Five Great Backyard Birthday Party Themes
Published 07.22.2008 | Permanent Link | Comments (0)
I have vast amounts of envy for people who have children with summer birthdays. I have a late fall baby and an early spring baby, neither of these birthdays lend themselves to an outdoor party in our climate. If you're reading this you have the luxury of planning an outdoor birthday party and I'm jealous. No expensive jaunt to the indoor bounce house place, germ-laden romp at the indoor arcade, or stressful house parties for you.
Here are five backyard party themes to inspire you.
The "Under The Big Top" circus theme is one of the most easily festive ideas for little kids. Here are some beautiful photos at Toast and Tables to get you inspired. With bright colors and easily recreated "Fair Games" this one is simple to pull off. Try a bean bag toss game and for really young kids a small tub of water filled with floating rubber ducks. Mark the bottom of the ducks with different shapes and give out small prizes that correspond to the shape. Playing down the clowns will assure you no one freaks out at the event.
This Messy Party would make my kids so happy and would make me a babbling lunatic, but sometimes you have to sacrifice to celebrate with your kids. Boston Mama's gives you everything you need to get this party going with messy activities (cornstarch!) and messy party food. A beach towel party favor lets the guests get home without ruining the car!
Martha offers a Tee Off! mini golf party complete with plans to transform your backyard into a small course. A baking sheet with play sand becomes a "sand trap" and a cardboard gopher cheerfully marks the last hole. A lot of fun and much easier than trying to cart seven seven-year-olds to the mini golf course.
I'm not a fan of spending a ton of cash on birthday supplies but the Pottery Barn Kids Water Party Collection is a great source of inspiration for a water party in the back yard. You certainly don't need a giant octopus sprinkler but you could have a pool, a sprinkler and the classic Slip and Slide. Add some squirt guns and water balloons and it's a water party extravaganza in your backyard.
A Race Car Birthday Party would be great fun for the wheeled vehicle obsessed kid. The theme lends itself to lots of game and craft ideas at Family Fun. The race car relay with cardboard wearable race cars would be great fun, even after the party. Making vanity license plates as a craft during the party would make a great Non-Clutter party favor to go on a bike at home.
When planning a party for kids, keep "simple" in mind. The best birthday party my son attended this summer was a simple event held at a local park. The kids played on the equipment, ate cake and ice cream and then threw water balloons at each other. Simple ideas are really the best ideas.
Five Ways To Keep In Touch While Your Kid's At Camp
Published 07.16.2008 | Permanent Link | Comments (4)
Do you have kids who go away to camp? Tell me what it's like...to have kids who go away in the summer. And don't need your constant attention or need you to keep them busy or want you to take them to the pool or feed them 3 or 4 times a day(!).
I have children I don't think will ever make the leap to sleep away camp. I could be wrong, but I've come to accept that summer will be my time to remember why I had two kids even though it's so much easier now than it was when they were under 3.
For now sleep away camp will remain a glorious dream.
When I went to camp, I loved hearing from home because I was constantly inexplicably homesick. Even though I was having fun at camp and even though I would be having no fun at home. A lot of kids need a little love from home to feel comfortable out of their normal routine. Also some lovely models of children simply like getting cool things from home to share with friends at camp. Here are five ways to keep in touch with your camper while they're having fun and occasionally feeling homesick.
Send Mail Ahead, Make Replying Easy
A friend's mother would always send her daughter off to camp with mail waiting at camp for her to open on arrival. She also sent her off with stationary, addressed envelopes, and to encourage more writing than "Camp Is Fun" she included prompts to open her up, like "Tell us the funniest thing that's happened at camp so far."
Indulge Their Desire To Be "Cool"
Do the kids at camp love trading cards? Candy? Find out what the kids at camp like trading or consider especially valuable and send it along with them. This is one of those times it's okay to indulge your kid in a little peer pressure.
Start a Craft Trend
Do you remember making friendship bracelets from embroidery floss? I spent many hours making specially ordered bracelets for my best pals at camp. What about beaded friendship pins to stick on your shoelaces? Help your kid be a trend setter at camp and send along everything they need (and enough extra to share) to make these fun little crafts. Here's a great tutorial and supply list for the bracelets and another for the friendship pins.
Send "Fun" Mail
Don't just send letters off to camp. Try sending along pictures of pets, siblings and friends from home, maybe in a cute picture frame. Hung up in their cabins and they let their new pals know who they are at home. Mad Libs are a great cabin activity kids can do together and I know if I sent a teen celebrity magazine to any cabin my daughter was a part of, she would never even consider missing her family again.
Camping With Technology
If your kid has access to a computer or even a cellphone (though don't get me started on why eight-year-olds think cellphones are must haves) try sending emails and pictures over the net. This is undeniably the quickest way to keep in touch and have back and forth conversations about what's going on at camp. Other clever ways to use technology to keep in touch: sign your kid up for a private Twitter account and send and get updates throughout their big adventures. If your kid has a camera, have them email digital files they've got of friends at camp and send back prints for them to share with friends.
If you've got a kid at camp, what creative ways do you keep in touch?
10 Great Activities For Your Block Party
Published 07.08.2008 | Permanent Link | Comments (2)
It's Block Party season across suburban America. Although, those of you in bigger cities, do you have block parties or are those called "Street Fairs"? My neighborhood is kind of known for the activities they put together. "Happy Hour(s) Fridays" throughout the summer, "Pancake Breakfast" for the Fourth of July, "Group Grilling" events....
If you don't want to know your neighbors, I'm going to recommend you don't move here. However, if you'd like a chance to meet your neighbors, build a community on your block, or you just want an excuse to keep people from speeding down your cut-through street for a few hours this summer, a block party is a great idea.
This post isn't exactly a "How-To" but here's a quick run down:
1- choose a date with a few other neighbors,
2- send out flyers announcing the event,
3- check with the city about getting barricades for your block (our city requires a petition signed by 50% of the block).
4- you'll also need to arrange for food (pot lucks are easiest),
5- arrange for tables
6- plan decorations
If you're like me, the decorations are the most important part of the party. If you're a kid, the most important part of the party are the activities.
Here are 10 great things to do at your block party, most of them culled from our neighborhood's past block parties.
1. Bike Parade
It's not everyday you're allowed to cross the street without looking back and forth two or three times. It's also not often that your parents don't yell at you for playing in the street. To get the party going, relish the car-free status of your block by having the kids decorate their bikes with streamers and balloons and then make parade of kids right in the middle of the street. Adults watch and older kids help the younger ones.
2. Motorcycle Police Officer Visit
Our city is not particularly crime-ridden, so whenever a block asks for a barricade for a party, a motorcycle police officer makes an appearance during the event. The kids get to look at the motorcycle up close, and if you have a nice police officer, he or she will let the kids sit on the bike. The kids love this and, if we're being honest, so do I, if the officer happens to be a man. I have a cliched thing about men in uniform.
3. Group Grilling
This year my husband got a grill as a Father's Day gift. When I asked him what he wanted he said "A grill, so I'm not humiliated at the block party this year." When it's time to cook food, every one brings their grills out to the street and 8-10 people get all the hot dogs and burgers cooked for everyone in the neighborhood. This may not be the kid's favorite activity, but I think a few dad's have had the "Suburban Kool Aid" and love to grill with other guys.
4. Silly String Fights
You're going to need to buy this stuff in bulk, you can find it many places online for about $1 a can. Little kids love to spray it all over, older kids love spraying each other and, at least where I live, the temptation is too great for the adults too. Be warned, it makes a huge mess but whatever it's summer.
*5. Bubble Battle
Bubbles are always a hit with kids but for this activity, everyone is going to blow bubbles all at once until the entire street is full of bubbles floating through the air. Supply bubbles and regular wands and have all the neighbors bring any special bubble wands and devices they might have. *Photo from Flickr User ScienceDuck.
6. Water Balloon Toss/Fight
This is a pretty self explanatory activity, but have you seen these water balloon filling valves? They're the perfect size to fit into the neck of a balloon and they have a valve so you can turn off the water without having to stand over the faucet. Make as many as you can stand to make without losing your mind and then make 75 more. Believe me you'll need them.
7. Kid's talent show
The neighborhood kids like to show off their talents at most of our neighborhood parties. Some of the "talents" are, well, rough, but it's still fun for the kids to perform for an audience. This year I'm trying to get my husband to break the kids-only rule and participate. He can juggle like you would not believe.
8. Men's Bake Off
It's good fun to watch a bunch of guys fretting over their pecan oatmeal bars or trying to sabotage somebody's souffle. Our block party includes a bake off where the required ingredient is chosen by last year's winner of the Golden Spoon. Last year it was sweet potato and, after a lot of test batches, my husband took home the Spoon. He'll carve his name in it, it dates back to the early 90's, and pick the required ingredient for this year. Four or five judges do a secret testing and the winner is chosen.
9. Kid's Bake Off
A kid's bake off is great fun for them too. It's the same set up with a required ingredient chosen by the previous winner and four or five judges choosing the winner. Some of the creations are....a little terrifying to eat...but kids love it. My kids mostly like taste testing as they create, ending up with a sugar rush.
10. Outdoor Movie!
When it starts to get dark out it's fun to set the kids up in the yard with blankets, sleeping bags and popcorn for an outdoor movie. Parent Hacks shares a "How To" make an outdoor movie screen. You'll need a projector (you can rent one or check them out from your library) This is a great end of the evening activity and allows you to keep the party going a little later even with little kids.
Our block party is coming on July 26th. I'll be sure to share pictures and decorating tips then.
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About
Melissa Summers was one of five Melissa's throughout her schooling, in her everyday life she is the only Melissa who folds laundry. The name Melissa is derived from the Greek word for Honeybee. The Buzz Off is published weekly on Tuesdays. She writes almost nearly everyday at Suburban Bliss.
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