Ideas for outdoor bday party in December in Virginia

[herewegodisney]

Hi everyone,
Last year we threw the birthday party for my four-year-old at a kids' gym. We really loved it, but I'd like to get away from doing that because we have two kids and I think it's just too pricey.

My house is small and my daughter has a bunch of friends and we like to include younger siblings, too. There is no way to fit them all in here! I'm thinking about having a party in the afternoon at a nearby park. I know it will be cold, but I figure we all get outside regularly with our kids anyway.

My ideas are to have a winter-themed party with hot chocolate, cookie decorating, maybe cutting out paper snowflakes. Do you guys have any suggestions. I think we'll have a pavilion with picnic tables. We'll be very nearby and field and playground equipment.

I'd like some suggestions!

Thanks,

 

[TheLittleRoo]

Well, how about an outdoor ice rink? I think there's on in Reston and another in Ashburn. My DD's birthday is in January, so I know what you're talking about with the weather.

I don't know if I'd bank on the weather being not just cold, but nasty too. If my DD was the least bit sick, I'd keep her home from an outdoor party at that time of year. Just my $0.02 worth...

 

[KristiKelly]

I agree with the above poster, the weather could be nasty. I have a DD with a Dec. b'day as well. This year only family will celebrate her b'day and she has decided to have her party in June or July at the pool. As it gets closer to her birthday she might change her mind but that is the plan for now.

Have you considered a church with a gym or reformation hall. We've been to a few b'day parties and the kids play basketball or do different types of crafts and games and still have plenty of room to run and play on the playground if the weather is nice. Most churches, I think, don't charge but would be nice to give a donation.

 

[ChelleinNC]

My gut reaction is that little kids won't last very long in the cold. They probably won't be able to cut out snowflakes if they're wearing gloves. At 4, when I didn't want all of DS's friends in the house for a party, we did a McDonalds party. It's a lot cheaper, you only pay for the kids "invited" to the party but siblings can go run around on the playset as well.

 

[urgoinagain?]

Maybe if you had a couple of warm up tents? (camping tents with some kind of heater)

 

[MommytoaSweetie]

I also vote that the weather could be bad (not just cold), and it would be hard to predict with much notice. You never know, it could be crazy warm and nice, but you probably wouldn't know about that until at least a week before the party. Some ideas we've thought of for our daughter for future years (she'll celebrate her 2nd in January so we're still new with this!) are an indoor pool party/rec center party, build-a-bear, ice skating, gymboree, and when she gets a little older (and probably without friends), skiing. BUT, those are all much pricier than I'd like to spend on a birthday party every year. Ooh, or what about getting a cabin nearby (at a park - there are some close to us, but I don't know what part of VA you're looking for) that has a fireplace and you could rent it for the night so you and your family could have a sleepover after the party there? I do really like the winter wonderland idea. Urgh, it so all depends on the weather... some Decembers, the park & playground idea would be great, others would just be freezing.

 

[dizkids]

If you were to have it outside and it is cold/damp I agree with others that they wont last long. Its always a hard call when it comes to mother nature.

You mentioned inviting younger siblings. If you were only to invite the one child with no younger siblings could you possibly fit in your own yard. Keep the outdoor winterwonderland theme and have the house as a back up for chilly weather.

 

[TheLittleRoo]

Another party theme we've kept in our back pocket is a hotel party. We haven't done this yet, but the idea is to get two adjoining rooms, invite no more than 6 girls, get one of the mom friends to chaperone with me, and let the girls swim in the indoor pool, and have a sleep-over 'hotel style' with fingernail/toenail painting, silly girl stuff, etc.

You could also just rent a single hotel room and have a small group of kids join you as a hotel guest at the hotel pool, and then only your family actually spends the night at the hotel. That could be had for less than $100, esp since hotels traditionally offer lower rates over the weekend.

 

[CajunDixie]

Sometimes it's just better to limit the party to a few close friends and take them somewhere. Do you have a local zoo or children's museum that holds private parties? Or a local pizza place that has a private room. Or maybe a craft store that has kid craft classes.

 

[eeyorefan74]

Along the lines of the hotel parties PP's mentioned, some hotels will let you reserve the indoor pool for a party. DD went to one in December at a Holiday Inn Express and the kids had a wonderful time. They thought it was so neat to swim in December.