Please advise on the wisdom (or not) of party idea...

[doodleboo]

Honest opinions please!

DS' 5th birthday is in about 6 weeks. Our house is much too small for any extra children so my plan is this:

1. Hire local hall (which is within walking distance of all invitees)- this is possible!

1. Hold party on a saturday, 11.30 until 1pm - to leave rest of day free for families.

1. Set up corner of hall with chairs, magazines, papers, and member of family administering tea, coffee and biscuits for parents, some toys for littler ones. Leave a note there to say join in at any time with games etc if you like.

1. Invite whole class (probably about 35 invites in total). Say on invites that there will be seating and tea/ coffee for grown ups, that little brothers and sisters will be welcome etc, no need to bring a present.

1. Play party games for half an hour-ish (with aid of my sister and possibly another friend) - any particular suggestions?

1. Have a long table with crisps, grapes, biscuits, breadsticks etc down the middle for food time.

1. Play another half hour-ish of games, balloon on a stick and little packet of sweets, home time.

What would you think of an invite like that? Would you be happy to sit for 1 1/2 hours with a cup of tea? As we don't know everyone that well i wouldn't expect the kids to want to be left!
What percentage of no shows should i expect - for a saturday morning party?

Thank you!!!

key for that many young ones is to keep them involved. So as someone else has said, have another area for them to go when "out", either to do some craft stuff, or call it the "disco area" so they can carry on dancing.

When I did a big party games party for DS, the "winners" got stickers initially so I could make sure the winning got shared round during the party, and then at the end of the party, anyone with a sticker got to pick their prizes out of a bag at the end. I also gave stickers for good dancing, being helpful, being well behaved/kind etc so that everyone got something from the prize bag at the end.

All sounds wonderful. I would probably avoid saying little siblings are welcome, in case you get over-run. Some people will just turn up with them anyway and others will ask and you can say yes. But why encourage even more little ones who could easily stay at home. May be I'm a meanie!

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Thanks for even more great ideas - especially stickers for winners!

sounds rather like the 5th birthday disco party I'm planning. Should work just fine. You may have parents clamouring to help you wash up...
We have put " no presents please" on the invite. mixed response, some parents say Great, one was most insistent she HAD to bring a present... her problem not ours, it'll be sidelined and taken home to wait till birthday.