3 Year Old's Birthday Party looming (gibber)....Plse look at my plans and advise!

[notyummy]

Ok, less than a month to go. Dh away from home for much of the time. We are away the weekend preceding the party, and I work with a lomg commute....hence I need to get organised.

Plan is to have a 'party in the park' for 2 hours (no 'theme'). Max of 16 3 year olds there, plus parents (invites sent but no replies yet so don't know exact numbers.) Party has nice kiddy play area, plus new clean toliets and a cafe so adults can have hot drinks if wished. Lovely park with lots of shady trees if it is a hot day.

Wet weather option involves texting everyone the morning of the party and switching to our house (we explained this in the invite.) We have a (small) garden, plus patio we could half cover and a 25ft conservatory so hopefully will fit everyone in.

Food. I plan to keep simple. Jam/cheese/ham sarnies on white and brown bread. Low salt crisps. Carrot/cucumber sticks. Sausage rolls. Big choc birthday cake that DH is baking.

Drink. Water or diluted juice.

Paper cups and plates. Picnic blankets. Paper napkins. We are borrowing a gazebo and potentially a large tent as well.

Have bought party bags, and was going to put in stickers/mini bag of haribos/bubbles/cake and either hair clips or tiny toy depedning on sex. Does this sound ok? Any other ideas? Don't want to waste too much money for this age group!

Entertainment: This is were I think I need help. I thought to allow 20/25 mins of just 'free play' in the park and on the park equipment. Planned to do pass the parcel. Friends have said treasure hunt is good at this age. Anyone have any other good ideas??

All critiques/ideas gratefully received. Plus any 'wet weather' ideas to supplement pas the parcel and treasure hunt that can be done indoors would be good!

TIA

Do the hokey cokey. Always a winner.

Sleeping logs at the end, to wind down.

if party at park pass the parcel and food all you need, plus balls maybe. kids play on park equipment and parents keep an eye.

maybe provide scones and jam/cream for parents, and soft drinks or wine?

food for children sounds exactly right, you may want some biscuits or other pudding as well as the cake - party rings or cadbury's choc fingers, nothing too fancy!

yep - singing a good way to round off party if you are comfortable leading it - or get one of the others parents to do it?

heads and shoulders, wheels on bus, twinkle twinkle, as well as okey cokey

Singing (Must check words to other verses of hokey cokey, plus Dingle Scarecrow...)

Cadburys choc fingers (keep away from DH or none left...)

Scones and wine for parents (keep away from me or party could be 'interesting...')

Thanks all....keep them coming!

I did blini's with cream cheese and salmon! Am at the memory - I clearly got carried away!

For the parents that is! I figured if I had good enough lures, they might stay and keep an eye on their dc's. Didn't work in the cases that mattered, the parents that left had the kids that cried on arrival

I always do a craft when they arrive like make a crown so they can wear them
wouldn't do this in the park but excellent if weather a bit dodgy

at 3 tbh I'd just let them play in the park. pass the parcel can be a bit hit and miss at this age imo (sharing issues

really second no to haribo. I am quite poncey but that isn't the issue here. Problematic for vegetarians and certain religions eg Muslims (gelatine). Can you just stick in a mini chocolate bar or something? I've also come across some meat eaters who avoid gelatine due to risk of CJD though this might be unusual...Think for slightly older kids-4 even- this isn't an issue, as parents can explain household food policies, just that at 3 think will just look like nice food is being taken away. Of course if you know you haven't got any vegetarians coming then this isn't an issue.