped topping.

Mary Emma shares the orgins of New Years on OFL:
http://www.oldfashionedliving.com/newyears3.html