We’re all missing our annual April break library tea party, but you can host your own tea party at home! There are usually three parts to our tea party: games, snacks with tea, and planting a seed.
First, dress up in your best tea party clothes! Find your fancy necklace, bowtie, gloves, or hat, and a fun outfit. Half the fun of the party is getting fancy with friends, so maybe this year you can host a video chat tea party with a few of your closest friends to show off your finery!
Games are easy; you can use any of your favorite party games. We like the one where you put a paper plate (or piece of paper) on your head and try to draw a teapot without looking! You could do a scavenger hunt around your house for tea party-related things; can you find a tea bag, a tea cup, a photo with at least 3 people in it (it will feel like your friends/family are with you!), something blue, a flower, and a fancy handbag or purse? What else can you put on your list? Or try this “sweet” challenge if you happen to have a box of sugar cubes on hand - see how tall you can stack them!
Of course tea parties can have any snacks you like! Mini-finger foods are fun. Have your grownup help you cut up some cheese in small cubes, or serve grapes sliced in half. Make some mini muffins or cookies as a special dessert. Anything is fancy when you use your best table manners! Try some tea, hot or iced… but if that just doesn’t sound good, fill up your teacup with your favorite beverage.
The best part of our tea party is planting the seeds, and it’s easy to do that at home too! If you don’t have a small flower pot handy, start your seeds in the cup of an egg carton, or even use a recycled toilet paper tube (assuming you still have toilet paper!). Make 6-8 cuts about an inch long from the bottom of the tube, and fold them under to make a bottom for your new cardboard pot. Potting soil gives a seed a good start, but you can always scoop up some soil from your garden or the edge of your yard. Hopefully you have some kind of seeds on hand to push into the soil. We were going to plant sweet pea flowers this year, but marigolds are also excellent beginning gardener seeds. If you have any other seeds at home, try planting them instead! Even vegetables can get started in a tiny pot.
When you’re looking for something to do on a rainy day (we’re having plenty of those!), try hosting your own tea party. Make invitations for your family members, dress up fancy, and have fun! Practice your “pleases” and “thank yous,” and you’ll be all set for our tea party next year!
Parents, if you do have your own tea party at home, share your photos with us at kids@amesfreelibrary.org! We’d love to see what our patrons are doing at home.