The best kind of play is free and has only two requirements — your child and his imagination.

Has play gotten too sophisticated? Too involved? Too demanding. With all the structure and stress has play become not fun? If the true nature of play is fun and yet, through manipulation, we've made play not fun. Then what are we doing? We're turning play into a chore for our kids.

In the name of progress, we've taken something basic to our human structure and changed it. Good old fashioned play. Invention, improvisation, movement, intrigue, laughter, exercise. All that stuff, as it turns out, may actually be good for a child.

Candy or paper hearts are hidden in nooks and corners, behind nic nacs, curtains, furniture, etc. Heart shaped paper baskets, boxes or envelopes are given to each hunter, to put the hearts in. The one finding the greatest number of hearts receives a heart shaped prize, such as a box of bonbons, pin tray or cushion, photo frame, blotter, pen wiper, needle book, trinket box, etc. etc.

What you’ll need:

Basic sugar cookie recipe
Heart Shape cookie Cutters
Cinnamon candies
Red sugar sprinkles

A HEART GUESSING CONTEST

The following sentences are written on heart shaped cards and passed with pencils to the guests who are told to supply the missing word with a word whose first five letters spell heart.

1. Cupid's symbol—.
2. Cupid greets you—.
3. Sitting on the—.
4. He is never—.
5. Sometimes he is—.
6. If he has caused a—.
7. If he were ill with—.
8. It would be—.
9. His favorite flower is—.
10. Thoughts of love to touch the—.

1. Hearts
2. Heartily
3. Hearth
4. Heartless
5. Heart-sick
6. Heartache
7. Heart-burn
8. Heart-rending
9. Heart's-ease
10. Heart-strings

The first person who guesses correctly receives an appropriate heart shaped prize.

Charles, Duke of Orleans, who was taken prisoner at the battle of Agincourt in 1415, and detained in England twenty five years, was the author of the earliest known written valentines. He left about sixty of them. They were written during his confinement in the Tower of London, and are still to be seen among the royal papers in the British Museum.

One of his valentines reads as follows:

It might be fun to discuss how differently people spoke so long ago.

Or, have the children attending the tea party create their own poems using the old time speech.

Have a tea party
Make all of the sandwiches and cookies and cakes in heart shapes.
Cakes could be cut with large heart shaped cookie cutters and iced with pink and white icing.
Pipe with tubes of decorative icing, words of love, share, be mine, etc.
Make the place cards out of candy hearts with words of love written on them
Make placemats out of construction paper hearts and lace paper with the individual children’s names written on them

Make your own valentine’s cards.
What you’ll need:
Construction paper
Glue
Lace paper doilies to cut into shapes of their choice

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Have fun
See you next month.

"Papa, where were you born?"

"In Boston, my dear."

"Where was mama born?"

"In San Francisco."

"And where was I born?"

"In Philadelphia."

"Well, papa, isn't it funny how we three people got together?"

Hope you’ll visit our site often and enjoy the many poems, stories and fun things to do.

Nursery Rhymes and Poems
Encourage your kids to fall in love with reading.
Have fun while growing their imaginations.

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Raggedy Ann Cloth Doll 18" by Madame Alexander

Raggedy Andy Cloth Doll 18" by Madame Alexander

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