Kids' birthday party ideas (activities, daughter, 5 yr old, husband)

[carolinajack]

an alternative birthday, one without spending all the money and trying to outdo the neigbhors, Old FAshioned Birthday

party hats
pin tail on donkey
a regular cake that you bake
ice cream
hot dogs
gifts and a little party favor for all

[scrapbookbutikk]

We had a " Biker Birthday" for my son last year... he was 7.
Mormor and Gramps flew in from the US ( We live in Norway) right before the birthday and Mormor (grandmother) Bought TONS of goodies for the Party... we were all decked out in Harley Gear... including the grandparents, had a CHOPER pinate... and I made the cake & cookies for the goodie bags. I had everyone I know that had a motorcycle... Park it in the Driveway... It was so much fun... this was the first time I was meeting most of the parents, as my son had started school 2 weeks earlier... you know they must have been thinking CRAZY AMERICANS! But all in all the kids had a blast... and so did the adults that hung around.
I took all of the kids pictures sitting on a little pocket rocket... and used the pictures to make thank you cards for all of the guests...

[NewHomeHappy]

Originally Posted by CityGirl72

There is a lso this amazing website

www.birthdaypartyideas.com

It's where I get all mine

Groan.. I checked out this website. Dear God where do these women find time to create all that stuff??!! One Mom made a spiderman web out of old twine...one Mom bakes her own spiderman tower cake....yet another Mom fashioned a tower/building out of an old refridgerator box...groan...

I'm happy when the dishes are done, laundry is washed and the kids had a home cooked meal & ate it. I'm even more happy when I count heads in bed everynight and the numbers add up.
Who has time to make all that other stuff?
Me- Domestically challenged? I think not. I fix the vehicles (ok I drop both vehicles off at the service center but I do the leg work) , cut the grass (yes, I hired a grass cutter but I always check the work & fire him the next week and I do all the seeding & fertalizing myself), plant those petunias, call the health insurance coverage, write out those checks, drop it off pick it up and put it all away.....whew !!
Yeah, and don't forget to pick up that refridgerator box so you can make a skyscraper for the party??? Hey- more power to ya.

I'll bake the sheet cake and decorate with some tiny toys. I'll tape up a few signs, banners & decorations. I even purchased a helium tank & balloons. I need some simple party game ideas thought. How about "Find where Mommy hid her bottle?" or "Count the empties?" lol....or "Guess Who cut the Cheese, Grandma or Grandpa?" LOL I'm just making fun. I'll take the idea of Musical Chairs and I'll use the Pin the tail thing too. Wish me luck. This is our first big party. Kid party on Saturday & family party on Sunday. groan......

[tahiti]

Originally Posted by NewHomeHappy

I'll bake the sheet cake and decorate with some tiny toys. I'll tape up a few signs, banners & decorations. I even purchased a helium tank & balloons. I need some simple party game ideas thought. How about "Find where Mommy hid her bottle?" or "Count the empties?" lol....or "Guess Who cut the Cheese, Grandma or Grandpa?" LOL I'm just making fun. I'll take the idea of Musical Chairs and I'll use the Pin the tail thing too. Wish me luck. This is our first big party. Kid party on Saturday & family party on Sunday. groan......

LOL!! My boys' birthday party is Friday - they will be 9. I'm totally OVER the whole "theme" thing! We're going to the local skating rink (they're all into rollerblading), they provide pizza, I provide cake, and for a "goody bag" they are getting a $3 card to Cold Stone. NO effort on my part (except chasing parents down who DO NOT RSVP - that's a whole 'nuther post in and of itself) - just how I like it!! Although, "count the empties" and "find mommy's bottle" does have a certain appeal!!

[jkmewright]

Fabulous scrapbookbutikk! Love the pic of your lil guy!

[carolinajack]

amen tahiti, i dont start with the theme thing so i never have to go back--thank you thank you and the kids have a blast.

[mom2kids]

Well...we had our now 7 yr old's party at Snippets yesterday with the makeup....hairdos and runway ......I have never seen 10 6/7yr old girls so focused like they were yesterday....they were thrilled to get their hair made up, their nails filed and to apply makeup...their parents stayed to watch and they were all impressed as well..the party lasted two hours and they were busy the entire time!....It was a great time for everyone. No stress/no mess!!

[skoe]

SBB - my husbands name is Dane. Cool name!

I have 3 boys. For my 14 year old we rented our local community center, brought 5 TVs and a bunch of game systems. They played video games and ball tag for a while. Basically just hung out with cool music. (It's amazing with these I Pods. We had over 4000 songs to choose from!)
The year before I set up the tents in the back yard and had a camping party.

My 9 year old had a magician last year and they played touch football. (The party consisted of mostly his football team!). This year I am going to have a woman come who has 2 dozen different kinds of bugs and animals that the kids can look at and even touch.

My 6 year old did the McDonalds thing and this year will have a game theme party. The most popular game I have done with the kids is for the present opening. Put each child's name in a balloon, blow it up and tie it. Sit the kids in a circle and give them each a balloon. The first kid sits on their balloon until it pops and reads the name on it. The birthday boy opens that present. Then that kid sits on their balloon. Do this until all the presents are gone. Oh yes, give each kid a sucker as they pop their balloon.

It doesn't work as well with girls, they wanted to pop theirs with a pin!

[Marlow]

The best party we've ever had for my daughter was a Safari theme party. It started out as a regular backyard party with a not-over-the-top Safari theme. There were only about 8 kids there and we were playing games, etc. In the meantime, my husband had gone out to the front yard and dropped several banana peels and pieces of banana around (after an earlier discussion with our very nice and cool neighbors). He then went to the back yard and told the kids that he'd just heard on the radio that a gorilla had escaped from the zoo (even though we don't have one in our town). The other grown-ups and I gathered the kids and said we were going out to look for the gorilla. We went out front and started seeing the banana peels on the ground and talking to a couple of neighbors who confirmed the sightings. The kids were beside themselves with excitement. When we didn't find him, we agreed to return to the back yard, where my husband was waiting in a gorilla costume. I do have to say that it just about scared the younger kids (3-4) to death, but the older kids LOVED it. He chased them around a bit and then we let each kid who wanted to take a picture with the gorilla and sent it with the thank you letters.

I'm completely sympathetic to the idea that kid birthday parties have gotten too crazy, but this party really was very fun and people are still talking about it 3 years later. It also helped that I told my daughter she could only invite a handful of kids rather than the whole class and we had family friends there as well.

[Miborn]

Originally Posted by jkmewright

Ah at 13-16 these wordly girls are TOO OLD for stuff like that. It's amazing how much "older" these girls are than we were at the same age. Now, I am not saying ALL girls in that age bracket are too old (in their own minds) but I can attest for the young women that I know. Have you been to the mall around prom night? These "kids" are getting manicures and having their hair styled along w/professional make-up! Shelling out $600-$1000 for a prom dress. They are growing up too fast in our 21st century culture. I am feeling lucky that my child is a boy but you never know, he might like that make-up too lol I think that a make-over party is a great idea as long as the child knows that make-up and such things as that are off limits any other time. ONLY as a special occasion treat. Don't you remember dressing in your mom's shoes and sneaking her lipstick?

Shame shame on the parents. Dressing up like mom is different than a 600-1000 prom dress.