My DD will be 7 in Feb and I am struggling for ideas for a party/treat

[KBear]

I looked into Mary Poppins but at £68 a ticket I quickly changed my mind - even with the Get into London offer they are £30 each which would be okay but no availability at the weekend.

So moved on to someone's hall and disco idea - working out too expensive and she is only 7 - plenty of time for that when she's a bit bigger.

Back to the party at home idea but I really need a great idea to entertain 10 6-7 year old girls. I've done arts and crafts with them previously and I need something fabulous to entertain them.

I am hoping you lot have the answer! I did think about making sweets and cakes and getting messy (warning parents beforehand of course!). Do you think they would go for that?

[collision]

A sleepover with a midnight feast and a DVD.

[poptot]

I did making pizzas and plate painting for dd and ten of her friends last birthday (6) went down a storm.

[KBear]

I don't know that the mum's will go for that collision - no one's had a sleepover yet! Dare I be the first? Will they all say "no way, not my baby"?

[collision]

They will love it!!

Is 7 too young for a sleepover? Oooh, hot chocolate and pyjamas and giggling!

[PrincessPeaHead]

I wouldn't do a sleepover, it will go on forever, one of them will decide she has to go home at 1,someone will be sick through a mixture of chocolate and exhaustion...

Eugh.

Are you in London? Out here in the Cuntry (oooh arrr) we do the following:

go to a riding school nearby for a "pony party" - they all groom the ponies, learn to muck out and then all ride around the school doing little gymkhana type games (passing beanbags to each other on horseback etc). Then tea (you bring the food) in a barny room next door. My dd had one of these for her 7th last year - huge success. Whole thing was £70 for 8 of them (plus food) which I thought was pretty good. You have to be sure that most of them have ridden before I think (which around here is easy, nothing much else to do!)

Also paint your own pottery parties quite popular, especially with girls. Go off to one of those places and then have tea somewhere or other nearby.

My dd went to another party in one of those "Build a Bear" shops in Cribbs Causeway (shopping mall). There were only about 5 of them though, but they all went and made their own teddy bear which they brought home triumphantly. I think they may have been fed in a Pizza Express somewhere en route home.

I think cake making etc sounds quite good as long as it can hold their interest - maybe one thing you can do is make all the gingerbread for a gingerbread house and then have a house building party? So they put it all together and stick loads of sweets all over it etc. You could also have made some gingerbread men in advance and they could do those as well so they have something to take home?

[PrincessPeaHead]

Also we get parties that go to local interesting places eg Butterfly World, zoos etc, if you can think of somewhere that they haven't been to too many times.

We had one mother who hired a pink limo for her 7yo dd and drove all her friends down the M4 for an hour and a bit to Legoland but all us other mothers thought that was completely over the top and were a bit pissed off that we were railroaded into it, in a way. We are looking forward to this girl's 10th birthday party though, presumeably she will take a mansion in Barbados and invite all the families to join her

[KBear]

I thought of a riding party but scared one of them would fall off - riding is pretty expensive round here (SE London/Kent border)and none of DD's friends have been. DD is horse mad like me though and would love it. Hmmm.... thinking......


Re the sleepover - DD would love it, BUT I think DD's two best friends would be wanting their mum's by 10pm!

[blondehelen]

kbear- I booked a bowling party for my dd who is 7 at the end of the month. She has been to a couple this year and loves it, but it depends on whether your dd likes bowling!

[collision]

What about a dinner party? They could cook it (keep it simple) and then serve it with fizzy appletize instead of champagne?

i only have little boys and am thinking of how nice it would be to have a girl!!

[KBear]

That's the problem PPH isn't it - if you do the hall and disco thing when they're 7 what the hell do you do with them when they're 11?

I was talking to my friend earlier about it and we were laughing at us in our homemade party dresses still playing pass the parcel when we were 10! (70's chicks we are!).

LOL at the pink limo - purleease.

[kid]

My DD is 7 on Sunday, she wants to go bowling. I work at her school so know the parents of her friends. If I decide on taking her bowling, I can ask their parents. DD has been insisting on bowling for months. Originally she wanted to invite her whole class to my house which I refused instantly! Nothing like last minute action!!!

[KBear]

blondehelen - is that you up the road with your shingle? Long time no speak!!

She went to a bowling party last year but to be honest she is more of a disco (by which I mean Steps and S Club) queen! I was thinking I could hire the church hall and do my own disco but methinks they would be running riot and I don't know the dance routines to teach them - oh, except "Reach for the stars" and the Ketchup Song!.

[PrincessPeaHead]

I think they should stay small for as long as possible.

This year dd has asked for "the snake man" to come and do her 8th party. I was a bit concerned about the sound of this, but apparently it is a bloke who comes to your house with lots of animals (a raccoon, a snake, an owl, a chinchilla etc) and teaches them all about them and lets them touch them etc. She saw him at another party. Sounds brilliant! So I'm going to try and get him and the rest of it will be running around the garden (if dry) or barn (if dry) and having tea. Should be pretty effortless, especially as I'll be clutching a 5 wk old and dealing with the 5 and 2 yo as well, so delighted to have something I can do at home...

[KBear]

collision - dinner party idea is good! They'd like that. They could make the puddings or something and get done up in their finest.

[bundle]

dd1 will be 6 this year and wants a trampolining party (her friend had one which was terrific - all the adults had a go too)

[KBear]

PPh - I saw that exotic animal party thing advertised locally and thought there is NO WAY on god's earth anyone is coming in here with a snake or a spider. What if they escaped? Nooooo!!!

[katymac]

I did a make your own pizza party then hama beads followed by make your own ice cream sundaes (lots of glittery toppings squirty cream etc) when DD was 7 - they loved it

[PrincessPeaHead]

they won't escape!!!

I think it sounds fab. And dd loves all that kind of thing.

trampolining, skating etc banned in our house because my children break their wrists just THINKING about falling over. otherwise ice skating would be quite fun, but maybe when they are a little older.

[KBear]

See, you lot are fantastic! Hama beads - inspirational! We just discovered them at Christmas and that solves the "what to put in the party bag" problem too!

Any more????

[blondehelen]

that's me!!! my shingle is fine now its winter. Hope you had a nice holiday! With the disco all I can say is that you are braver than me but if you want i have some cd's you can borrow! dd goes to rainbows at the church hall in the village. Its not too big and has a little kitchen area. You could maybe make some enquiries.

[Stilltrue]

Re Collision's idea; I had a cookery party for my dd's 7th this year. It was at home but run by 2 lovely ladies. Everyone loved it - mini pizzas, fruit "men", marshmallows, etc.

[Caligula]

My DS wants to go on the Thomas the Tank Engine train for his birthday.

[muma3]

make up party? i know alot of people are against makeup with young girls etc but i know that my dd1 who is 8 loves dressing up . you can find organisers in the yellow pages

near where i live there is a shop where they dress them up in fancy dress do their hair and takes pictures for the children to keep ( polaroid - safe and all )

hire a hall and have a disco ?

zoo
cinema
take her and friend to the hair dressers for a wash and trim
for lunch?

good luck and happy birthday for you dd xx

[KBear]

So, we've settled on a plan in case anyone is still interested!!

A friend of a friend of a friend does dance workshops, ie teaches kids a couple of dances to Annie or Grease and the like. DD's been to a couple and loved it. I've asked her to come along and do it for DD's birthday (for a fee of course!) so just hired the church hall for a couple of hours and that's it. Job done.

Just got to make invitations and the cake it's party on. Secretly I'm thrilled, I do love a big bash and I'm even more thrilled that it's not costing the earth and DD is over the moon.

Now, what cake to make.... ha ha - more decisions.

[katymac]

That was easy