London - Christmas Children's Party

[IlanaK]

It was suggested today at the summer picnic at Coram Fields that a Christmas children's party would be a nice idea. I am more than happy to organise this but want to gage opinions first. Coram Fields would be a great venue again assuming we could get it. Here are some questions for you to answer or put suggestions if you are interested.

1. Venue - would Coram Fields suit everyone again or can you think of somewhere else?

2. Would you want to attend during the week or on a weekend?

3)I was thinking of a bring a dish or two party (sort of like today) and we would decorate the hall all christmassy and have christmas crackers for the kids, etc. Also maybe some inside christmassy activities such as art stuff, games etc. Is this ok?

4. WOuld anyone want it to be more multicultrural - a seasonal party? I am Jewish so I would certainly understand if people preferred this.

5. OK - the big question is cost. I know that today was free and people just made donations to Binkie as the hall cost £32. However, for a proper christmas party I think we would have to charge. My reason for this is partly the venue - if say 15 families came (about what came today I think), that is £2 per family for the venue. Also, there would be some cost for the crackers, decorations, etc. How would people feel about this?

Ok, so, this is just an idea at this stage, but if we want to do it I am guessing we have to book quickly. If people aren't interested, then I will not be insulted! However, I am happy to do it if people want to come.

What do you all think?????

hi ILana! Thanks for all the info! We would love to attend, not sure if it will be just me without my dh, but anyway if you get a space please add us to the list and let me know what we can help with, food, etc.

Ok, I have a question. For the storytelling/singing sessions, I have plenty of christmas books that I can bring. I thought we would intersperse them with a song or two. Now, I know plenty, but they are all geared towards under 5's as that is my specialty How many older kids do we have coming? The sorts of songs I thought of were:
sleeping bunnies, grand old duke of york, dingle dangle scarecrow, etc etc.

You get the idea - they are all action songs for little ones. So, is this appropriate? Or do we need a different agenda for older ones?

ANy thoughts welcome.

Sorry it's taken a while to confirm - so busy I've barely been looking at the boards, but self, DS and DH will be able to make this (2 adults okay for numbers??)
I can make a large cake for the sweets list..

Sure I'm too late for this but only just seen it. Would me and my dd (Fourteen months) be able to come or is it too late now?

IlanaK, I just saw your message. I'm also down for storytelling, and have arranged to borrow some of those huge books they use in schools. I don't know any songs for bigger kids either but what about some Xmas carols?

Ok, just popping in from sunny Oz for a second. As onlineid and JJ have not confirmed, that has opened up 2 spaces. Katerina and ragtaggle are now able to come. Please just pick a food to bring. This gives us 30 confirmed families so I am afraid that the list is now closed. I actually think I have messed up somewhere on the list as I don't seem to have bovary and we seem to be over 30 families. However, I have not got the time to sort it out now so if I said you can come then it is fine for you to come whether you are on the list or not. So long as we are not much over the 30 families, I am sure we will be fine. Perhaps someone else could scroll back and see where I have gone wrong and do an updated list?

Bovary, thanks for the offer, but I think heat guns and little ones may not mix well

Details are all below. I am unlikely to check in again before returning to the UK on the 10th and even then I may not be on for a few days as the time adjustment is hell!

Revised list:

Date and Time - December 18th from 12:30 to 4:30pm

Venue - Coram Fields near Russell Square tube station (large park and playground). We will be in the Band Room

Cost - £1 or £1.50 per family as the room costs £35 to hire

Families attending:

CONFIRMED:
IlanaK
Cori
prefernot
ks
sis
marina
tigermoth
arabica
biketastic
EvaD
unicorn
motherinferior
billijo
hoxtonchick
skmoo
zinger
susies
piximon
merrygoround
yingers74
kazz33
sophable
Edam
twinkie
wills
prufrock
nickiey
maomao
aelita
katerina
ragtaggle

Activities:

1. colouring festive pictures (Ilana)
2. card making with ks and marina and Wills 3)decorating biscuits with sis and binkie 4)pin the tail on the reindeer with marina
3. dancing to music with bubbles added (bubble machine - tigermoth) 7)pass the parcel with chocolates inside (Ilana) 8)story telling/singng session (Ilana, Arabica and prefernot)

Decorations - tigermoth (streamers) and cori. Biketastic lights.

Tidying up - arabica and biketastic and EvaD

Santa - Kazz33's dh (yippee!) Bring your own present wrapped and labled for your child and Santa will give them out (limit £5 spent per pressie).

Savoury Foods:

1. crips, breadsticks, other finger type crunchy food (IlanaK) (unicorn and tigermoth- crisps)
2. raw cut up veggies and dips, hummous, etc (biketastic - veggies and dips plus salad pots)(unicorn - veggies)
3. cold meats - salamis, ham, chicken, sausages, etc (motherinferior and EvaD- sausages) (prufrock - chicken and cold meats)
4. sandwhiches or rolls (EvaD - egg and ham sandwhiches)
5. cheese (prefernot)
6. falafal - marina
7. australian christmas food - cori
8. rice salad - meerygoround

Sweet foods:

1. mini cakes or a large cake (ks and pixiemom) (billijo - rice crispie cakes) (tigermoth - flapjacks)
2. biscuits (hoxtonchick)
3. chocolates or chocolate bars (skmoo)
4. jelly (biketastic)

drinks:

1. juice (apple juice carton - prefernot) (sis - squash) (Kazz33 - orange and apple juice)
2. soft drinks like cola
3. water (zinger)
4. non-alcoholic sparkling drinks - yingers

Paperplates, cups, etc - (prefernot, susies)

As you can see this is by no means a definative list as I am lacking in imagination. If you want to bring something not on the list, please do.

Am very, very sorry but I won't be able to make the party. My grandpa died on Friday and his funeral will on the 20th, and it is likely to be a busy weekend beforehand so I think I should pull out now rather than leave it to the last minute. I hope someone can take my family's place.

Have a good time. Again I am so sorry as I was really looking forward to meeting everyone.

I'm also very sorry, but we now can't make it either. Due to the usual chaotic planning by dh we have only just arranged to have our main Christmas visit with his family on that saturday.

I do hope there is another family able to join the fun.

I'm new to mumsnet and am pretty excited about it. I would love to have met you all and hope there'll be some other event where I can bring sausages, clear up and get to see your lovely faces

And another one pulling out. Sorry, sorry, but I acquired a bug after DS finished with it and I cannot shake it off. I'll happily make the financial contribution as it's so last minute, please let me know where I should send it via CAT.

I would also be happy to pay.
I don't know what/who CAT is!

I might be able to come to this (late of course ) - will come on later to confirm if the 18th is poss. Sounds fun!

Go on!

I'm now stressing out that having DP dressed as santa is going to totally freak my 3 year and 1 year old !

Oh Kazz, do you think they will recognise him?! Can't he pretend to go on an errand to the shops and be very disappointed to have missed santa?

Kaz, we went to a party at the weekend where the birthday boy's dad dressed up as Santa to do the party bags (lovely idea) - and none of the children were at all fazed (is that how you spell it? looks wrong) by it, including the b'day boy and his little brother - just took it as an excuse to be rather more informal, let's say, than kids usually are with a Santa. Dd did come and say quietly, you know mummy, I think it's really a pretend Father Christmas, I think it's Freddie's daddy dressed up - but she didn't seem to have the slightest difficulty accepting the concept of a "pretend" Father Christmas.

Yeah, sure it will be fine. I sort of assumed that he would be instantly recognisable but I suppose not. How long do you think it will take, about an hour - 50 kids ish I would have thought ?

Very excited about the party, it will feel like xmas has began.

Yes, I'm incredibly excited too (pathetic or wot). Have bought my Santa presents and all (teaset for dd2 - we need a new one - and rather nice cheap pink slippers for dd1).

HI,
I am sorry, but I will be unable to make it either. My employer is having a Christmas party for staff's children on the same day. I feel obligated to go. I hope this hasnt caused any inconvenience
Merry Christmas to everyone .....

Ok, I am back in the land of the living - just about! So sorry to see so many drop outs, but I htink we were over our numbers anyway. Please let me know if anyone else wants to come as I am sure we can accomodate them - I have a friend who may be interested too (though she just had a baby a few days ago!) I am sure it will be a lovely party whoever comes. I will give coram fields a call tomorow to make sure all is ok and ready for us. Any questions, I wll be around all week on line so just fire away!

Bundle was interested, I'll email her.

I'm really looking forward to this - have yet to buy presents or make flapjacks but these are easy things to rectify :)

I'm coming! Hoorah. With ds, dh and bump. What shall be bring (apart from a present for ds)?

Hi Ilana, hope you had a smashing trip.
Can I just ask what, if any, arrangements there will be for mobile babies? Separate soft-play area, some way of containing them? Dh and I are mulling over whether to all come or leave dd, who is trouble on four legs, at home with him.
Really looking forward to it. Ds is going to "help" me concoct a giant reindeer this week...

Sorry, but there are no seperate arrangements for babies. It is just one large room like a big hall. There will be tables and chairs but no highchairs. There is plenty of playground equipment outside for all ages - weather permitting. Don't dress your kids in their best clothes! There were plenty of mobile babies at the last gathering there and it was not a problem.

For anyone new still wanting to know what to bring, please scroll down for full details. I think we are still short on people bringing drinks (non-alchoholic only please).