Valentine's History for kids

Every February we celebrate Valentine's Day by giving flowers, candy and cards to those we love. We do this in honor of Saint Valentine. You may be wondering, "Who is St. Valentine"? Time to brush up on your Valentine's history!

Legend has it that Valentine was a priest who served during third century Rome. There was an Emperor at that time by the name of Claudius II. Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those that were married. With this thought in mind he outlawed marriage for young men in hopes of building a stronger military base. Supposedly, Valentine, decided this decree just wasn't fair and chose to marry young couples secretly. When Emperor Claudius II found out about Valentine's actions he had him put to death.

Another legend has it that Valentine was an imprisoned man who fell in love with his jailor's daughter. Before he was put to death he sent the first 'valentine' himself when he wrote her a letter and signed it 'Your Valentine', words still used on cards today.

Perhaps we'll never know the true identity and story behind the man named St. Valentine, but this much is for sure...February has been the month to celebrate love for a long time, dating clear back to the Middle Ages. In fact, Valentines ranks second only to Christmas in number of greeting cards sent.

Another valentine gentleman you may be wondering about is Cupid (Latin cupido, "desire"). In Roman mythology Cupid is the son of Venus, goddess of love. His counterpart in Greek mythology is Eros, god of love. Cupid is often said to be a mischievous boy who goes around wounding both gods and humans with his arrows, causing them to fall in love.

Happy St. Valentine's Day!

Friends Forever
Are we friends,
Are we not.
You told me once, but I forgot.
So tell me now and tell me true,
So I can say I'm here for you.
And if I die before you do,
I'll go to heaven and wait for you.
I'll give the angels back their wings,
And risk the loss of everything. 
Just to prove my friendship is true, 
Just to have a friend like you.
Sadie

http://www.stvalentinesday.org/valentines-day-poem.html#colors-of-love

Wenlock and Mandeville

Wenlock and Mandeville are the two mascots for the London 2012 Olympic Games

Wenlock and Mandeville, official mascots for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, respectively.

The mascots were unveiled on 19 May 2010; this marks the second time (after Vancouver's Miga, Quatchi, Sumi and Mukmuk) that both Olympic and Paralympic mascots were unveiled at the same time. The mascots were created and designed by iris, a London-based creative agency.Wenlock and Mandeville are animations depicting two drops of steel from a steelworks in Bolton They are named after the Shropshire town of Much Wenlock, which held a forerunner of the current Olympic Games, and Stoke Mandeville Hospital, a facility in Buckinghamshire that initially organised the Stoke Mandeville Games, the precursor of the Paralympic Games.

               Wenlock                                                                   Mandeville

200th anniversary of Charles Dickens

Tuesday marks the 200th anniversary of the birth of one of the country's most famous authors, Charles Dickens.

Dickens wrote many famous books including Oliver Twist, Great Expectations and A Christmas Carol.

He was born in Portsmouth in 1812 and died in London in 1850.

On Tuesday Prince Charles and his wife The Duchess of Cornwall will visit the Charles Dickens museum at Doughty Street in London which opened in 1925.

There will be also be a service at Westminster Abbey.

It's being attended by some of the author's descendants including his great-great-grandson, Mark Dickens.

The actor Simon Callow, who plays the role in a stage show in London, says Dickens would have been the most famous person ever in his day - a celebrity as big as any X Factor winner or rock star!

 

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