Let me start by saying... children's parties require just as much work as a get-together for grown-ups! But they are alot of fun.
This weekend my big guy turned 4 - and we threw our first kid's party. That's 15 children and 15 adults!
My best recommendations...
An afternoon event. We held the party from 2-5pm, which alleviated the need to provide lunch, but allowed scope for yummy afternoon tea and other goodies. Mums and Dads could also enjoy a glass of wine or beer... which helped make it a social occasion for the grown-ups who were mostly all new to each other. AND you get the whole morning to get the house ready.
Reptiles and furry creatures! I didn't want to succumb to throwing an enormous extravagance for this party, but I did enlist the help of some wildlife to provide a little entertainment. For 45 minutes the children and the parents were enthralled with a hands-on experience with large lizards, snakes, turtles, frogs and possums. Well worth it!
Fruit on a Stick. This was an absolute hit... melon balls, grapes and pineapple chunks on bamboo skewers. The kids devoured them... a nice healthy treat before the sugar rush that came later.
The Pig's Trough. You may have seen my previous post on this fabulous set-up. This time it was my turn to throw together the mother of all ice-cream sundaes. Served up in a length of foil-lined guttering (yes, that's roof guttering... clean and new, and lined with aluminium foil) were two big tubs of neopolitan ice-cream, marshmallows, smarties, snakes, chocolate and strawberry toppings. The children were handed a spoon and gathered around two saw-horses... when we emerged with this 3 metre dessert, I couldn't tell whether the whoops of delight were louder from the grown-ups or the kids!! (Handy hint... a prepared stack of wet face-washers was very, very useful).
This weekend my big guy turned 4 - and we threw our first kid's party. That's 15 children and 15 adults!
My best recommendations...
An afternoon event. We held the party from 2-5pm, which alleviated the need to provide lunch, but allowed scope for yummy afternoon tea and other goodies. Mums and Dads could also enjoy a glass of wine or beer... which helped make it a social occasion for the grown-ups who were mostly all new to each other. AND you get the whole morning to get the house ready.
Reptiles and furry creatures! I didn't want to succumb to throwing an enormous extravagance for this party, but I did enlist the help of some wildlife to provide a little entertainment. For 45 minutes the children and the parents were enthralled with a hands-on experience with large lizards, snakes, turtles, frogs and possums. Well worth it!
Fruit on a Stick. This was an absolute hit... melon balls, grapes and pineapple chunks on bamboo skewers. The kids devoured them... a nice healthy treat before the sugar rush that came later.
The Pig's Trough. You may have seen my previous post on this fabulous set-up. This time it was my turn to throw together the mother of all ice-cream sundaes. Served up in a length of foil-lined guttering (yes, that's roof guttering... clean and new, and lined with aluminium foil) were two big tubs of neopolitan ice-cream, marshmallows, smarties, snakes, chocolate and strawberry toppings. The children were handed a spoon and gathered around two saw-horses... when we emerged with this 3 metre dessert, I couldn't tell whether the whoops of delight were louder from the grown-ups or the kids!! (Handy hint... a prepared stack of wet face-washers was very, very useful).
Lessons from my first Kid's Party...
Don't turn your back on your child and a pile of presents. Your sweet, polite darling is likely to succumb to a paper-ripping frenzy, encouraged on all sides by little friends proffering both their gifts and their assistance.
Don't bother going to too much trouble with food for the grown-ups, plates of cheese, olives and dips largely go to waste. Have good food for the kids, that the parent's can also enjoy.
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