Kid's birthday parties Grrrr related

[disykat]

My kids were allowed to have up to the number of kids as their age and "friend" parties stopped at age 10. We usually had them at home. The only ones we went out we took them to a matinee, bowling, or miniature golfing then came home for cake, ice cream and presents. DH and I could handle that many kids in our two cars. It was much cheaper and I honestly think it was more fun to come home. I think the parties at most of the places are too chaotic. No one watches the birthday child open their gifts, no one really eats anything, etc.

 

[marcyinPA]

My rule of thumb is you invite as many kids as your child's age. So if he's 8, then you have 8 friends.

One of the best parties my DS7 ever had was the one we had right here in our back yard! (he's a May b-day, so it works for us weather-wise). It was the year he turned 6, so he had 6 friends. We went to the park down the street from our house for about an hour. Then we came back to our house, made pirate treasure chests out of tiny wooden chests I bought at A.C. Moore. We used glitter glue and gems. After that, we had cake, ice cream and presents, and then the parents came. I had them pick up the kids in two hours. They brought home their treasure chest as a party favor. They had a blast.

Another idea is to have the entire party at a park or playground. One of my friends did this for her son, and they had a blast. She ordered happy meals for all of the children (they gave their order ahead of time) and her DH went to pick them up. After they ate and played, they had cupcakes instead of traditional cake. The party favors were frisbees, playground balls, etc. They played with them during the party, and then everyone got something to take home. It really was great!!

Marcy

 

[marcyinPA]

Oh, and we've also gone to WDW for our kids birthdays. That is their party AND their gift!! If I gave them the option of WDW or a party with your friends, I gaurantee they'd choose WDW!! LOL

 

[taximomfor4]

Thank goodness my kids are still young for this type of thing (they are just turned 4 and 2). I can't imagine spending more than $100 or inviting more than 10 or so kids even when the kids are older...Dh and I have large families so even if we only invite immediate family - its about 45 or so people (we have 11 siblings combined, 8 bil/sil's, 24 nieces/nephews, 3 parents, 1 grandparent). So we don't even invite all our own families to all birthday parties (only the 'big' ones - only when they turned 1 and for their Christening so far).

I'm liking some of the ideas posted here though - combining with another friend and 'splitting' the party is great. Also the 'you choose - a party or a present' - LOVE that idea!!! I hope I remember these in a few years when the kids start asking...Or if they really want a more expensive party - just keep the numbers down - only 5 friends if really expensive, 10 if moderate, etc. You guys have great ideas!

All I've ever planned on doing even when I let them invite friends is some sort of games and party bags and order a pizza. OR maybe let 2 or 3 friends sleep over for a 'movie night'.

Question for you - did any of you parents have birthday parties while growing up? I'm just wondering if i'm weird because of my upbringing - I really only had one 'friend' party - when I turned 16 and that was only like 6 or 10 friends. Other than that year - I was allowed to have a friend or two sleep over. I guess my family's never been big on birthdays.

I had one big sleepover at age 16. (Like 5 or 6 girls slept over). We watched movies, ordered pizza, and had cake. Stayed up really late watching movies, btw. Good question!

Our family is not huge, but there are a lot of kids' birthdays, lol. So the tradition has been to NOT invite family also.
Oh, and to add to the Party or Gift choice thingy, if my older dd picks gifts, she can still have a friend sleep over, just not doing a "party."

 

[ceecee]

We did Build A Bear for 10 girls (I set a $15.00 limit) BAB was new in the area and no one had heard of it and most girls didn't have a bear so they were happy with it. We did a party at a movie theatre $10.00 a girl (movie, popcorn, drink and party room w/helper for 0ne hour). Gymnastic center party was only $60.00 for 12 and it included a room for cake and presents and a coach to help the kids. The bowling alley does them for around $50.00 for 10, but we haven't done that. Last year she wanted a Spa Sleepover for her best friends only...I still spent over $150.00 with all the food and supplies. This year DD has decided instead of a party she wants to go to American Girl Place in Chicago.

 

[CJMZ]

Before my daughter started Kindergarten, we always had a family picnic at home and I also invited my friends with their kids - it varied from 40-60 guests per year. It averaged about $250.00 - $350.00 with all of the drinks, papergoods, food, cake and dessert (I am Italian, and always have lots of food - lol). Some years I rented a Moon Walk for the day, which was an additional $150.00.
When she got to Kindergarden, we just invited her classmates and had her party at the Local Zoo, which included pizza, drinks and cake, free admission for the guest and a parent for the day, and a personal encounter with one of the animals (iguana) in the Zoo Classroom(extra
That cost $250.00 for 20 children and a parent each.
This year, she asked if she could have an "old-fashion" birthday at home, so I am planning a pool party at the end of the month. We have only been to a couple of other "home parties", most people seem to have them outside the home - we have been to the following - Mini Golf, YMCA Pool Party, Pizza Party with Magician and Face Painting, Ceramics, Duck Pin Bowling, Movie Party, Chuck E Cheese, Local Park, Hair and Nails Party, Sandy Deck, Timber Town, Childrens Musuem, Tea with Mrs. Claus, Gymnastics Party, Dancing Party (at a dancing school), Victorian Tea Party, Extreme Indoor Sports with Lazer Tag, Video Arcade/Amusement Center, BUild a Bear and I am sure of others I can't seem to think of now.
It seems like having the party at home is alot of work, I know it is for me, we go around like maniacs the weeks before, trying to get everything in the home "done". Last year was a nice break for me.

 

[jenr812]

What about the YMCA pool? We're members, but non-members can book parties also for $20 more. We're paying $85 for up to 25 kids at the indoor pool. If you have more than 25 kids or want an extra lifeguard, it's an extra $20. Since my son is just turning 4, I'm paying for the extra lifeguard anyway, for peace of mind. I provide chips, drinks, and cake (the party's after lunch but before dinner ) and fun but cheap goody bag items.

My DD(almost 13) and DS(7) had their parties at the YMCA pool last year and DS(who will be 4 in a few weeks) has been DYING to have his there as well. This will be his first "friend" party and his first party somewhere other than home. In the past few months, he has been to a pool party at a neighborhood pool (subdivision pool), a farm party (kids got to feed the cows and chickens, took a hayride, play on kid-sized farm equipment, etc), and a party at someone's house.

Up til I started nursing school, we always had the kids' parties at our house. Now I just don't want to deal with the cleaning before and after LOL But wouldn't you know - DD12 and DS7 both want their parties at home this year LOL I can't win!

Have fun!

 

[Julia M]

I did a science birthday party for ds when he turned 8. It was pretty cool. Here are some things to do:

Chemical Lab:
Ooze
Need 3/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup water
Mix together. Add green food coloring to look like ooze.
Is it a solid or a liquid?
Both water and cornstarch (one liquid one solid) have long and floppy molecules allowing them to take on different shapes. Gravity or you can pull on the molecules.

SLIME (need: cups, Popsicle sticks, glue, water and borax)
Need the following per child.
1sturdy disposable cup
Popsicle stick
2 oz white glue
2 oz water
Put both the glue and water in cup and mix up.
Mix together 1 1/2 teaspoons borax per each 1/2 cup water.
Add 2 oz of this mix to each child's cup. Have them stir, it will instantly began to cling together.
What happens?
Glue molecules are long and stringy. Borax hooks them together.


Electric Lab
Static Electricity (need: balloons, aluminum soda can)
1. Have them blow up their balloons and rub them in their hair to make their hair rise with the electricity.
2. Set soda can on a hard surface so it can roll. Use one of the rubbed balloons and move it closer to the can. Does it move the can?
3. Will the rubbed balloon stick to a wall?
Why?
Molecules are charged (+ and -). Normally, the amounts equal each other, they are neutral or have no charge. When one type moves, it makes electricity. Objects with the opposite charge will be attracted to each other. Objects with the same charge will move apart.

A Shocking Experience
Need one per child,
1 penny
1 lemon
1 paper clip
Cut slit 1/4 inch in to the lemon to fit the penny, then another for the paperclip, close to but not touching the penny. Let the kids touch their tongues to each of the metals. Can they feel the electricity?
What the heck happened?
The child's tongue serves as a bridge to allow electricity to flow in a complete circuit or cycle.


Motion
Falling Coin (or why we need to wear our seat belts)
Need:
1 glass
1 index card
1 coin
Place card over glass evenly. Place coin in center.
Flick the card end with your finger to send it flying. What happens to the coin? It should fall into the glass.
What's going on?
The Law of Inertia: An object in motion will tend to stay in motion, while the object at rest will tend to stay at rest. This is why we wear seatbelts...if a car we rode in were to stop suddenly, we would go flying.

It's a Gas
Suck an Egg into a Jar
Need:
1 hard boiled egg, peeled and at room temperature
1 narrow top jar (most baby food jars work well)
HOT water
Show the children how the egg will not fit into the jar on it's own.
Now, fill the jar with the hot water for 2-3 minutes. Pour this out and set the egg on the opening. The egg will end up inside the jar.
What's happening:
Hot air expands and takes up space. When the jar begins to cool, the air inside cools. This cooler air contracts, pulling down, while the outside air pushes down. The egg is sucked into the jar.

Geodesic gumdrop structures. Make geometric structures with gumdrops and toothpicks.

Favors:
glow in the dark reptile
some pop rocks candy
a glow-lite necklace
slime they made
gumdrop structures (make up two baggies with toothpicks and gumdrops to make at home....can also use marshmallows)

HTH

Julia

 

[grlpwrd]

Thanks for great ideas. Julia M, I am going to file those recipes and ideas for future use ... thanks!

We have 5 kids and we mostly have big friends-only parties every few years, not every year. That way it won't break the bank (lol). It is certainly nice to have it somewhere else where we don't do all the work so it's sometimes worth it.

We also have a tradition of celebrating each birthday for the week, not just for the day, so it feels more special, especially without a friend-only party that year.

 

[woodysgrl]

A friend of mine had an ice cream party for her son at home one
year and the kids are still talking about it !!

She bought a new piece of straight gutter, like on your house, washed
it out and had the kids make the biggest sundae they ever saw. She had
it sitting on sawhorses I think, but I can't remember that detail.
Each child had their own spoon and just dug in.

After, they played in the yard with random toys, sprinklers etc.

 

[FSUDisneyGirl]

Thought I'd add some parties that I had as a kid!

I loved sleepovers as a girl...had them almost every year from when I was 9-14? of course, at 9 it was different than at 14. i think one of the best money ideas is to give your kids a budget. for younger kids, give them an item number limit. for example;

3 bottles of soda
2 bags of chips
one dip
2 types of candy
etc...this way, they get to be involved, and if they shop with you they see how much stuff you are actually buying for the party.

when i was younger my mom always planned a craft to do...

once we all got teddy bears, and had cloth, little staw hats, lace, etc to decorate and make outfits. i think this was maybe my 9th birthday...we still have a picture and we all look so happy holding up our bears i think she bought the bears on sale at a craft store, and bought cheap lace/ribbon/fabric from clearance sections...we thought it was so fun desiging the outfits that we didnt care what the fabric looked like!

one year we did hair bows...you took a piece of plastic, folded it over, hot glued two sides, we all filled the plastic with sequins/beads/etc, then the adults glued the last side, i think gathered the center with a bow, and glued a barette thing to the back.

we also put on shows and made up dances, just for fun. i think the american idol idea is great, but maybe switch it around a bit so the more shy girls don't feel left out...have a movie making party, give the kids stuff for costumes (goodwill) and they can use props from around the house. they could also do a play, and you could give all of the parents a time to come back so the kids have an audience.

just some ideas...i've seen them all work well! of course, i think one of my faves was when i turned 15...i told my mom no presents, i just want to go to disney! well we did it very cheaply and i was able to bring a friend for a day....so fun!

i also had gymnastics birhday parties...those were really cool too! whatever your child wants to do, there are ways to do it on a budget (i've realized this while working a summer camp!) have fun!

 

[Pixiedust34]

We keep our parties pretty simple. When the kids were young, we had them in the backyard. Now we have them at the pool. We get a few pizzas and a cake, and the kids swim. One year we make tie dye shirts at the pool party, and that was a big hit.

Another thing--my kids have August birthdays. When they were young, they had individual parties. Now they happily share a party day. They have the same group of friends, and we'd invite the same people to both parties anyway. My kids like it because they have the same friends, and it's easier for our guests to attend 1 party instead of 2 back-to-back. That's another way I keep it simple--I throw 1 party for both kids. I get a "neutral" cake (a theme they both like) and this year ds is having a lot of pirate plates/decorations and dd is having a lot of Tink plates/decorations. We've done a shared party for the past couple of years and it's been going well for us. On our kids' actual birthdays, we celebrate with the 4 of us at home as an individual special day for each child.

What gets me about parties nowadays are the goodie bags. I just don't get the whole goodie bag concept. When I was a kid, I don't remember goodie bags being distributed at every party. Maybe we brought home a balloon or something like that, but I can't remember getting loads of candy and cheap toys for attending someone's birthday party. A good goodie bag can cost a small fortune.

 

[zurgswife]

At age 8, i'd hand him and his friends super soakers and let them go at it. I have 4 kids ages 15, 13,12 and 9 I think I have done parties at an organized place may be 5 times. We have done pick 4 or 5 friends and go to the movies a few times. But mostly it is cake ice cream and playing at our house. Nobody has ever complained before or after that it was boring.

 

[formernyer]

My kids' birthdays are one year plus one day apart (they're 9 and 10 now). Most years we've had joint parties to save money, but it also means throwing HUGE parties since they are for two kids (boy and girl). Until they reached 4/5 we had the parties at our house, but once they were getting older the convenience of not having 20 kids and a gigantic mess at the house became more attractive. Here are the parties we've had...

4/5 - Shoney's. Most Shoney's restaurants have a separate party room with door. I called about a week before the party and reserved the party room. I told them it would be about 20 kids and they would all be ordering off of the children's menu. I also asked if it would be possible for the Shoney Bear to make an appearance (they sometimes have somebody dress up as a Bear during weekend breakfast hours, so I knew they had the costume and figured it was worth asking). The restaurant was VERY accommodating with the entire request and said they would try to get somebody to dress up in the bear costume if the restaurant wasn't too busy. We brought in our own cakes. I also brought a simple craft for the kids to do while they were waiting for their food so that they wouldn't feel the need to run around wild in the restaurant. This party was a BARGAIN!. The kids' meals ranged in price from $2.49 to $2.99 and they included drinks in a take-home souvenier cup. The hostess brought in free pitchers of soft drinks for the adults. The Shoney Bear showed up for more than 30 minutes (a huge surprise) and brought balloons and candy for the kids. The total bill for all 20 kids came to around $60 including tax. I tipped the hostess $20 and the Shoney Bear $10.

5/6 and 6/7 - YMCA Pool Party. We are non-members, but this was still a great deal even with the non-member upcharge. We had 30 minutes in the game room, 30 minutes in the party room, and one hour in the pool (which really isn't enforced if the kids want to swim longer). The cost was $75 for the first 20 kids and $2 per additional child. We brought cakes and soft drinks from home. They provide generic "party theme" paper goods which are perfectly suitable unless you're really set on having a special theme.

7/8 - Sleepovers at home. Both kids wanted separate parties this year (understandable since they are boy/girl). I said they could either invite 4 kids out to the movies and then go out for ice cream, or they could have a sleepover for up to 8 kids. They both opted for the sleepover parties, which was fine by me since it was the cheaper option. We had my daughter's party on Friday night and my son's party on Saturday. For the girls' "entertainment" we made cookies. We mixed up a huge batch of sugar cookie dough, then I let them shape/decorate them any way they wanted. This was a BIG hit! The boys' entertainment was being able to play outside after it got dark. They played glow frisbee (clear frisbees with glow sticks wrapped around them), and when they got tired of that they played flashlight tag.

8/9 - No party. The kids asked if we could make a trip to Build-a-Bear instead of having a party this year and we agreed.

9/10 - Roller Skating. The kids really, really, really wanted a roller skating party. They are soooooo expensive, so I shopped around for the best option (which was expensive, but not really as bad as it could have been). I managed to get a package that took place during the open skating session. It was basically just open skate, plus 30 minutes in the party room, one slice of pizza, drink, and 4 game tokens for each kid. We brought our own cakes from home. The birthday kids are also allowed to go into the "flying cash" machine where they grab flying tickets with numbers on them. The numbers get added up and that's how many extra prize tickets (the kids you get when you play games with tokens) the birthday kids get to redeem. By doing the party during open skate instead of private or semi-private it cost us $125 for 20 kids instead of over $200.

 

[Ali]

You know, the problem I have run into with going to an outside party place like McDonalds, ChuckE Cheese, or mini golf is that you have to pay for the number of kids you invite in advance, and then no one RSVPs or shows up. My DS5 had a Park rented pavillon party in March and we invited everyone in his PRe-K class (18), other friends (10), and family kids (5) and only 3 kids from his Pre-K class showed up. There was another party the same day for a girl in his class and it was scheduled to end 1 hour before our party started, and we brought our son since we felt bad they had scheduled the party on the same day as we did. Only 1 other child showed up at a McDonalds party that was paid for 30 kids. So I won't ever do a paid in advance party for the kids around us because the parents are inconsiderate and don't rsvp or if they do they don't show up.

Maybe you have a better response then we do.

 

[nbodyhome]

Birthday parties don't have to cost a lot - noone is making you go to anywhere particular.

I'd set a limit, and give your kid some options - lets say it's $100.00. They can either have 20 kids at home for ice cream, whatever. Or maybe 8 kids for a matinee and fast-food. Or maybe 3 other kids for something nicer. One friend for a ball game. Or, they can just have the $100 and buy something with it.

It doesn't matter how much it is - $20, $50, $100 - set a limit, have a few options, and let them decide what they want to do.

 

[Becky2005]

Question for you - did any of you parents have birthday parties while growing up? I'm just wondering if i'm weird because of my upbringing - I really only had one 'friend' party - when I turned 16 and that was only like 6 or 10 friends. Other than that year - I was allowed to have a friend or two sleep over. I guess my family's never been big on birthdays.

This is where DH & I have biggest differences. We always had birthday parties up until about age 12-13 then that was it. DH I think had 1 birthday party in his entire life. He doesn't think our kids need parties. I DO (at least through elementary school), so he always thinks it's a waste of money for any type of party. I don't start the kid parties though until Kindergarten. Before that it's just the family (and we don't have a big family). So basically they get 6-7 real parties and then it's just invite a 1 or 2 friends over to go out to do something but not an official party.

I have done home parties in the past -- I think the most I had was 18 girls here. HOWEVER, for my boys -- it's just worth it for me to pay the money and have it elsewhere (maybe not so much for my 6 year old -- he's fairly calm and does have a May birthday). I was able to have the 18 girls here and basically have it under control. I had my 9 year old's 7th birthday here with only about 6 kids and it was a zoo. After that, we do other venue parties now for the boys. By the time I buy the decorations and everything else, it's about the same cost. We have done mini-golf, roller-skating there is a place that has a play room and it's $10/kid -- maximum allowed is 12, min. 6. That is the one I always do for their first kid party because I don't usually know the parents that well then and not sure they would be comfortable having the kids stay at our house.

I will be doing a big one for DD next year because she's turning 13. She has always wanted a pool party, her birthday is in March so that isn't going to happen (not in Chicago anyway! There is likely to be snow). I was looking into renting our park district pool in the summer and it's a bit pricey but not overly so considering we can invite 100 people for the basic cost. That one will be a friends & family party (usually when we do kid parties, we don't invite the family too, just the kids).

I do like the idea of making the ice cream sundaes at home. That is something that could easily be done and since it's summertime could be done outside. For that matter, you could actually MAKE ice cream as part of the party.

One game that is the biggest hit with my kids is a scavenger/treasure hunt. I usually make up clues and they have to find items. It's the one item they are always requesting to play each year.

 

[summerrluvv]

You know, the problem I have run into with going to an outside party place like McDonalds, ChuckE Cheese, or mini golf is that you have to pay for the number of kids you invite in advance, and then no one RSVPs or shows up. My DS5 had a Park rented pavillon party in March and we invited everyone in his PRe-K class (18), other friends (10), and family kids (5) and only 3 kids from his Pre-K class showed up. There was another party the same day for a girl in his class and it was scheduled to end 1 hour before our party started, and we brought our son since we felt bad they had scheduled the party on the same day as we did. Only 1 other child showed up at a McDonalds party that was paid for 30 kids. So I won't ever do a paid in advance party for the kids around us because the parents are inconsiderate and don't rsvp or if they do they don't show up.

Maybe you have a better response then we do.

That is my biggest pet peeve...people who do not have the courtesy to RSVP. Places around here won't charge you up front for how many people you anticipate coming, but they do have a minimum. McDonalds is 7, so if 5 show up, you pay for 7. I told them upon booking that 20 kids would be coming and it's a good thing I didn't have to pay for 20 up front because only about 13 showed up that time.

 

[Deebo]

A friend of mine had an ice cream party for her son at home one
year and the kids are still talking about it !!

She bought a new piece of straight gutter, like on your house, washed
it out and had the kids make the biggest sundae they ever saw. She had
it sitting on sawhorses I think, but I can't remember that detail.
Each child had their own spoon and just dug in.

After, they played in the yard with random toys, sprinklers etc.

Your friend had the right idea-- low key but creative and lots of fun!! Good for them!!

I know I will probably get flamed for this, but why have kid birthday parties turned into events that cost several hundred dollars? The good old cake and ice cream parties that we had when I was a kid don't seem to cut it with kids these days. Are they born that way, or have they been indulged into that way of thinking? At this rate, when these kids are old enough to get married, no one will be able to afford a wedding that will please them. Just my 2 cents worth, not a personal attack. Everyone should do what makes him/her happy.

 

[hsmamato2]

Y
I know I will probably get flamed for this, but why have kid birthday parties turned into events that cost several hundred dollars? The good old cake and ice cream parties that we had when I was a kid don't seem to cut it with kids these days. Are they born that way, or have they been indulged into that way of thinking? At this rate, when these kids are old enough to get married, no one will be able to afford a wedding that will please them. Just my 2 cents worth, not a personal attack. Everyone should do what makes him/her happy.

Thank you for saying that! Too many kids today have such an entitlement complex, if the candy's not expensive enough,or they want a bouncer,not just a game of tag or b-ball,etc, the list could go on, and there are always 1 or 2 kids at every party we attend where they have a fit at what's in the goody bag, and mummy rushes up,and asks the host to give little darling the___ ...whatever it is they wanted... that drives me nuts!And the host does...
I guess \I'm the mean exception when I hand the kids a candy bag, I announce,"if you have a problem with this bag, I'm not going to change it. Bring it to your parent"- so the 1 or 2 whiners in the bunch have to live with it... and then i don't invite the whiners again...like I said,I'm the mean parent...