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Parties/celebrations

Whether you're planning a birthday or a hen do, you'll find plenty of ideas for your celebration on our Party forum.

Shirley's party advice part 5 - Here to Help - come and say Hi

953 replies

Blatherskite · 28/02/2013 12:54

Didn't notice we'd gotten to the end of the thread!

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Blatherskite · 04/03/2013 11:22

Love that we both came up with treasure hunts though stealth :)

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RuthlessWarHorse · 04/03/2013 14:18

Thanks for your thoughts.

Bowl of jelly a greAT IDEA.

I did a treasure hunt once years ago and it was a lot of work for approx. a minute and a half entertainment. Did I do it wrong?

I could do a 'things to find in the garden' worksheet thingy?

stealthsquiggle · 04/03/2013 15:33

Gah. Wrote whole response and then MN crashed Angry

Right - treasure hunts. If they are linear (follow from one clue to the next) then I agree they don't last long. Also, if adults have to do them too then they are a bit of a PITA. I was thinking of something more like a scavenger hunt that they can do individually while adults drink wine.

DC's school PTA-equivalent do one at Easter - each child has a sheet with a number of pictures on. They have to find the matching card shapes. Each age group has different pictures - so the bunny/chick/egg for the nursery to find are large and "hidden" in plain sight at ground level, while the daffodil/hedgehog/basket on the sheet for the 7-8yos are much smaller and much better hidden. The result is that it takes everyone roughly the same amount of time, and when each child brings back a complete 'set' of whatever they are supposed to find they swap it for a prize. It seems to work well, and doesn't depend on the DC being able to read.

stealthsquiggle · 05/03/2013 11:08

OK, peoples - going to the US again has to have some plus side.

what do I "need" for Easter?

stealthsquiggle · 05/03/2013 11:12

tee hee

Blatherskite · 05/03/2013 14:05

Well some plastic Easter eggs ready for Easter packed lunch obviously. I've already ordered some from Yellow Moon otherwise I'd be giving you my order ;)

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stealthsquiggle · 05/03/2013 14:26

Anything else you want/need?

Blatherskite · 05/03/2013 14:44

You could get some of the toy filled ones for DW Wink

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stealthsquiggle · 05/03/2013 14:48

with a few especially for your DH too?

stealthsquiggle · 05/03/2013 14:50

why?

Blatherskite · 05/03/2013 15:04

No idea! I've been through 23 pages of Easter bit and there's nothing I can't live without - at least until I move to dream house with plenty of room to store all of this stuff!

Ebeneezer Blathersgrinch would only complain otherwise

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stealthsquiggle · 05/03/2013 15:14

I am sort of coming to the same conclusion. I will get some plastic eggs, just because I failed to salvage last year's for re-use. Possibly some of those putty-filled ones. Maybe a rabbit or two.

Any general craft stuff you need?

Blatherskite · 05/03/2013 15:26

Not at the moment I don't think. After my cupboard clear out, I found loads of stuff I'd forgotten I had - including the spoon animals we were attempting to make when Ds had stage 2 of his exorcist impression this afternoon!

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stealthsquiggle · 05/03/2013 21:56

How is exorcist child doing now?

You do realise that if neither you nor DW wants to fill my suitcase with party crap essentials then I will just have to go to Jo Ann fabrics instead Grin?

Blatherskite · 05/03/2013 22:06

It seems to be over. He'll still have to have tomorrow off school though as he needs 24 clear hours before he can go back.

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Tinkerisdead · 06/03/2013 18:07

Im okay for eggs thank you, i have about 24 i think from the poundshop years ago. Im on the look out for decorations to hang on my easter tree. But see easter annoys me because my house isnt pastels/springtime brights and so it never ties in very well. Xmas is much easier to co-ordinate.

I would have had you getting me a popcorn whirleypop stealth but dh ordered me one for mothers day. But im off to scour those pages for any loot i can get you to haul home.

Tinkerisdead · 06/03/2013 18:44

I am tempted to buy loads of "he lives" religious tat for mother in law!

stealthsquiggle · 06/03/2013 19:37

You are certainly spoilt for choice on that front. No easter dinosaurs this year though, I notice Grin

stealthsquiggle · 06/03/2013 20:30

incidentally - WTAF is a popcorn whirlypop and why would I need one?

Blatherskite · 06/03/2013 20:43

I wondered that too stealth. I'm guessing maybe an air popper?

I've been looking for cake inspiration. Looks like my Glacier Mint ice lake might work - here I've ordered a lego snowmand and we've made up a couple of lego sledges from DS's extensive collection too.

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Kiriwawa · 06/03/2013 20:54

Okay you lot - look lively now :o

I'm doing a build a (fake) bear party for DS (6) and 11 of his school friends. There will be 11 boys and 1 feisty girl. I've got the bear kits and there will be 4 adults for child/bear wrangling.

This is my plan:

  • game of musical statues to burn off energy, prize for winner (bought)
  • pass the parcel with bear label in each layer - every child gets a chance to open and then gets the appropriate bear skin
  • stuff bears
  • eat food (bear shaped sandwiches/pom bears (see what I did there?)/party rings
  • cake/go home

I need help with:

a) figuring out what I've missed. I have planned this like I would a work training session but I don't know what I'm doing
b) how do I cope/get rid of extraneous parents. I don't want them - help me make them go away but if they insist on staying, what do I do
c) party music. DS wants gangnam style for musical statues but I need music for pass the parcel plus background for the bear stuffing.

And any suggestions on how to reduce my stress levels would be v welcome ..

stealthsquiggle · 06/03/2013 21:06

OK, Kiri - looking lively (I am in yet another hotel room, and anything is better than concentrating on my presentation for tomorrow, even though I must do that soon)

Musical Statues - TBH, at 6, I wouldn't bother with a prize for the winner unless you are 100% sure that is what they expect. 6yos of my acquaintance still prefer a sticker as you get out (also handy for telling which of the DC dancing are actually still in) and it always seems to get down to the last few uber-competitive DC, at which point I give it a couple of turns and then declare them all winners [coward]

Extraneous parents - um - not good at this one as most people generally still stay at parties here (very rural, massive school catchment area (independent school), not worth going home, and also the only time a lot of us see each other). Is the party at home (in which case I can see why you want rid)? How about some breezy wording on the invitation to the effect of "no need for parents to stay if you could just leave me your mobile number...." ?

If they insist on staying, either put them to work, or, if that is more trouble than it is worth, give them coffee and ignore them. Is 4 bear/child wranglers going to be enough to supervise bear stuffing, though? I have only been able to do stupidly ambitious craft stuff because I know a reasonable proportion of parents will muck in and help - are you going to be able to sew up bears and serve food and take DC to the loo and....? If not, you could phrase it as "no need to stay, but you are welcome to stay and help if you would like to" - that would get rid of most of them Grin

stealthsquiggle · 06/03/2013 21:07

Blathers I love the glacier mint lake. I need to work a frozen lake into a cake now Grin

stealthsquiggle · 06/03/2013 21:10

Look what I just found - a recipe designed especially for our letter press biscuit cutters (and Gingerdead man, except he really needs gingerbread) - here

stealthsquiggle · 06/03/2013 21:14

Kiri - music - past experience suggests that bear themed music is remarkably hard to come by. If your DS is as "with it" as his choice suggests, then I would just grit your teeth and download NOW 542 or whatever they are on by now. My DH has, to his eternal shame, a One Direction album on his iphone from DD's last (6th) birthday party Grin