WAVERLY TWP. — Six-year-old Morgan Davis placed down her red hearts on a grid while her 2-year-old brother Connor Davis tried to block with his green hearts.
They played a game of Valentine’s Day Tic Tac Toe, in which paper hearts take the place of the X’s and O’s. It was one of the many activities tchildren enjoyed at the Waverly Community House Valentine’s Day Party, held inside the facility’s gymnasium.
The Comm’s gymnasium was filled with parents and children eager to play games and make Valentine’s Day-related arts and crafts during the event, held Saturday, Feb. 6. Refreshments were also served.
Although donations were accepted, the Valentine’s Day party was a free event and was intended for kids to make new friends, socialize, play games and most of all, have fun.
“This workshop has become a loved event,” said Maria Wilson, executive director of the Comm. “It’s a great way to open the new year, and it’s a gift to all the families, who support the Comm throughout the year. We’re especially happy for the volunteers and student volunteers who run the event. It’s a really great morning in February.”
“I think this is a wonderful event for the community,” said Jacqui Pasqualichio, whose daughter Ava Pasqualichio was playing Tic Tac Toe with Morgan and Connor.
Volunteers from local high schools, such as Abington Heights and Our Lady of Peace, showed children how to make arts and crafts or watched them play games with parents or other children.
Our Lady of Peace students Megan McDonald and Anna Bushta showed children how to make bird feeders. With this craft, they showed them how to attach Fruit Loops through string. Once the string is full of Fruit Loops, they make the string into a heart by attaching both ends.
Abington Heights senior Marissa Lewis, who organized the workshop last year, returned to assist the volunteers this year.
“I came back and helped out again,” she said.
Children made other crafts like little heart people with accordion legs made of red construction paper. They designed heart-shaped refrigerator magnets for parents to hang on a refrigerator. Children also made hand tracings of their own hands and glued them onto a paper heart for them to decorate. Volunteers also sprayed on Valentine temporary tattoos on the backs of children’s hands.
“I think it’s a great event for the little kids,” said Becky Davis, mother of Morgan and Connor, who were making fairy-like wands with paper butterflies glued to popsicle sticks.
