How to Host a Rainy Birthday Party
By Lisa KothariÂ
During summer when you plan an outdoor party for children you would think you’d be safe from the rain. Often though, thunderstorms and rain showers come out of nowhere– especially with the heat– and leaves you with disappointed kids. No matter the weather forecast, always have a backup plan for your outdoor party to avoid those frowns.
1. Plan activities that you can do both indoors and outdoors.
Typical outdoor birthday activities include: scavenger hunts, relay races, and messy crafts. Try to design these activities so they can be done in both places, e.g. hold the scavenger hunt around the inside of your home, hold relay races in your basement, and create the messy masterpieces in your garage.
2. Have a back-up plan of games and activities for being indoors.
If the outdoor birthday activities will not translate and work in your home, create a plan for alternate indoor activities. A simple list of classic games that can be done inside will go a long way to not worrying about the rain.
3. Often your menu at an outdoor birthday party is all around the BBQ.
Keep your original menu, but when you move it indoors, have the kids help make up the burgers and add their own fix’ns as a way to spend time and have fun creating their outdoor meal, indoors!
4. If not thundering and lightening, hand out rain ponchos and use the rain to your advantage.
This will surprise them! A little rain won’t hurt anyone, but watch the conditions carefully and if someone doesn’t want to go outdoors, that’s OK too.
5. In case of rain, create a back-up date.
If your party is all about being outdoors and will be ruined if it rains, then include a rain back-up date on your birthday party invitation and have a list of guests’ phone numbers to call and immediately change the date when you make this decision.
Lisa Kothari is the founder and president of Peppers and Pollywogs, a kids’ party planning company that provides parents with ideas, entertainers, and interesting web-based tools (customized rhymes and cards for your invitations!) to make kids’ party planning easy.
Photo by John-Morgan
