Shirley's party advice part 6 - don't be afraid to interrupt us!

[Tinkerisdead]

Okay, this is shirley's party advice part 6. Shirley ducked out a while ago and you'll notice us chatting about all kinds of stuff whilst we wait for party planners to barge in.

So, don't lurk, jump in and chat. We'll give you any advice on parties from costumes to cakes....

Plenty online - like this

Hi does anyone have any good ideas for a beach party?

My DD will be 8 in July, the beach a were thinking about has a small play park behind and some woods.She wants to invite 15-20 .

I was thinking about a play in the park, some games in the woods(don't know what games though),a sandcastle competition and a picnic.

How does that sound or is it a bad idea cos of the risk our bad weather

Thanks Stealth, have ordered them. Fingers crossed they get here.

MoshMoshi - much as I whinge about only being able to do winter parties for my DC, you have my sympathy, because summer parties unfortunately need a "plan B". If you have access to a beach, it seems a shame not to use it, but realistically you need some sort of plan for if it pours with rain.

Sandcastle building sounds great, BTW, and could absorb 8yos for ages. Is there room for beach cricket as well ?

Think I might have to limit numbers - plan B will have to be our quite small house! Beach cricket great idea thanks

So you want largest number you can fit in the house, so that you still have enough for a decent game of beach cricket...

The alternative, I guess, would be to make the whole thing weather dependent - so actually put on the invitations something to the effect of "please let me have a mobile number that I can contact you on - if the weather is too bad we will reschedule" - you would have to make the decision (say) 24 hours in advance though, I would think - is that practicable at all?

The note on the invitation would be a good idea, I would only cancel if it was horrendous.

o you have any ideas about games I could play in the wooded area, I was thinking of what's the time Mr wolf? and hide and seek. Don't know if they'd be too babyish. MY dd would love them but don't want her friends making fun of her, you know what some kids are like.

Do not o obviously!

Planning ds's 4th birthday party. He wants a Madagascar party. There will be a max 24 (as have already got jungle pencil cases, note pads and finger puppets from baker ross). There will be 8 yr2-yr5 'helpers', so around 16 3/4 yr olds.

My plan so far after trawling the internet is to base it around the different countries, give them mini passports at the begining and give stickers for each country as we 'go' there. I am going to make a faceless cut out picture on cardboard of the four main characters and get the children to put their faces through for pictures, then use the same thing to throw beanbags through for the first stop at NY zoo.

Second stop is Madagascar - was thinking obstacle course - limbo under vines, crawl through jungle - not sure how to do this ?camouflage net (although might need to use blanket or tunnels as have them, and need to save money for wigs) jump over crocodile swamps ?something to do with fousza? Then put the hairband ring on the lemur.

Third stop Kenya - What's the time Mr Alex, maybe monkey screaching, lion roaring contest and sleeping lions. (Depending on how time is)

Monaco- human one arm bandit with three helpers choosing pictures at random and then little ones pull the arm and get 1 2 or 3 sweets depending on how many match. Will have two simultaneously so they don't need to wait so long.

Switzerland - I really fancy doing a clown relay where they have to put on a multicoloured clown wig and big shoes (would need 3/4 teams and cheapest wigs are about £3 each so trying to justify the cost) also need something for them to transport.

London- running out of ideas so thought maybe coloured pictures of landmarks from the different countries as souveniers for them to pick up and sort in a corners type game plus pass the parcel.

Food will be my standard selection and think will need to buy some figures for cake as party end of Sept and have mad work commitments just before. I need to prepare as much as I can now so I don't need to panic in Sept.

So- any ideas for obstacle course, clown relay, London, circus, any other cool ideas that I can steal incorporate. He will be starting a new preschool at the girl's school in Sept so quite a few of the children will be random invitees that he only knows a little bit from his year group. I know quite a few of the parents in passing as they have children in the school. Hoping it will help him to make some new friends. He is determined to have a proper party and that it be a Madagascar party.

As a footnote looking at your discussions of blue jelly, I just mix yellow& green and add some blue food colouring paste while still hot before adding lemonade. Fizzy rainbow jelly has become obligitory at our parties.

I am confused by the Switzerland /clown connection

Party sounds fantastic though. Where are you? I have a large camouflage net...

Switzerland is the bit when they stop in the alps in madagascar 3 and practise circus skills. I'm in kent. Have looked online and just not sure if I can justify cost of the net. Have you used yours again? Did see a camouflage tarpaulin for a tenner which I could tell dh was for camping too!!

Could do oranges and lemons for London. When I google london and games I just get olympics.

Ah - I obviously wasn't paying enough attention to that film .
Ours hasn't been used much. We are a long way away - I could weigh it and work out the postage to lend it to you ? FWIW I went to an army surplus store and asked (and then haggled) for any "unsaleable" net they had. I got a huge bit for way less than any price I saw online, and it turned out to be dusty and a bit tangled - 10 minutes untangling and a day on the washing line in the rain was all it took.

That's a good tip about the army surplus. I do wonder if we'll ever use it again ds is more of a book and computer nerd at the moment. I did ask the scout leader but he said he just makes his own camouflage. Do you think a camouflage tarpaulin will look ok? That was less than a tenner for 3x2m and we could use it again. Probably less of a challenge but they are only little so maybe easy is better. Will maybe see if any of my 'mother of outdoor boys' friends have a net first.

Any idea about what they can carry in the clown relay? Red noses are too expensive. Would popcorn in a cup work?

I think if the tarpaulin is easier to justify, then go for it - less children getting tangled up in it, anyway . I got a special offer from a school supplier this morning on camo nets and fabric - but their nets were still £27 ex VAT.

I've just thoroughly depressed myself by googling 'superhero cakes'
If I did happen to be crazy clever enough to make a tiered cake, how far in advance could I make and decorate them and how far in advance could I 'build' the cake? I don't want to spend the morning of the party finishing the cake, when I will have so much more to do!
Usually, I just buy ready made cakes and re ice them and decorate them. I would like to do a proper job this time though. Even if its just coloured cakes with plastic figures and a bit of piped icing.
Am I making any sense?

So like this not that I'd ever be able to, but could I make the two cakes, store them, make the decorations, store them, then put the whole thing together, with piping and details a couple of days before and store it?

Nonsense you could easily make two cakes but put the top one on a card card(thinner smaller than an actual cake board. Then put dowels into the bottom cake when its done, then at the venue just rest the top cake on the top one. If you get a card smaller than the cake diameter it wont show between the cakes. Stealth'll give you exact days between making/decorating/party but i always have my cake sorted the day before the party at least so it can dry out etc.

I do use dowels and card ( stupidly never a smaller diameter though......) but I build the cake the day before as all I do is re do the icing and put something on top, but this time the day before is their actual birthday so I don't want to spend the day messing up a cake!

Inspiration hit during messy play just now! We had green jelli baff and I was thinking of hiding those plastic superman rings in a tray of jelli baff and getting the 'heroes' to find them. Or something along those lines!
Perhaps a treasure map of sorts to find where the baddie has hidden something. I'll keep thinking but it'd be great to use it as a game.

Make decorations: whenever you want. They will last for weeks quite happily as long as you keep them somewhere dry (not in the fridge, or they will 'sweat').

Make cakes and ice them: easily a few days before the party. I get the cake done and out of the way before I start on the rest of the food. The critical time is from baking to icing - once they are sealed inside the icing they will last 10 days easily (slightly denser sponge - madiera, or inmates chocolate cake, or Nigella's buttermilk cake last better).

If you are having the party at home then as long as you use dowels and a board (like DW says, same size or marginally smaller than the cake, so you ice over the board - just stand it on an upturned basin or something to do it), you can assemble them there and then - put a circle of baking parchment between the icing of the bottom cake and the board of the top cake to keep it from seeping into the board. If you are partying somewhere else, keep the two cakes separate until you get there - tiered cakes do not travel well once assembled. In that case no need for the baking parchment as they won't be together for long enough for the board to get soggy.

Oops. That was a very long answer to a very simple question. Sorry.

That was a great answer, i learned from that stealth!

Thanks so much!
Thing is, I'm hoping to make something like this why oh why so can I make the badges etc days/weeks before and still get them to curve around the cake or will they crack and break?

Ah. Trickier. No. You need to dry them curved. The outside of the tin that you plan to make the cake in should be about the right curvature as long as you don't make the icing too thick - so badges can dry draped over the tin (on top of baking parchment) then take them off once they are dry enough to hold their shape.

hello I have a couple of questions i would like my fellow party discussion'ers to consider and comment on :)

How much does the average birthday party cost?
How much does a parent spend on their childs birthday?

Ive been looking around and birthday parties these days can cost a fortune!! Our local play center charges 8.99 a head for rubbish frozen food, pathetic party bags and no games - just an hour and half in the soft play. Soft play center's are great when its raining or on a cold day but i find the birthday parties very impersonal.

Would parents pay to have a party DIY package prepared specific to their child? Everything you need to throw your own childs party.... themed party bags, plates, cups, napkins, decorations, hats, blowers, games, prizes..and the list goes on -
Would you pay for the convenience to have the buffet made for you, catering for your little guests?
If you ordered in your party food would you chose - finger buffet? Individual food boxes

I kinda like the idea of everything prepared for me...what do you think?? Is it lazy?

Looks like I might be breaking out the white icing again. DS's friend wants a party just like DS's and I've said I'd help with the cake.

Me being me, I'm not keen on the thought of making another 6 shaped ski slope though. What shall I do this time?

zouise I think you may be addressing the wrong audience. Personally, I am way too much of a control freak particular to pay a premium for someone else to do all the fun bit of finding the perfect components, let alone doing the food.

If you are in West London, you may have a business opportunity there. Otherwise, I wouldn't bet on it. As for average spend - how long is a piece of string? You spend what you can afford.