One of my best friends recently gave birth to her first child, a son. She introduced the first year of his life to many classic nursery rhymes incorporating them in the baby shower, baby nursery, and soon-to-be first birthday celebration. A connection that she and her twin sister once shared from their childhood nursery. Unfortunately I could not travel to the baby shower, as it was to be in St. Louis and I had just gotten settled in at Austin. Her sister was the hostess and I co-hosted games from afar. I handmade all of the games to be a custom fit for her Beatrix Potter theme. In addition, I presented them in a way that she could keep them nicely tucked in a box so that when the baby was old enough Mommy and Daddy could play the games with him. A neat and interactive way to learn the very interesting history of Beatrix Potter.
Today I would love to provide inspiration to anyone who is tired of the stale games offered in books, online, and at party stores.
Supplies Needed: color printer (or office printing store), scissors, nice scrapbook paper, 8.5x11" sheets of blank & printed paper, glue, metallic marker, organza ribbon, saftey pins, and a scrapbook brad to connect multiple pages (used on the Left/Right game hostess sheet). Both the Bazill brand Prince Charming blue and the Beatrix Potter print paper were from Archiver's which I purchased in Winter 2011. They are in 12x12" sheets that I cut down to size. These papers were used to make the hostess sheets and game cards so that the back was a pretty sight for the guests and guest-of-honor.
I also made hostess instruction cards that were approximately 6x6 inches (12x12 sheet, quartered) so that when the day came each game would run smoothly. The colors were coordinated to be tied in to the look of the shower but small enough to hold and be discrete. All you do is print the instructions on computer paper and then past the instructions onto the cut down scrapbook paper for a matted look.
PASSIVE GAME: Under the Chair
Before any of the guests arrive place a symbol under one of the chairs so that the guest who will be seated there will later be announced as the winner of a door prize. I used a printed nursery rhyme picture adhered to textured scrapbook paper, monogrammed with a silver BP to make a small note card that would fit securely under the chair with tape.
PASSIVE GAME: "Don't Say Baby"
As everyone arrives be sure to give them a ribbon with safety pins. Each ribbon has 4 playing pins plus one attachment pin for the guests blouse. Instruct all guests to not say the word “baby”. If they are caught saying "baby" they have to give one of their safety pins to the person they said it to. At the end of the shower, ask the guests to tally up their pins. Whoever has the most pins wins a prize. This would be a great game to designate to a co-host to stand at the door to pass out and quickly explain the rule.
ACTIVE GAME: "Angela's Signature" Left Right Game
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| Left/Right Game Hostess Sheet - Front & Back |
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| Left/Right Game Hostess Sheet - Front |
The hostess will need to use an object to pass around the table, like a flower or stuffed animal. Only one item can be used. If there are multiple tables then designate one corner of each as the bridge so that the item moves on to the next table smoothly. The hostess will read the story out loud to the guests. Each time the guests hear the word “right” or “left” (spelled in many different ways) the guest holding the object will pass the item in the designated direction. The last person holding the item wins a prize. Do this game first as it is very active and will get the ladies excited. Do this while the guests are sitting but before they eat because it is a bit of a riot.
*The Left/Right story is at the bottom of the blog
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ACTIVE GAME: Beatrix Potter Trivia
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| The Beatrix Potter Trivia Hostess Cards |
Beatrix Potter trivia cards. Use these hostess cards to announce the question. They are made to look like game show cards. Give the guests approximately 10 seconds or so to hand write their answer on their own answer sheet. There are 13 questions, at the end of all the questions the hostess will then announce the answers. Making sure to re-read them in the same order. The person with the most correct wins a prize.
**Save time by placing the guest blank sheets at the guest seats before they arrive. Include pens. This game should be done during eating or after, while at the table.
*The Beatrix potter trivia is at the bottom of the blog
ACTIVE GAME: The 23 Tales
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| The 23 Tales Hostess Sheet |
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| The guest answer sheet for 23 Tales & BP Trivia |
The 23 tales of Beatrix Potter. The hostess will announce to the guests that they will get 4 minutes to jot down as many Beatrix Potter tales that they know on their game sheet once you say “GO”. Once the four minutes are up the hostess will read off the answers from the hostess sheet. Ask the guests how many they got right. The person with the most wins a prize.
**Save time by placing the guest blank sheets at the guest seats before they arrive. Include pens. This game should be done after eating or during dessert, while at the table.
*The 23 Tales List is at the bottom of the blog
PRESENTATION:
An easy way to transport to the shower and to present is to tie organza ribbon on the game cards.
BP TRIVIA: All based on my own research of Beatrix Potter
Q: What is Beatrix Potter’s first name?
A: Helen
Q: What year was Beatrix Potter born?
A: 1866
Q: What was Beatrix Potter’s brother’s name?
A: Bertram (Walter Bertram)
Q: What year was The Tale of Peter Rabbit
published?
A: 1901, privately
Q: How many children did Beatrix Potter have?
A: 3
Q: After receiving book proceeds and a legacy from her
aunt, what did Beatrix Potter purchase?
A: “Hill Top Farm” – near Sawry, a tiny village
Q: How many books did Beatrix Potter publish?
A: 23
Q: Beatrix Potter stories have been told in four ways. 1.
Song 2. Film 3. Animation and 4. _________
A: Ballet
Q: To earn money in the 1890’s what did Beatrix and
Bertram do?
A: Designed and printed their own Christmas and Special
Occasion cards
Q: What were Beatrix Potter’s “Four Little Rabbits”
names?
A: Flopsy, Mopsy, Cottontail, and Peter
Q: Finish this title… “The Tale of ______Nutkin”
A: The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin
Q: What are two stories that represent Beatrix’s life of
Hill Top Farm?
A: The Tale of Jemima Puddle Deck & The Tale of
Tom Kitten
Q: What was the name of the ballet film released in 1971
and directed by Reginald Miller?
A: “The Tales of Beatrix Potter” **This was performed in costume by the Royal
Ballet
The 23
Tales
The Tale of Peter Rabbit (1902)
The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin (1903)
The Tailor of Gloucester (1903)
The Tale of Benjamin Bunny (1904)
The Tale of Two Bad Mice (1904)
The Tale of Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle (1905)
The Tale of the Pie and the Patty-Pan (1905)
The Tale of Mr. Jeremy Fisher (1906)
The Story of A Fierce Bad Rabbit (1906)
The Story of Miss Moppet (1906)
The Tale of Tom Kitten (1907)
The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck (1908)
The Tale of Samuel Whiskers or, The Roly-Poly Pudding (1908)
The Tale of the Flopsy Bunnies (1909)
The Tale of Ginger and Pickles (1909)
The Tale of Mrs. Tittlemouse (1910)
The Tale of Timmy Tiptoes (1911)
The Tale of Mr. Tod (1912)
The Tale of Pigling Bland (1913)
Appley Dapply's Nursery Rhymes (1917)
The Tale of Johnny Town-Mouse (1918)
Cecily Parsley's Nursery Rhymes (1922)
The Tale of Little Pig Robinson (1930)
Angela’s Signature Game “Right/Left”
This is a story about Mrs. Wright's baby shower
tea party. She lived right at the end of Lefty Lane, the third house on the
left. Today, Mrs. Wright was hosting a baby shower tea party. The women would
enter left, right through the front door and greet Mrs. Wright, they would head
right down the stairs, turning left then right into Mrs. Wright's family room
where the mommy-to-be was.
Two of the girls were left-handed so they would sit at the left of the table.
Mrs. Wright held up her right hand and all of her friends grew quiet, except
the left-handed girl on the right patting Mrs. Wright's dog named Hefty Lefty.
Mrs. Wright asked Sarah Wright and Julie Wright to pass out the teacups
starting to the left. Sarah Wright and Julie Wright started out left but turned
back because they left the cups just to the right of the table, right next to
the spoons. Mrs. Wright said, "That's all right."
Mrs.
Wright began to serve her friends some pie when Grandma Wright smelled the
delicious desserts and left her bedroom to join the Wright girls. She went down
the stairs and turned left than right, right into Mrs. Wright's family room.
Grandma Wright knocked and entered left and sat in the rocking chair on the left. Sarah Wright and Julie Wright invited Grandma Wright to join them at the table.
Grandma Wright had been to many baby showers as a young girl and right before they realized it, Grandma Wright was telling them stories from when she was the mommy-to-be and went to the right cabinet and in the left drawer were pictures of her baby shower.
As the party ended right on time, they all put their dishes right in the left side of the sink and thanked Mrs. Wright and Grandma Wright for such a wonderful time. Soon, all of the women from the Wright baby shower tea party turned right than left, then left again to return to the front door and out to the right car that they arrived in. Down lefty lane they went. Now who ended up with the right gift?
Grandma Wright knocked and entered left and sat in the rocking chair on the left. Sarah Wright and Julie Wright invited Grandma Wright to join them at the table.
Grandma Wright had been to many baby showers as a young girl and right before they realized it, Grandma Wright was telling them stories from when she was the mommy-to-be and went to the right cabinet and in the left drawer were pictures of her baby shower.
As the party ended right on time, they all put their dishes right in the left side of the sink and thanked Mrs. Wright and Grandma Wright for such a wonderful time. Soon, all of the women from the Wright baby shower tea party turned right than left, then left again to return to the front door and out to the right car that they arrived in. Down lefty lane they went. Now who ended up with the right gift?
**This is considered Angela's signature baby shower game simply because it is always so popular and the guests have so much fun. I did not create this game but it has been so long since I first used it I can't remember who was the original source.