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Author
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Comment
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Carrie
Unregistered User
(9/14/03 7:40 pm)
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themed kids' parties
Hello everyone. I'm putting together a story on themed kids' parties (ages 6-10) -- favors, food, games, etc. I was wondering if anyone had suggestions. Jane? Midori? Jess? Kerrie? Terri? Anyone? Right now I'm working on a princess theme and a happy unbirthday party. Maybe even a cooking party complete with gingerbread men. Any brainstorming, ideas or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Cheers.
Carrie
p.s. Kerrie do you think the masked ball idea you had could be downsized for kids?
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janeyolen
Registered User
(9/15/03 2:34 am)
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Re: themed kids' parties
Jane Dyer once did a Piggins Mystery Birthday party. (After our Piggins books--he's a pig butler who soloves mysteries.)
Certainly a Fairy party.
Maybe a fairy tale party.
I was never good at this sort of thing, but I do have a book coming out called FAIRY TALE FEASTS, alas, not till next year. From Interlink Books.
Jane
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Jess
Unregistered User
(9/15/03 8:04 am)
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Masked ball
Carrie,
You could absolutely do a masked ball for kids! We did one last year for New Year's Eve for everyone (kids were invited). My kids helped me to make the masks - that could be an activity or the kids could come already in mask. We gave masks to any and all that came unmasked. We unmasked at midnight, but you could set a time to do that. The invitations need to be clear that this is NOT a Halloween party. Making a late medival conical hat with streamers is another "craft" idea.
We used Renassiance Venice for inspiration (Mardi Gras and all of that). Food was Italian finger food, but you could do little cakes and things instead. You could probably get some nice ice molds at a craft store and have some fun ice scultures in the punch bowl.
Music was half early Baroque minuets and things, then switching to 21st C dance music later. I bet you could do something with that.
We used extra masks for decorations too. The ones with the sticks we put in vases around tables which were set with lame (that should have an accent). You can get that at fabric stores for around a $1.00 a yard.
Remember that there was a set format for balls - introductions, dancing, unmasking, and then dinner, followed by more dancing. You could play with that idea.
Email me if you want more: jbreitbarth1@comcast.net
Jess
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Heidi
Anne Heiner
ezOP
(9/15/03 8:11 am)
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Re: themed kids' parties
Are you looking for games and other ideas, like "Pin the Crown on the Princess?" Actually, I get e-mails with this kind of question semi-regularly. I have considered collecting some ideas for a page on SurLaLune to help with the brainstorming.
These were the traditional ideas that came first:
Pin the crown on the princess
Costume party where everyone comes dressed as a princess (most would probably come in their Disney princess outfits if my experience with several children's costume parties is usual)
Hire a storyteller who'll tell princess stories
I also have a fun Princess and the Pea craft for all ages that consists of using strips of wall paper as mattresses placed on a bed frame with a sleeping princess head that goes on top. I have used it several times with a split pea to glue at the bottom. The kids love it, even the boys.
Door prizes of princess fairy tale books--many can be found inexpensively at www.bookcloseouts.com with a few weeks notice for shipping time
I also like the gingerbread man baking and decorating party idea.
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Jess
Unregistered User
(9/15/03 8:27 am)
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What age are you talking about?
Carrie,
It occured to me that the age of the kids might matter for activities. What is the age range and is this for an organization or at home?
Jess
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Jess
Unregistered User
(9/15/03 8:32 am)
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Come as your favorite fairy tale character
You could also play this game, but prohibit the usual (Disney) ones. You could even reference Surlalune and the colored Fairy Books on-line for references. Then make the kids guess. If the party is for older kids, have them (or a story teller) tell an abbreviated version if the tale is not known.
Jess
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Carrie
Unregistered User
(9/15/03 11:15 am)
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age range
Hi Jess. It's for kids ages 6-10. I was thinking princess/knight, jungle fever (with a trip to the zoo), science (with a trip to the science center), something with fairytales (or maybe I should lump this in with the princess/prince theme), clowning around, cooking (ie. gingerbread men), an unbirthday party or a mad hatter's tea party, treasure island (pirates, treasure hunt and all of that), Hawaiian, trains (with a trip to McCormick train park)...???
With 7-year-old twins, you'd think I'd be better at this. I do like the fairy tale book ideas. Thanks.
Carrie
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Kerrie
Moderator
(9/16/03 10:44 am)
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Craft and snack ideas... and a bit more...
Here are some of my notes from when I gave the fairy tale presentation at Kids Day last year:
Crafts:
Shadow box
Egg carton mancala (white stones -> Hansel and Gretel)
Dream catcher basket (lid)
Basket decorating (LRRH)
What’s in your basket? (sack) (LRRH, Soldier and Death)
Walnut shell beds and boats (Thumbelina and Tom Thumb)
Gingerbread Houses (Hansel and Gretel)
Gingerbread Men (The Gingerbread Man)
Tissue Paper Roses (Sleeping Beauty, Beauty and the Beast, Snow White & Rose Red)
Drop Spindle (Sleeping Beauty, Rumpelstiltskin)
Fractured Fairy Tales
Seed potting activity (as mentioned on the BB)
•Sunflowers (East of the Sun, West of the Moon)
•Moonflowers (same)
•Beans (Jack and the Beanstalk)
•Sweet Peas (Princess and the Pea)
•Rampion (a kind of lettuce- Rapunzel)
•Apple seeds (Snow White, Atalanta and the Golden Apples)
•Pumpkin seeds (Cinderella)
Snacks/no-cook recipes:
Baba Yaga’s Chicken Feet (or drumsticks), Three Little Pigs in a
Blanket, Hansel and Gretel’s Gingerbread House, Gingerbread Men,
Matzah Men, Beauty and the Beast’s Candied Rose Petals (or rose
flavored Turkish Delight), Little Red Riding Hood’s Picnic Basket
(boxed lunch), Little Mermaid’s Fish Sticks, Hansel and Gretel’s
Breadcrumb Stuffing, Goose That Laid the Golden Egg Salad (hardboiled
egg), Jack’s 3 Bean Salad, Princess and the Snow Pea (salad?), Snow
White’s Apple Pie (cobbler, cider, juice, apples, etc.), Snow White
& Rose Red Apples and Candied Rose Petals, Fox and the Grapes
I'll email you the full document (17 pages). Let me know if this is the direction you want to go in.
Also, I think the masked ball idea could work. If I remember right, ages 6-10 is approximately 1st grade to 4th grade? They should be able to easily decorate their own masks- I'd recommend ribbons to tie them on, especially for the younger children. Older children may enjoy carrying theirs on sticks.
I can do a full "consultation" for each theme if you like.
I have notes already for the following themes (keep in mind I've
been working on these as related to weddings, but most can adapt
to any kind of event):
CELTIC-Formal and Fae (Irish)
MEDIEVAL
ARTHURIAN
RENAISSANCE
MASQUERADE BALL
SEASIDE
FAIRY TALE
MARDI GRAS
FOREST
EVENING ELEGANCE
ALL THE GLITTERS
CIRCUS
CARNIVAL (See CIRCUS)
LITERARY- General
TEA
GARDEN
INNER CHILD
SODA SHOP AND DRIVE-IN
FOLKLORE
TRICKSTER
FANTASY
MINIATURE
MYTHICAL
MYTHOLOGICAL
FOLK
ROYAL
RITES OF SPRING
RITES OF SPRING- MAY DAY
RITES OF SPRING- MIDSUMMER
HOLIDAYS (other)
HOLIDAYS- RED, WHITE, & TRUE
HOLIDAYS- EVERLASTING EVERGREEN
HOLIDAYS- HONORING THE DEAD
SEASONAL- SUMMER
SEASONAL- FALL
SEASONAL- WINTER
SEASONAL- SPRING
SEASONS (general)
And these are some of the categories that might work for what you're planning:
INVITATIONS
ATTIRE
ACCESSORIES
FLOWERS
FAVORS
FOOD/BEVERAGE
MUSIC / ENTERTAINMENT
COLORS
DECORATIONS
OTHER
CHILDREN
BONUS-RECOMMENDED READING AND FILMS (to get into the theme planning mood)
I'm curious, you said this was for a story- is it an article or
fiction? Just curious.
Whoa, that ended up longer than I planned! I guess I have a lot
of notes on this kind of thing.
Kerrie
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Ron McCutchan
Unregistered User
(9/25/03 5:23 pm)
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The Party Handbook by Malcolm Bird and Alan Dart
This may be hard to find--I think it was a British book, and it's probably out of print, but Malcolm Bird and Alan Dart did an entire book of themed children's parties (not all necessarily fairy tale in nature), with costume, craft, activity, and food ideas (nicely illustrated by Malcolm).
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selkie
no
Registered User
(9/27/03 11:33 am)
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Successfull parties I have organised
ST. PATRICKS DAY
(for school class, 4th grade, with parents)
-room decorated in green
-kids told to wear green, or else they would get pinched by Leprachauns
-green food
-treasure hunt in the park for the candy-pot at the end of the rainbow
-I told several stories about St. Patrick, leprachauns, and also explained about the celebration of St. Patricks day in Ireland.
We chose this theme for the party because it was Mars, 15. Were I live we don`t celebrate St. Patricks day, so none of the kids had heard about it before, but they just loved it.
WITCH PARTY
(birthday party for girl, 10 years, 12 guests)
-room decoreated with spiders web, etc.
-guests dressed like witches
-witch food, I don`t remember what, but it looked ugly and tasted good
-I told some old Norwegian witch stories and a story about the Wittenberg school - the old times Hogwarth
-We went to the late night premiere show of "Harry Potter I" (dressed as witches, even the cold and dark walk to the movie theater was an adventure)
ALIEN PARTY
(birthday party for girl, 11 years, 14 guests)
-invitation written in Yoda-style
-guests told that there were no need to come desguised as human beings; dress as you would on your own plantet (result; 5 Amidalas, 2 Leias, 1 Luke, 1 Arwen (?). The rest various space creatures, some real creative)
-Make your own alien-contest; we just bought and collected all kinds of weird things that the kids could glue or stick together. This was a tremendes hit, you should seen the results. All the aliens was put on a table with a number on each. Kid brother was supposed to act as judge. He hadn`t been at home when the aliens were made, so we thought his verdict would be just. The number he picked was put in a sealed envelope that was open in true Oscar-style (a little muttering when it became clear to everyone that the judge had picked the number that was his age...)
-I told "true stories" about people being kidnapped by aliens
-watched "Men In Black I" on video. The video tape was after wards given as reward to the winner of the alien contest
Selkie
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Quinnlove
Registered User
(10/27/03 2:18 pm)
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Parties, oh yes please
I’m addicted to theme parties, and have thrown them approximately monthly throughout college. The most recent was our comic-book-character costume party, for which I dressed as Titania—thank you Mr Vess for your painting! Other highlights have included our Swingin’ New Year, complete with retro hors d’oeuvres, Mondo Exotica (tiki night), Interdependence Day (July 4th for the world-community-minded), Partylicious, et cetera. Several of them would be suitable for children-- I'm thinking especially of the Alice in Wonderland party a friend of mine gave her class, which had themed games, food, and everything and was hugely successful.
My personal favorite is, of course, my birthday party, which is annually billed as Quinn’s Star Party and is a cross-pollination of astronomy and Faerie. My father, an amateur astronomer, gives us a star show and lets us use his fancy telescopes, and we have sparkly attire and food. This year a friend of mine did body painting, and with the sparklers, candles, mirrors, and all, it was sufficiently glittery.
At any rate, I don’t want to bump this topic and then natter on for several pages, but Carrie, your e-mail’s not visible. If you're still working on the story, and you'd like me to e-mail you the list of themes and activities, decor, etc., drop me a note at the e-mail in my profile.
I'm planning to steal the St Agnes' Eve menu that Pamela Dean wrote about in Tam Lin for my graduation party this December. "Lucent syrups," hurrah!
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