Home party for 9 yr old boy, indoors in winter - daft idea or do-able?

[nearlytoolate]

ds1 will be 9 at the end of November (oh my, how did that happen??)
Anyway he has asked for a party at home. I've done two home parties ever - one for his 7th, with 6 guests and a pirate theme, wiht the boys organised to within an inch of their lives - obviously ds1 enjoyed it as he wants something similar this time. - but it did take me a HUUGE amount of time to organise.

Last year ds2 had his 6th party at home, again with 6 guests but games not quite so rigidly organised and structured - tbh I did not enjoy that one - one or two of the boys (there were 2 girls as well) were pretty persistently uncontrollable, kept trying to tell me what they were going to do ('I'm going to go upstairs/play football/generally do what I feel like and not join in!') and rather too much climbing on the table at the party tea(yes I know they were excited but really, how many times to they need to be told to SIT DOWN...).

So, am I mad to consider another such venture with 8 and 9 year old boys? how few can I get away with and it still eb a party? Any ideas for engaging indoor activities/games? ds1 is keen on something like a spy or detective theme...

We don't have a garden - I could organise some outdoor activities on the street or in nearby park but wouldn't be able to rely on it if absolutely peeing it down.

All help appreciated!!

When ds was 9 we hired the local swimming pool

Sorry, was interrupted. The local pool is available for parties on Saturday afternoon for about £40 for an hour an d a half, for up to about 15 kids. It went really well, wore them out and then ds & his friends came back for pizza and a pickup quite soon after, so limited house-wrecking opportunities.

Hope your ds has a lovely time.

He had a swimming party last year, it went well. I'm not really short of activity party ideas, but he has asked for a home party and I am wondering whether this is a mad idea!
Plus activity parties are very expensive and ds2's birthday in the same week!

bump?

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Well i clearly need to be told
Can't believe no-one has ever done it though...

ds2 is having the swimming party this year. I tried to talk them into having a combined party but no dice. Its nearly £100 where we are, and the parties will be on the same weekend, less than a month before christmas, so I am really looking for something cheaper...

I organised a brill spy party once but quite a bit of time was spent in the garden.

I'd keep it really really simple if it has to be indoors. So I'd get them making monster face pizzas, popping popcorn, watching a pacy fun dvd or taking part in a wii challenge.

crikey you'd do COOKING with a bunch of 9 year old boys?? braver than me...
And we don't have a wii.
Its not a good idea is it?

You could set a quiz / treasure hunt around the house making sure you clearly tell them any out of bounds areas first!) - takes some time, but at that age they should enjoy it. In my experience 9 year olds will need somewhere to run around and let off steam at some stage in the afternoon.

Simple structured cooking.

You provide them with a bought pizza base. They spread on some tomato sauce. You provide them with cut peppers, mushrooms, salami, grated cheese etc and leave them to make a face. I've always found it straightforward.

How big's your house?

Could you set up a balloon pop room in teh house?

V loud, totally mental but great fun.

The house is pretty big, so we could do an indoor treasure hunt and other fun stuff.

We do 'make your own pizza' quite regularly for houseguest's kids, but not sure i would take it on for half a dozen 9 year olds!

I think I may talk ds1 through his guest list pretty carefully...I think if he chooses the same as last time they are reasonably malleable...

I think a lot will depend on the sort of friends your ds has tbh. I have had similar problems as my ds (who will be 10 this year) has a birthday at the beginning of December. You can't rely on the weather being good enough for outside activities.

The last party we had at home was when ds was 8. He had 7 friends (so 8 including him), 5 boys and 3 girls. I organised games, and then they had a party tea. The tea bit wasn't too bad, as I had done the food beforehand, and they mostly sat at the table ok.

The games I had organised very well, but it was still a bit of a challenge, as by that age many of them (esp the boys) just want to run around. At that time of year you can't always just let them loose in the garden, and although we have a 4 bed detached house, it's not big enough for that sort of activity. Which is why ds had his 9th birthday at a sports type centre.

But if you think you can cope with a home party at 9 in the winter, here are my ideas for games

We had two home parties (when ds was 7 and 8) and the themes were lifeboats, and playmobil.

Games were stuff like -

Pass the parcel (with theme related gifts)
Things like "Dress the lifeboatman/Norman the Foreman (a Playmobil character ds has)" - you divide the children into 2 teams, each has a cut out figure dressed in underwear, and a set of paper clothes with a blob of blue tack on the back of each item. In each team the take it in turns to throw a die - if they get a 6 they can add an item of clothing to their figure, first team to dress their character wins.

Pin the whatever on the whatever - e.g. the Y class on the Severn (lifeboats) or the teeacup on Norman (playmobil), but you could do the magnifying glass on the detective etc.... So you blindfold each child in tun and they have to try to stick (with blu tack) the item in the right place.

Another idea if you are having the party in the late afternoon at that time of year, is to have fireworks, either indoor ones, you can light on a plate/tray around a table, or outdoor ones (make sure someone is available to ensure children don't get too close to them!)

Hope these ideas might help!

I did a back-to-front party for ds(8) this year, we had food first, and that included things like jelly in cones, 'sandwiches' where the bread was buttered both sides with ham/ cheese 'stuck' to the outside of the bread (so cheese, bread, cheese), and plates and cups stacked upside down. Games included pin the tail (on the nose of) the donkey and wrap the parcel. Basically try and turn the game/food backwards and see if it works.

Thanks for your ideas - you had some quirky themes - though I guess its telling that you gave up for the 9th party!
Its kind of depressing I find, that kids don't seem to know basic ways of how to behave at a table or how to join in with a game...
Ds1's friends are mainly ok, but its still 9 year old boys.

"ds2 is having the swimming party this year. I tried to talk them into having a combined party but no dice. Its nearly £100 where we are"

You tried to talk them into having a combined party? I'd bloody well tell them they were having one if I was spending £100+ on a swimming party!

How about a wizard or mad scientist party? Get a magic book from Waterstones, photocopy a few of the tricks, split the boys into pairs in different parts of your house, give them the props and they have to practise the trick and then all perform it at the Wizard Show.

Usborne do a book on scientic experiments you can do at home so you could do some of them with the kids.

Actually, if they're the type of boys who'll climb on the table maybe the latter isn't such as a good idea

Noel, but its hardly their fault their birthdays are so close together is it?
They had joint parties when they were smaller but now ds1 doesn't really want to share his with his little brother, and personally I think that's fair enough. Of course it would be easier on the budget if they had nicely spaced out spring and summer birthdays, rather than our entire birthday and Christmas spending being concentrated into 4 weeks, but I guess that's life

I think I can help.....
I have just started a company called C.S.I Kids, crime scene investigation parties for 7-14 yr olds. Great for indoors and it will occupy them (even the naughty ones) and they may even learn something!
I'm in Bristol but prepared to travel up to an hour.
Have a look at the website and please help spread the word. www.csikids.co.uk