Ideas needed for a Ratatouille bday party!

[Harmony]

Hello, just like the title says...I need some ideas for my (turning) 4 y/o's bday party! At first he wanted a Spiderman or Transformers theme but he's so young that I wasn't sure about it. After he saw the movie, he agreed that a Ratatouille party would be 'fun.' It also helps 'cause the other themes would automatically make it a bigger party than I had intended. (he had a huge party last year so I wanted to keep it simple this time around)

I plan on "baking" something with the kids. (probably just make cookies, depending on the amount of children that attend)

I'm buying 'chef' hats for each one.
I have a couple of ideas for games.

I need a few ideas for wording on the invitation. Plus, what kind of paper should I use? Here's what I have for the wording so far.

***************
Register for Ratatouille Cooking Class.

Come learn to be a top-notch chef. Learn some skills and bake some treats.

Kitchen: our location
Date: soon!
Time: not sure yet
Head Chef: DSon's name

***************

Any ideas? I'd really appreciate it!

 

[Daxx]

You could have a "Guess the snack" game where you blindfold kids and give them a taste of a food and they have to identify the food. Use things like doritos, oreos, olives, ranch dressing, bbq sauce, mustard, ketchup, tomato, pickle. a piece of ham, bologna, etc.

Wal-Mart had a huge supply of Ratatouille party things -- invites, plates, napkins, party hats, etc.

 

[momof2inPA]

You could have them all try ratatouille.

 

[clarabelle]

You could make the invitations shaped like cheese wedges or little chefs hats.
If you don't want that much trouble you could just put them on gray paper (mouse fur gray) or make them look like menus
It sounds like fun!!

 

[clarabelle]

You could make the invitations in "mock french" you know
Le Party
You could speak with a silly french accent

 

[clarabelle]

draw wiskers on their faces

 

[teacups]

Just some advice from a previous teacher... consider baking the cupcakes in advance and let the kids decorate them. (frosting with plastic knives, lots of sprinkles, m&m's, gummi worms etc.) If you want them to "cook" consider osmething with instant gratification, like punch. Measure various juices, sparkling waters, sliced fruits etc.)

Your ideas of chef hats is very cute!
Your invite could also be a hat too, that'd be cute. OR... your invite could be the cookbook from the movie, with some blank pages. They could get (pre printed and cut) recipes to glue into it at the party. Like, the punch and cupcakes they just had. (but they might forget to bring them to the party, so maybe not good.) Maybe cut a oven mit shape and slip an invite inside.

Party favors? You could go to the dollar store and buy mixing bowls and wooden spoons to use as the goodie bag!

I did not like the movie, but your party sounds like FUN!

Good luck!

 

[LuluLovesDisney]

You could make mouse/rat shaped cookies - just change the tail slightly.

CHOCOLATE MOUSE COOKIES

2/3 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup cocoa
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt

Cream butter, sugar and vanilla. Add eggs and remaining ingredients. Mix well. Chill 1/2 to 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Shape into mice and pinch one end together to form nose. Use shaved almonds for ears, mini chocolate chips for eyes and red licorice for tail.

Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes.

Note from source: I also shape this dough into Teddy Bears using 2 balls for body and two tiny balls for ears, hands and legs. Poke a hole in the top to put a ribbon through after they cool.

Source: Gabrielle Payne
From recipelink.com

You could have a miniature Eiffel tower centerpiece or even an Eiffel tower poster.

You could teach them a few French phrases - Bon appetit! Bonjour! Au Revoir! Delicieux! A votre sante! etc.

Decorate with (cardboard) cheese wedges and have a cheese and cracker platter.

You could always ask at the movie theater if they'll give you a Ratatouille poster. They only usually do that with old ones, though.

Serve nonalcoholic sparkling cider or sparkling lemonade (French "champagne") in plastic champagne glasses. (If old enough to hold one without spilling!)

Decorate cake as large cupcake or wedding type cake from movie with a plastic Remy sticking out OR as a large wedge of cheese or wheel of cheese (yellow icing, black gel "holes")

Any party games can be converted into Ratatouille - pin the tail on Remy or Emile perhaps? (It's easy to get some gray yarn/ribbon to make tails and pin in a poster)

You could do charades based on food or things you'd find in a kitchen.

You could decorate a cookie or an apron with fabric markers if you're going that route.

You could use red tablecloths and fake (LED) candles on a table to represent the restaurant.

Make a sign for the front door "La Ratatouille"

July 14 is Bastille day. Maybe you could find French flags or something like that around?

You could do a variation on a baby shower game (where everyone gets a clip and whoever says "baby" has to give their clip to the person who catches them saying it. The person with the most clips wins a prize) "Say cheese". Everyone gets a necklace or beret or napkin or some type of clip and no one can say cheese. If you catch anyone saying cheese you get their item. You always have the chance of catching someone and winning another item back.

Also -

http://www.allaboardtoys.com/ratatouille/

has lots of supplies and they have 10-50% off sale that ends TODAY.

This is a really cool idea and it's making me want a Ratatouille party!

 

[LuluLovesDisney]

Just some advice from a previous teacher... consider baking the cupcakes in advance and let the kids decorate them. (frosting with plastic knives, lots of sprinkles, m&m's, gummi worms etc.) If you want them to "cook" consider osmething with instant gratification, like punch. Measure various juices, sparkling waters, sliced fruits etc.)

Your ideas of chef hats is very cute!
Your invite could also be a hat too, that'd be cute. OR... your invite could be the cookbook from the movie, with some blank pages. They could get (pre printed and cut) recipes to glue into it at the party. Like, the punch and cupcakes they just had. (but they might forget to bring them to the party, so maybe not good.) Maybe cut a oven mit shape and slip an invite inside.

Party favors? You could go to the dollar store and buy mixing bowls and wooden spoons to use as the goodie bag!

I did not like the movie, but your party sounds like FUN!

Good luck!

Very good ideas!

I def. agree with the part about prebaking, too.

 

[1Prince2Princesses]

Party favors are easy... hit up the pet store and send each child home with their very own rat!

 

[kydisneyfans]

Recreate the kitchen scene and let 250 rats loose in your house. The kids will love it!!!!!!!

 

[Harmony]

You guys are so funny! I love the ideas though!

KyDisneyFans & 1Prince2Princesses: NO WAAAYYYYYYY! Watching that scene in the movie almost made me gag. I still am trying to figure out how a studio can make a successful "rat chef" movie.

Teacups: Doing the pre-baking if we do cupcakes. I like the punch idea.

Clarabelle: Easy to do! Yes! Does anyone have an idea of what kinds of "face paint" to use?

Momof2inPA: I'm actually thinking of making Ratatouille and sending them all home with a little bit. (it's not really a party type food and I don't know if many kiddos will like it)

Daxx: Definitely doing this one!

And Lulu...wow, thanks for so many great ideas! Love the red tablecloth and LED candles idea. (I even have some of those candles in the attic somewhere...hahaha)

Thanks so much everyone, my head is about to explode with ideas!!!!!!!!!