Location: Originally from the Home of the only 6 times Super Bowl Champs!
Posts: 12,099
Party ideas for a youngster? (7 yrs. old) that won't break the bank
I'm trying to think of something fun to do for my daughter's birthday in May this year ---without spending a fortune for Chuck E Cheese, Monkey Joes...etc., like most parents do.
I'm thinking of checking into renting a pavilion at the little park behind our house. They've done a lot of renovations there and have added a pavilion near the play ground. I'm thinking of making it a surprise party. Another thought...should we play games or just let the kids play in the park?
Thoughts on this?
I'm open to any other ideas for a fun party for her, too. The problem is that I can't have it at our apt. because there's just not enough room here.
What's the weather in May?
Just girls or girls and boys?
Some thoughts that moight work or might spark some ideas.
Fairies: each girl can make her own fairy wand and tiara from (really cheap) materials provided by you: wooden (or cardboard) stars, they can paint and dipp in glitter. Just piut a big old sheet on the ground (better than plastic) for them to work on the fold it up and the mess is gone. Wire and feathers will do the taira with bits of ribbon or wool.
Have some games planned and let them play.
Kites: similar to above but make kites. They can then spend time trying to fly them!
Old fashioned games: egg/spoon races; tunnel ball; relays of all kinds; chasey; pass parcel; statues.
Food could be themed if you did fairies, you could make fairy bread, fauiry cakes and anything little just call it fairy or make it pink!
Kites, cut fairy bread into diamonds, decorate kite shaped biscuits; marshmallow clouds in a blue jelly (jello) sky
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Tami have a picnic theme if you have it in the park. I know her in PA it can be very nice weather in May. I would have a back up plan or day if it rains. I would play some games to keep the kids from running wild. If you don't have alot adult help I would keep the # of kids you invite small. 20 Seven years running around a park for 1 or 2 adults can be hard to keep track of.
If you don't want to do a huge thing. Why not let your daughter have 1 or 2 friends sleep over for a pizza party/slumber party. Then it isn't big or expensive. You could even have the girls make their own pizza's with english muffins. Then just have a cake and icecream for dessert. Let you daughter rent a new movie for them to watch. I have done this many times for my kids with friends.
Cake and ice cream with pretzels or some other cheap snack with koolaide works for food. You can put pretzels, etc. in coffee filters on the table to let the kids help themselves. The first activity could be to have each kid put their name on their cup and decorate it while waiting on others to show up.
My kids always like doing treasure hunts if you are giving out gift bags you could do this toward the end of the day so all the kids have found their treasure loot before going home.
I would plan out a few games or a craft for the kids to do but then also give them some free play time on the park equipment. Could do the free play in the last 15 min or so that would keep some kids busy while parents are picking them up and if you have one running late the kids wont notice as much.
Location: Originally from the Home of the only 6 times Super Bowl Champs!
Posts: 12,099
One thing that they do here in Nc for parties that was not done in Pa. is that many parents expect to stay with their kids for the duration of the party. I didn't know that until last year when all of the parents (well, only 4 showed up) stayed unexpectedly last year. I barely had enough food for the adults - I had plenty of corn dogs, popcorn..etc for the kids but the adults ended up eating the hot dogs that my dh grilled at the last minute.
Another thing that I am tainted on is planning a big party and not having kids show up for it -even after they RSVPed for it. This happened last year when I planned a really fun carnival BD party for Alexis but only 4 kids showed up.
This year, the party would be for boys and girls. I would love to do an all girl fairy party for her but the truth is that she has 3 really close boy "friends" in her class and I think that they would feel left out if they weren't invited.
I really like the picnic theme but now I'm wondering what I would do for a plan B? It's warm here in May - usually high 80s at least. I could probably get away with them playing in the rain if there's no thunder and lightening. lol!
Is there a way that I could state that I would like for the parents to drop off the kids and pick them up later? I can understand now why parents go to Monkey Joes and places like that because then they don't have to worry about the parenting hanging around.
I'm ready to throw in the towel with this....but I know that I can't.
I hate that there is so much pressure put on parents for simple BD parties!!
You could word the invitations with something like "No extra parental supervision needed" or if you could use a couple of parents something like "RSVP if you will be staying to help supervise".
What about a princess party?
Go to an appliance store and ask them for some refrigerator boxes. Paint them with gray paint, using black to make it look like blocks. These are castle walls. Take some dowel rods about 3 1/2 feet long and poke them into the ground, fashion tulle (in princess~y colors) to each one. You want this on two sides to make a walkway.
You will need two footmen or girls (so to speak), one at each end of the walkway. The one at the bottom asks the guest her name and says something like
Announcing the arrival of Lady Madalyn, as she walks to the other end. The one at the top of the walkway hands her a wand to decorate and presents her to the princess. When there, a photo is taken with the princess.
The princess should be sitting on throne. For that you need a nice chair, sit it on a noce piece of pink or lite purple fabric, surround it with lacy pillows.
not sure what we called this but I took an old hula hoop and opened it where it was joined together. I took lacy sheer curtains and threaded them onto the hula hoop, and used pretty pink ribbon to tie them back. This gets hung above the throne.
Look at JoAnn Fabric in the kids crafts to see if they have any carriage centerpieces to make.
I will look to see if I can locate my pics of all this we did for Maddie when she turned 5.
An adult can be set up with pink and lite purple nail polish to do manicures.
A good game is to print out a picture of a frog and print out some lips. The girls have to "kiss" the frog. Put the lips up to her lip[s and see how close she comes to the frogs mouth. We used a silly looking frog for this. Put the girls names on the lips.
The pavilion we used was open on only 3 sides so we draped lite purple fabric across the wall. Good luck and have fun.
__________________ Coll
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Location: Originally from the Home of the only 6 times Super Bowl Champs!
Posts: 12,099
Quote:
Originally Posted by Coll
What about a princess party?
Go to an appliance store and ask them for some refrigerator boxes. Paint them with gray paint, using black to make it look like blocks. These are castle walls. Take some dowel rods about 3 1/2 feet long and poke them into the ground, fashion tulle (in princess~y colors) to each one. You want this on two sides to make a walkway.
You will need two footmen or girls (so to speak), one at each end of the walkway. The one at the bottom asks the guest her name and says something like
Announcing the arrival of Lady Madalyn, as she walks to the other end. The one at the top of the walkway hands her a wand to decorate and presents her to the princess. When there, a photo is taken with the princess.
The princess should be sitting on throne. For that you need a nice chair, sit it on a noce piece of pink or lite purple fabric, surround it with lacy pillows.
not sure what we called this but I took an old hula hoop and opened it where it was joined together. I took lacy sheer curtains and threaded them onto the hula hoop, and used pretty pink ribbon to tie them back. This gets hung above the throne.
Look at JoAnn Fabric in the kids crafts to see if they have any carriage centerpieces to make.
I will look to see if I can locate my pics of all this we did for Maddie when she turned 5.
An adult can be set up with pink and lite purple nail polish to do manicures.
A good game is to print out a picture of a frog and print out some lips. The girls have to "kiss" the frog. Put the lips up to her lip[s and see how close she comes to the frogs mouth. We used a silly looking frog for this. Put the girls names on the lips.
The pavilion we used was open on only 3 sides so we draped lite purple fabric across the wall. Good luck and have fun.
I love this idea but what about the boys who will be there?
Location: Originally from the Home of the only 6 times Super Bowl Champs!
Posts: 12,099
Quote:
Originally Posted by RobertaD
"RSVP if you will be staying to help supervise".
Roberta
Great idea! I think that I will use this on the invitations. Thank you for the idea!
I'm leaning toward the park but nothing is solid yet. It's $200 to rent our apartment office area! I couldn't believe it.
The boy who is her best friend is having a pool party at his house for his BD --it's just a few days before her BD. I'm thinking of having her party earlier in the month because with the end of the school year and Memorial Day right near her BD (her BD is May 24th) a lot of people weren't home that weekend.
