Looking for ideas

[Kirk1]

DD is 8 this year, and her last birthday party was for her 6th. The reason is that her birthday usually falls in the easter holiday and at her school most of the kids have been away over easter. This year with easter being so early I thought I'd grab the opportunity.

Now I'm stuck. I don't have the time or helpers to do a hire the village hall party, and at 8 Wacky Warehouse or equivalent seems a little babyish. Any and all suggestions please! Not bowling, her friend is doing that and playground social rules say no copying :P (that's the kids rules, not the adults. We don't see each other often enough to make those kinds of rules...)

Pizza express "make a pizza" party?

cinema?

friends over to have a baking party?

swimming party???
I had one of those when i was that age, hired the local hotel pool [not actually as posh or as expensive as it sounds] and had a great time. or how about taking a few of them ice-skating or something if you can get there?

oooh, COV a friend's DD had one of those (pizza) recently - it was a huge hit!

Reptile party or is that too boyish? One of DS's friends had one and the girls were all as bowled over by it as the boys.

I took ds and dd there recently for dinner and there was one going on. They seemedto love it, it is minimal effort and fairly cheap, no need to make/provide food. I am going to do it for dd next year!

Another vote for Pizza Express - brilliant.

Alternative - do you have a pottery painting cafe nearby? Ten 8 year olds and barely a sound as they're so engrossed in what they're doing. Lovely.

What about a bemybear party?

dd1 had one (you can do yourself)

Ice Skating would be fun, but the nearest rink is in Telford That's too far from Stoke-on-Trent.

Swimming is kind of limited too. DS doesn't swim yet, so we've promised the swimming party for 10th birthday when little brother has had swimming lessons at school.

Cinema and Pizza! Awesome idea! She's been bugging me about Horton Hears a Who, and that comes out over easter. OK, that's one proposition to put to her

Pottery painting's a good idea, there is a place I know of (well, we do live in the Potteries...) DS was invited to a party there, but we couldn't make it. Suggestion number two! (The more ideas I can throw at her the more likely one will be acceptable!)

Oooh - I spent many happy hours at Telford Ice Rink as a teenager!!!

My sister did a cinema / Pizza Hut party. It was quite cheap as the cinema do £1 each on a saturday morning then we just ordered a few large pizzas to share followed by ice-cream factory. It's not as nice as Pizza Express (imo) but the girls (aged 8 ) loved it.

Bowling is another option.

DD had a make a pizza party but was 6, and they all got a bit fed up waitiing for their turn then waiting for their pizzas, did it again when she was 7 and just ordered the pizza and prepared some games to play. Pin the tail on the donkey and bingo, hard to do games when cinfined tot he table, other games like beetle could be doen with 8yr olds.

For her 8th she had a bowling party, it was great £4.50 for a game and hot food per child, only had 7 kids so didn't break the bank and I did really cheap party bags with pound shop packs of notebooks and stuff, no other costs. Sorry just read that bowling is a nono, but I would say arse to that if DD wanted to do it. You can only come up with so many ideas.