How do I entaint kids of all ages at a party?

[Pennies]

I've got a BBQ happening next saturday (where's the sun????) and I've got kids coming aged from 2 weeks up to 9 years. There will be 20 kids in all.

I did have a face painter booked but she's ill and I'm wondering how I can possibly entertain these kids?

Any ideas? Will think £££'s later - ideas are the key thing at the moment.

[MamaG]

bouncy castle
big swimming pool
ball pool for tinies

[compo]

Could you buy a small blow up bouncy castle from ELC or supermarket?
Play games like bobbin for apples as the kids will love getting wet. Have footballs out. Also have you got a sandpit?

[sassy]

If wet, set up a screen and projector (white sheet will do) and show movies/rig up video game/even do shadow shows with hands and or puppet cutouts.

[Pennies]

aaaggh - title = entertain but you all realised that.

We have toddler sized swing (broken), sandpit (minus sand), trampoline, slide and one of those Little Tikes see saws and a plastic playhouse. Also got tents and dog tunnel things with a selection of ball pit style balls. So technically the smaller kids should be happy . It's the 6 - 9 year olds that I'm not sure about.

Loving these ideas though.

What if it's raining? All my toys are for toddler DDs.

[CantSleepWontSleep]

Pennies - thread for you here .

[BettySpaghetti]

Are any of the oler ones girls? If so, in my experience, they love playing with the little ones.
Have some music on and the 6-9yr olds can do some dancing with the litle ones?

[BettySpaghetti]

oops, older ones

[CantSleepWontSleep]

I had this problem (except no toys, as was still pregnant with dd at the time!) when I organised dh's 40th b'day party. I bought a garden jenga set, borrowed another garden game from my parents, and got a dvd to play on the big tv in the living room.

The kids played jenga during the day, and the drunken adults played it in the evening!

The dvd I'd bought (Ice Age) got ignored in favour of Finding Nemo, which all the kids happily sat and watched, in between running around the garden and eating sweets.

I really do think you'll find that they mostly entertain each other.

[Pennies]

Ooooh garden Jenga - great idea. Where can I get one?

Finding Nemo - got that.

What music do 6-9 year olds like? Fear DH may veto this option but hey, it's worth a shot!

[CantSleepWontSleep]

I bought mine online, but you won't get one now by Saturday. You could borrow mine maybe? If I knew where it was I could drop it round this afternoon, as planning to pop to WGC, but will need dh to dig it out from wherever he's hidden it. If you would like to, you're welcome to pop round tomorrow afternoon for a coffee and to pick it up.

[southeastastra]

i'm sure you could entertain them with your elephant!

[Twiglett]

are you possibly at the risk of over-thinking this

IME kids play and work it out themselves

I'm not sure I would consider entertaining them just letting them use the garden toys

although you could get a bouncy castle for about £50 for the day

[Twiglett]

or just blow up a load of balloons that'll keep them going for hours

[Twiglett]

or stick a roll of lining paper to the fence / wall and give them pens to graffitti

but honestly I'd just let them get on with it

[lilolilmanchester]

get them to organise a show for you (dancing/singing/a play/telling jokes) And make posters/tickets for the show. The show will be pretty painful probably, but keeps them organised for ages.

[PartyClown]

Set aside maybe half an hour of 'entertaining' time, and do outdoor games with them. Relay races, backward races, throw the ball in the bucket competitions. There are all sorts of things to do, and lots of websites with good games too. Or hire a bouncy castle for the day. It is endless entertainment, but does need some supervision so the older ones aren't bouncing on the small ones.

[Twiglett]

"get them to organise a show for you"

are you mad

why on earth would you willingly subject yourself, and your guests, to a kids' show

yuck, yuck and thrice yuck

[CuddlesomeCod]

arent there parents oming?

[CuddlesomeCod]

i had 8 adutls and 9 kids here on sunday
they played in our pool

btu a cboiuncy castle wooudl work

[filthymindedvixen]

bust your nose on a bouncy castle. Provide endless fun for all ages as i can personally testify. They loved the sight of all that blood. They were howling with mirth.....

[filthymindedvixen]

when you say pool - is that a paddling pool? or a swimming pool?

[CuddlesomeCod]

ain inflatable free standin e one
12 feet across

[CantSleepWontSleep]

How did the party go Pennies?

[Pennies]

It's this coming saturday. Still hoping the sun will make an appearance!

Did you sort out your catering prob?

[CantSleepWontSleep]

Not yet - starting to get a bit nervous that I'll end up doing it all myself! Am just waiting to hear back from Hansons and one other now, before running through every caterer in yellow pages!!