Birthday parties

[Guest guest]

DS has finally realised that other kids have birthday parties, but he

hasn't yet (he'll be 4 this year)

Up until now, we've had a family get together to exchange Xmas

pressies (his b-day is 21 Dec) and added a cake and pass the parcel.

This year I've relented. I didn't want a house full (that will be

next year when he's at school), so I said he could have 5 friends

round. In reality he would be happy with just his 2 best friends (one

from nursery and one outside), but I thought if we're going to do it,

we're going to do it. Fortunately, two days in a row he named the

same 5 kids (3 boys & 2 girls).

Then the next day (as I'd written out the invites but not given them

out) he changed his mind. " No, I don't want Chloe at my party - I

want Olivia " . I hung on to the invites and checked with nursery.

Olivia, as it turned out, moved and left a few months ago - so that's

one problem solved. Chloe is best buddy one day, worst enemy the

next - it must have been a bad day.

So I gave out the invites, including Chloe. I just hope she doesn't

turn up on the day and DS say to her and her mum on the doorstep " I

don't want Chloe at my party " .

Just have to wait and see! Oh and all recommendations would be

greatly appreciated eg games, food (plates or boxes, table or floor,

what get eaten, what doesn't) etc

TIA

Todman

Treasurer, Stansted Branch (R5)

Mum to , 3¾

[Guest guest]

> greatly appreciated eg games, food (plates or boxes, table or floor,

what get eaten, what doesn't) etc > TIA

>

I thought there was an article on shared files (here or main NCT group)

about birthday parties - but I can`t find it!

My best buy was an Early Learning Centre tape (IIRC - 'PARTY FUN') which

has music *and*commentary for games such as pass the parcel, simon

says, so you just set one side of the tape to play, and they follow the

instructions. So all adults can just sit back and watch the fun!

HTH

Barbara

[Guest guest]

>

> Just have to wait and see! Oh and all recommendations would be

> greatly appreciated eg games, food (plates or boxes, table or floor,

> what get eaten, what doesn't) etc

I've just done a 4 yo's party!

I did -food in boxes (www.partybox.co.uk ) delivered the next day!

Sandwiches (not eaten) mini roll(eaten) Skips (eaten) Ribena cartons

(drunk) banana (mixed response) Jammie dodger jam tarts (mixed

response)

I had them all sit on the floor on a plastic table cloth (also

courtesy of PartyBox) and the clearing up was the easiest thing I have

ever done (retrieve uneaten nanas, and anything wrapped, pull cloth

together and tip in bin! 5 mins max!)

Last year I did hot food for 10 (nuggets and chips then icecream )

which was also pretty easy -but required a table!

Putting stuff on plates ends up with far too much left over cos you

make too much -whereas doing boxes means you cater more exactly.

Party bags (from Party Box of course!!) one pack of felt pens each

(79p in Sainsburys) 1 unblown balloon and 2 funsize chocs. I named

them and taped all the bags (9 in all) to our banisters and popped in

any prizes (fun size) that they won -all very easy to retrieve as

they left.

oh and it was just DH and I no other parents which also made it stress

free as we didn;t have to entertain them!

Good luck:-))

Angi

[Guest guest]

>Just have to wait and see! Oh and all recommendations would be

>greatly appreciated eg games, food (plates or boxes, table or floor,

>what get eaten, what doesn't) etc

Well timed . I've just this week realised it's DD's birthday in

five weeks' time. I've checked with the other mum at school whose

child's birthday is around the same time (Steffi is 16 Dec - he is Xmas

Day) because last year she had his party on Steffi's birthday. Not a

problem as we were going to Australia and did our party a couple of

weeks early.

Steffi would really like a magician but I am determined not hire a hall

and would rather do it at home. I'll be printing off all the responses

to your questions.

I think magicians up here only do a max of hour so I'll need to fill

anotherh our. Thought I'd do that with food and then a disco. I'll do

some face painting or tattoos whilst the children boogie.

--

Sue

[Guest guest]

>I thought there was an article on shared files (here or main NCT group)

>about birthday parties - but I can`t find it!

I can't find it either - it was an Horn one, compiled from lots

of posts rec'd in response to her asking a similar question.

I've been trying to search through the posts to the list but there are

so many it's taking forever.

--

Sue

[Guest guest]

A couple more things I used to do, though we had girls only parties...

1. have an activity they can be doing when they come through the door,

e.g. making a name badge (even if it is just sticking stickers onto a

badge, or making a necklace out of thread & beads made out of pre-rolled

up squares of coloured sticky paper - rolled diagonally) - to immerse

them in something straight away. My DSis used to help out here esp with

quiet children.

Also I had a 'colouring table' permanently set up - a sort of quiet

table where a shy child could retreat to, or all of them could just go

and colour to chill out. I used to trace a pic (e.g. outline of the

party theme,(Barbie, etc) and in bubble writing 'Thank you for coming to

xxx`s xth party ' and get it photocopied. They could take that home to

do if they didn`t do it at the party.

No one was 'out' in party games - or if they were 'out' say in musical

statues, they woudl collect a prize as their name was called.

Always had a 'pin the tail on the donkey ' according to theme - e.g. if

Barbie, draw a great big Barbie on flip paper with a big flowing dress,

& have cut-out paper flowers (which they coloured in first & wrote name

on) to stick on the barbie with blu-tack. After the party this got

stuck on DDs door to remind her of her party & friends (for a boy -

maybe pin the mud-splat or war-paint-splat onto the action man?

HTH

Barbara

DDs 10 & 7 - past parties now !

[Guest guest]

In message , Sue Woollett

writes

>I think magicians up here only do a max of hour so I'll need to fill

>anotherh our. Thought I'd do that with food and then a disco. I'll do

>some face painting or tattoos whilst the children boogie.

Quite a lot of magicians will do the whole party for you (and some do

food as well).

Where in the UK are you? I might be able to suggest someone.

--

Helen Armfield (former (paid) children's entertainer... )

helen@...

[Guest guest]

>Quite a lot of magicians will do the whole party for you (and some do

>food as well).

>

>Where in the UK are you? I might be able to suggest someone.

Nottingham - that'd be great Helen. I've been trying to persuade

someone at work to do it - he's a performing arts student, he must know

someone and the work is very well paid compared to temping.

--

Sue

[Guest guest]

> >

> > Just have to wait and see! Oh and all recommendations would be

> > greatly appreciated eg games, food (plates or boxes, table or

floor,

> > what get eaten, what doesn't) etc

>

> I've just done a 4 yo's party!

> I did -food in boxes (www.partybox.co.uk ) delivered the next day!

Yes, I used to do food in boxes too; great as any uneaten food went

home with the kids in the boxes! This was pre-internet days so I

used to get mine from shops like Party Party. I also discovered that

kids don't like sandwiches, most don't like birthday cake and I used

to find mushed up jellies (I made individual ones) for weeks after a

party all around the garden. Also kids love the idea of opening

those Babybel cheeses but didn't like actually eating them very

much!

We have probably seen every entertainer in North London over the

years as well! One thing to be wary of is clowns; a lot of small

kids find them frightening - we had a really nice lady entertainer

who happened to make up her face like a clown, tho' not dress up as

one and some of the kids (I think around 5 at the time) were

terrified and had to be taken away and sat in front of a soothing

video to calm them down!!

One game tip I can pass on is instead of Pass the Parcel, which

involved endless wrapping up the night before and mounds of waste

paper on the day, I used to get the kids to Pass A Cuddly Toy. In

front of them was a basket with various prizes, usually all the same,

and when the music stopped the kid holding the toy took a prize. At

the end the last kid usually got a pre-wrapped bigger prize.

Good luck anyway, I have to say I'm glad we're beyond childrens'

parties. All we have to worry about now is locking up the booze when

teenagers come around!!

Akiko