Shirley's party advice thread part 2

[stealthsquiggle]

...can I take the liberty of starting another thread, since the other one filled up?

plastic coins to be traded in with the pirate captain (you) for other forms of treasure are definitely a good idea for limiting the riot possibilities as well.

One further tip - have a large intimidating adult pirate at the door enforcing a "check all weapons at the door" policy otherwise there will be tears (and not just from you).

Thank you for the welcome StealthSquiggle! The party isn't until the summer but I need something to distract from from impending exams

I think you're right about the treasure hunt. Good idea to have shredded paper instead of sand for some kind of treasure hunting type activity.

Thanks for the tip on leaving your weapons at the door!

I've been trying to think of something to engage the kids as they arrive, so I don't end up all harassed trying to sort kids and parents etc as new people arrive (I found this quite stressful last year). I thought that on arrival I could give kids an empty 'booty bag' and send them off to find something (I thought about a matching game - i.e. give them a card then they have to find one stuck to the wall or something) and once they have their pair they can take it to another pirate (DH) at the back of the hall to collect a gold dubloon. Then once everyone arrives DH we can start some games. I was thinking that each game etc, would provide something else for their booty bags. But actually, your idea of collecting of gold doubloons to trade for treasure at the end is a good one.

So far I'm thinking:

• pin the patch on the pirate
• musical islands (thank you for that)
• pass the treasure chest (filled with cheap pirate party stuff and you get to pick something if the music stops with you)

• Food
• cake, happy birthday

-table set up with pirate colouring in sheets, making pirate hats or similar

• pirate stories
• here's your coat, thanks for coming
• Wine.

I'm off to ponder your treasure map idea some more...

Hi scottish. Dont be put off by the length of our thread, blathers stealth and i sort of got caught in a 'quiche' waiting for parties to come along.

Your ideas sound great but rather than getting kids to go off 'hunting' as they arrive i'd go with a craft activity like stealth suggested. That way you can contain them until you give instructions on the big hunt etc. preparing their own pirate hat is good as you can ensure that even those who havent dressed up, look the part and are geared up for the rest.

If you google imagination tree the woman on there has done a lot of pirate themed stuff including how to make a treasure chest.

And i think you def have to think of a way to walk the plank!! Maybe in exit to get your party bag

Thanks TheDoctorsWife. Good idea, re: containment

I'll def google imagination tree, and thanks for the link to bakers ross Stealth - lots of good treasure chest/party bag goodies on there and I probably wouldn't have looked there.

I'm loving walk the plank - a must, I'm sure!

Hi Scottish

We've been chatting amongst ourselves while waiting for another party to plan. Welcome.

back.

DH will be glad I've found a different outlet for my 'what about this...' type questions

With 4yos I would have a colouring table out the whole time, TBH - some of them just won't "get" party games and it gives them a nice opt-out.

Colouring and stickers always popular.

Musical bumps always good for this age group too. Just theme the music. Jake and the Neverland Pirates have a lot of songs, I'm sure there must be CD's to buy

Will you be making a cake or buying one Scottish? We like cakes :)

Voila!

Good idea. I can have colouring table/hat making table set up from the start and anyone can go back to it at any time. Lots of pirate themed colouring sheets on t'internet.

DS loves Jake & Neverland pirates!

Thinking of making a cake. I'm no domestic goddess but I've got some romantic notion that making birthday cakes for your DC is just the right think to do.

A pirate ship is beyond my capability but I think I could manage a treasure chest with some goodies spilling out!

There are some good tutorials for treasure chests on Youtube and if all else fails M&S do a pirate ship -cake--

I might order that CD myself. £2.99 is a bargain and I'm bound to do a pirate party eventually

I've added it to my basket!

I'll have to practice the cake obvs. To make sure it will taste ok Must hunt out those choc coins I bought at Christmas but forgot to put in stockings!

treasure chests make cool cakes - lots of wow factor and it doesn't have to be perfect.

Lakeland do a pirate ship cake tin - I got one when ds was tiny and I made a cake like this one (note that isn't my actual one - mine had red striped flags and jelly babies with patches on as pirates). Its piss easy to do.

Sorry to gatecrash - do you have to have any party planning credentials to join in? I love a party to plan but my kids both inconveniently have birthdays at the end of the year when I'm too busy obsessing over xmas anyways so I'm at a loose end.

No credentials needed leftmysociallifeatthedoor, just ideas. You can help me with DD's next birthday in December too

If you can't find the choc coins Scottish, aquarterof do the all year round. You could probably find some other pirate-y themed sweets on there too - Jelly Sharks maybe?, and cream Skulls ?, Jelly crossbones ?...

That should be strawberry and cream skulls. linky

You could do shark infested jelly

Swashbuckling with swords to attack the pinata!

No party planning credentials needed here, just a good imagination and a sense of fun. And late birthdays do not excuse you as my dd is 25th nov and is it blathers whos dd is december? Jump on board, in fact this was actually shirleys thread but we elbowed her out it seems

We all seem to have end-of-year DC (mine are October and November) - we need some victims customers with summer parties to plan - except that we have DrsW's christening (well, DD2's christening but YKWIM) to keep us "busy".

I have just taken the plunge and taken my sewing machine in for service. I shall now spend the next 7 days thinking of things I can't do because I don't have a sewing machine.

leftmysociallifeatthedoor - have you found a means to use that tin again? That is what mostly stops me acquiring those shaped tins - there is a limit to how many pirate ships you can make - although since local friendly sugarcraft shop folded I no longer have anywhere to hire silly shaped tins either

That has put me off shaped tins too - they can be quite expensive! That said, I did have a look on Lakeland but they don't seem to do them anymore.

Loving the retro sweets.

Gah, my computer is playing up so will need to come back later.

I knew someone American would have done it - shark infested jelly. I like her message in a bottle invitations as well, but I can just imagine the looks you would get handing out glass bottles in a British school playground

I have a brill little sugarcraft shop near my mil i love love love it.

stealth stealth, i have bought a shite-a-mungo sewing machine. Literally value argos job because i wanna make dd2 a cot set out of dd1's old bedding sets. Just cut all the bits and pinned them. Plus the bunting flags are all cut and my tape has arrived... But im scared of the machine!!!! I havent threaded one for 18 years! Im only 33 in case that made me sound ancient. Reassure me. Please. My mil could help but her machine is pfaff four and a half grand and she'd take over my project looking at my machine like a peasant.

Sociallife.. Im sure i have a book with a treasure chest cake. I'll check when dd2 is off the boob!