by kellie abrahamson kabrahamson1@aol.com
Need some new ideas? Here are some unconventional party themes for kids...
If you have a particularly girly girl, nothing’s better than a tea party. Invite guests to come over in their best party outfits or have a trunk full of dress up clothes by the door so they can get changed as they come in. This fairly inexpensive party can easily be adjusted to serve older or younger kids.
Invitations: Look for some clip art on the computer of teapots or teacups, print them out and write the party details on them.
Decorations: Set the dining room or patio table with formal place settings and a coordinating table cloth. Inside each teacup place a pair of white gloves and a strand of play pearls (both can be purchased at a party store) to serve as fun favors. Doilies, flowers, crepe paper streamers and balloons in similar colors complete the party look.
Activities: Check out a book on etiquette from the local library and give the guests a brief lesson on manners. To make it fun, give your talk in your best (or worst) British accent. At a hobby store purchase some beads and string and have guests make their own fancy bracelets to take home. If you’re having your party outside, have each guest design their own terra cotta pots with paints. When they are all through, have a helper transport a flower into each pot for each artist to take home.
Food and Cake: No tea party would be complete without tea so be sure to stock up on some Earl Grey, milk and sugar cubes. You may also want to have hot chocolate and fruit juice on hand just in case. Make dainty finger sandwiches and serve those with cheese cubes, olives and nuts. A selection of pretty pastries and cookies can be served with the tea. The birthday cake should be floral and frilly with plenty of sugar roses and icing swirls.
Favors: Each guest will take home the gloves and pearls that were in their teacups and the bracelets and potted plants they made earlier. As they leave, give each girl a rose to make them feel even more like little ladies.
With a little bit of creativity, you can throw a spy party that will be the talk of the school yard. Kids 6 and up will particularly enjoy this theme.
Invitations: Pick up some mini manila envelopes (found at just about any office supply store) and write or stamp “confidential” across the front. On the computer, type up the party info using spy lingo (“Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to come to a birthday party”). Print out invitations on card stock and insert into the envelopes. If you’re really creative, write the words backwards so the guests have to decode them by holding the invite up to a mirror.
Decorations: Where the cake will be served, decorate the room as you would any birthday party. Make the rest of the party area look like a “Spy Training Camp”. Make a pretend retina scan or thumb print ID pad out of poster board and place it by the front door so the spies can be “validated”. Designate various “training centers” where activities will be held and hang up signs to that effect.
Activities: Design a massive scavenger hunt to be used as the guest’s final mission and hide the clues around the house. As the spies arrive, take their pictures using a digital camera and send them to the “welcome center” where a helper will keep them entertained with games of “I Spy” and “Telephone” until all the guests get there. While they are occupied, print out “ID badges” for each child using the photo you took earlier. When the badges are ready and all the guests have arrived, pass out the badges and begin their “spy training”. Set up obstacle courses to test their strength and agility. Have them decode secret messages in one training center (the first to decode each message could get a prize if you like). Have the spies dress in disguises as fast as they can in another center. While they are in training, have a “villain” steal and hide all the birthday presents in a predetermined spot. When the activities are over, announce their first big mission: find the stolen birthday presents!
Favors: Each spy will take home their ID badges and a goodie bag containing mini magnifying glasses, binoculars, sunglasses, a pen and notepad and spy stickers, all of which can be purchased at a party supply or dollar store.
Take guests on a journey around the world (on a budget!) with this fun party. They may even learn something along the way!
Invitations: Send each guest an invitation that looks like an airline ticket. Include their departure time, gate location (your address) and a phone number to confirm their reservation (RSVP).
Decorations: Set up the living room to look like an airport waiting room. In the backyard and around the house, create the countries the passengers will visit. Create and hang each country’s flag and decorate the area in things that represent the country (paint a picture of the Eiffel Tower for France, hang paper lanterns for China, etc.). This may take a bit of research on your part, but it will look great!
Activities: When the guests arrive, provide them with a “passport” (made ahead of time out of construction paper), give them their “suitcases” (a handled paper bag with their name on it and a disposable camera inside for them to take pictures during their journey) and have them sit in the waiting room until the rest of the guests arrive. To stave off boredom, hook your computer up to your TV and play free flight videos found on www.flightlevel350.com for the young passengers. When all the guests arrive, begin your journey. “Fly” them to each destination. Every country should have some sort of game, activity or snack (ask about allergies before hand) and a souvenir for the tourists to collect. For example, if you send them to Japan, serve them some sushi and teach them simple origami (directions found online). In Mexico break a piñata and give them little maracas. Fly to Egypt to do an archeological dig (in a sandbox) and collect fossils (cool rocks, shells and inexpensive geodes). In each country stamp or put a sticker on each guest’s passport.
Food and Cake: Let guests sample foods from around the world. At the final destination, set up the cake and ice cream. The cake can be shaped like a globe or have a picture of the Earth on top.
Favors: Guests get to take home all of the souvenirs they collected during their journey as well as their passports and disposable cameras.
These terrific locations have party packages available for your next event:
Snip-its - A fabulous salon that supplies everything you need to have a great party. The Birthday Girl and her guests will be treated like royalty. For more information visit their website at www.snipits.com.
Kona Skate Park - For an extreme birthday party let your skater have a bash at Kona. Their party package includes safety equipment rental, food and fun for up to 8 skaters. For more information visit their website at www.konaskatepark.com.
Pump It Up - Kids can literally bounce off the walls in this inflatable party zone which features massive bounce houses and a stylishly decorated party room. For information on party packages visit their website at www.pumpitupparty.com.
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