Feb. 2010; Picks Of The Month:Valentine (Feb. 14th): How did the date get moved back from February 15 to the 14th? There are two possible reasons. In ancient times, days began at sunset, so then the "festivities" of the Lupercalia began on the evening of the 14th. As the Roman calendar took precedence, it was no great matter to move the holiday up a few hours. The other reason for the change to the 14th is that Pope Gelasius simply ordered it changed in AD 496. As mentioned earlier, Catholic legend speaks of an obscure martyr named Valentine who was put to death on February 14, AD 269, and the Roman church made this day a feast day. There is nothing "festive" about a martyr's death. More than likely, the Catholic Church was doing what we call "spin control," trying to put a better face on a licentious occasion. Why did the Romans observe the Lupercalia on the 15th in the first place? Nimrod was supposedly born at the winter solstice. In the 21st century bc, the solstice occurred on January 6. As time progressed, however, this date moved earlier every four hundred years or so. In Roman times, Julius Caesar ordered it fixed on December 25. (Today, it falls on December 21.) In antiquity, the mother of a male child customarily presented herself before her god for purification on the 40th day after giving birth. Remember, the Lupercalia was a "Feast of Purification." Forty days from January 6 is February 15! Game:
Craft: Heart Butterfly Craft: Materials Needed: * Craft Stick Instructions: Use a marker to make eyes and a mouth on the crafts stick. You can also color the stick with the marker. Cut two 2-inch pieces from a chenille stem. Glue them on the back of the craft stick to be the butterfly's antenna. When you have the craft stick decorate how you want, glue it onto the hearts, on the section where you glue the two ends together. Now you can decorate the wings if you like! You can cut more hearts out of paper to decorate the wings or use other craft supplies like glitter or sequins. You can also write a Saint Valentine's Day message on the wings of the butterfly. Movie: Set in the city of New Orleans comes a modern twist on a classic tale, featuring a beautiful girl named Tiana , a frog prince who desperatelywants to be human again, and a fateful kiss that leads them both on an adventure through the mystical bayous of Louisiana.Also Known As: The Frog PrincessProduction Status: ReleasedGenres: Kids/Family, Musical/Performing Arts, Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy and AnimationRunning Time: 1 hr. 35 min.Release Date: November 25th, 2009 (limited); December 11 (wide)MPAA Rating: GDistributors: Walt Disney Studios DistributionProduction Co.: Walt Disney Animation StudiosU.S. Box Office: $100,309,000Produced in: United States Music: Two Hands by Jars Of Clay: Food:
Snowman Cupcake How-To A fun food game: Valentine Cupcake Walk Supplies: * Cupcake for each child * Numbers taped to the floor * Valentine bag to hold number call cards * Love songs How To Play: When the music starts the children begin to walk around the room stepping on each of the numbers as they go. When the music stops the children should step on the number closest to them. A number is pulled from the valentine bag and the child standing on that number get to choose a cupcake and return to their desk. That number is then removed from the floor and the bag. Continue until every child has a cupcake.
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Players hunt treasure on a jungle island in Tobago, a family-friendly strategy game. The primary innovation in Tobago is the collaborative deduction that goes on to determine the location of treasures. By playing map cards, the players slowly reveal where the treasure is -- and then use their ATVs to arrive at the treasure first. (Every player who contributed to the map shares in the loot, but the player who digs it up gets an extra share.) But beware... because some of the treasure is cursed.
The cupcakes can be baked a week ahead and frozen, but decorate them no more than a day before serving. Set up an assembly line, and put kids in charge of affixing candy eyes, gumdrop cheeks, and other trimmings. Pack the cupcakes in a shallow plastic container, and stuff crumpled waxed paper in between. Then dole them out and watch kids marvel for a second before opening wide!