need ideas for goody bag...

[princesses2]

DD invited 25 kids to her birthday party. I can't spend a lot of money on goody bags right now with Xmas and all so I need some great deals or ideas. I usually have 1 toy and some candies for goody bag. I read in an earlier thread about doggy daycare for 1.48. would be great if I can get my hands on 25 of them! but I doubt I will. So has anyone else seen any other great deals?

 

[TnTWalter]

First, you don't really need goody bags. It drives me crazy that we spend good money on a party, cake & we entertain the kids and then have to give them goody bags. Yikes. So, skip it if money's tight. 2nd, 25 kids, are you insane? ;o) I have a headache thinking about it.

That said, here's some links from Oriental Trading Company [I love that store].

How about a rubber bracelet for each kid...they're popular and cool....and $5 for 2 dozen! Just hope at least 1 kid doesn't show up.
http://www.orientaltrading.com/otcw.../browse/categoryForward.jsp?categoryId=342856


Friendship bracelets $3 per dozen...
http://www.orientaltrading.com/otcw.../browse/categoryForward.jsp?categoryId=342856

I love the idea of an activity at the party that they then take home with them. It's fun and kills some time and they are happy with the goody instead of just throwing it away later...

Butterfly Photo Frame
http://www.orientaltrading.com/otcw.../browse/categoryForward.jsp?categoryId=342846

Color your own fuzzy bookmarks... $3 per dozen
http://www.orientaltrading.com/otcw.../browse/categoryForward.jsp?categoryId=342839

Door Hangers $5 per dozen
http://www.orientaltrading.com/otcw...bmatchallpartial&Ntt=door+hangers&N=0&Ntk=all

Sun Catcher Kit
http://www.orientaltrading.com/otcw.../browse/categoryForward.jsp?categoryId=342841

You could browse Oriental Trading Company for more ideas...

Here's a link to a good discussion about inexpensive alternatives.
http://parents.berkeley.edu/advice/birthdays/goodie_alt.html

Good luck.
Trish

 

[Karel]

How is she and her friends?

I agree with TNTW> Don't worry about gift bags. If anyone has a problem with that, they'll get over it

 

[ntburns22]

My DD has gone to her first kids parties this school year and she has only came home with some candy from all the parties.

 

[jkmmah]

Goodie bags drive me crazy, too! I can't stand to spend money on junk that I figure most parents will toss in the trash, anyway.

Here's what I did for my dd's 7th birthday---I had baked simple sugar cookies and tinted vanilla frosting a few different colors to match the theme of her party (ocean, dolphins). Shortly before the party was to end I had all the kids come decorate their own cookie however they liked. Then I bagged the cookie up in a small, brown paper bag and sent it home with them as their souvenier.

 

[Tamis3girls]

Goody bags drive me nuts, for the most part I have stopped doing them. I usually do something fun or crafty at the party and they will have something to take home. Some ideas I have done.....but my older daughter's bday was in May and we didn't have a ton of snow
we
Tie-dyed shirts (make sure you have big shirts the kids can wear over top)
Planted flowers in a clay pot and let them decorate the clay pot.
Make picture frames

 

[digskat]

I got my daughter's friend a gift card to Claire's $5 each. They thought that was great. I bought my son and his friend a $5 Walmart card. A friend of ours bought them all a pass to the local theatre. With 25 kids you may end up spending a bundle on little things. Has everyone RSVP'd???

 

[can'twait]

I agree, Oriental Trading rocks. I usually order enough to get free shipping and end up with enough stuff for at least two parties, so I don't have to order again and pay shipping for the next party. If you buy the "assortments" and are not picky about a theme, you can get a large amount of paper blowers, pencils, beach balls and other items for a lot less than the regular price, and you will definitely have enough for several parties. I have one boy and one girl so I buy stuff that can be used for parties for either of them.

We just had my DD8's party this weekend. This is what was in the bags, all from OT, purchased in August for DS5's

We put everything in paper rainbow colored bags
1 paper blower
1 pencil
1 note pad (rainbow colored)
1 small beach ball
1 small plastic slinky (rainbow colored)

I also bought a large carton of ring pops at Costco because my kids love them, so we put one of those in each bag too. I can't stand it when people give a lot of candy. One candy item is enough! Sometimes I give snack size pouches of Teddy Grahams or Goldfish instead of candy.

If you don't have time to order from OT, there must be a CVS or dollar store where you can get small boxes of crayons, activity books, memo pads and glue sticks. I've done that too. The kids are just happy to get something, it doesn't have to be crazy. I would like to do away with goodie bags but everyone does them, so I would be afraid of a riot!

 

[sandiegosusie]

DD invited 25 kids to her birthday party. I can't spend a lot of money on goody bags right now with Xmas and all so I need some great deals or ideas. I usually have 1 toy and some candies for goody bag. I read in an earlier thread about doggy daycare for 1.48. would be great if I can get my hands on 25 of them! but I doubt I will. So has anyone else seen any other great deals?

Do you have a theme for the party? Example: Princess, dress-up, tea party? Depending on the age of the kids attending, I would try Dollar Tree...Best bet. Have a few cool "winners" gifts if your having games instead of goodie bags with a bunch of yucky stuff. You could always do the old guess how many (gumballs, M&Ms are in the jar) the jar could be the prize. Good luck with that one...I did an entire class party for both of my boys...Pirate party for one, safari for the other. Way cool, but a lot of work!!

 

[KLAIT]

I always worried about goodie bags too, but what I did this past year was a homemade pinata and bought 1 bag of fillers and then added 1 bag of good candy. What they collected as they broke the pinata they put into a small paper lunch bag that they decorated earlier in the party. With making my own Pinata and buying the candy, it cost less than $10.00.

We then played simple games that everyone was a winner....we did an obstacle race that when the kids finished they received a "medal" again, you could make them but I found packages of 8 for 1.99 at a party store..the kids were really proud of their medals and wore them the whole party. We did an airplane toss into a hula hoop and everyone who made it got a prize...simple little things that you can buy in bulk...very cheap.

Between everyone getting a few goodies from the pinata and their ribbons with metals, they were more than happy plus they had fun winning them instead of just receiving the bag

Good luck.

 

[MEM]

DD invited 25 kids to her birthday party. I can't spend a lot of money on goody bags right now with Xmas and all so I need some great deals or ideas. I usually have 1 toy and some candies for goody bag. I read in an earlier thread about doggy daycare for 1.48. would be great if I can get my hands on 25 of them! but I doubt I will. So has anyone else seen any other great deals?

As the others have said, we need more information. Age(s) of the children and party theme if any. I personally like the challenge of putting together a wonderful goody bag for little money but admit that DD9 and DS11 have been to many parties where the contents of the bags were junk. I love Oriental Trading and if all 25 kids show up, that would be the most cost-effective place to buy the goody bag items.

The idea of a craft they can make and take is an excellent one - depending on the ages of the children, you might consider a craft that Martha Stewart demonstrated last night on her show. A paperwhite narcissus bulb forcing kit - basically a glass jar filled with pebbles topped with a few bulbs, covered with burlap and twine. Would give the kids something to care for and wait for over the winter.

I can give you more ideas if I have more info...

 

[princesses2]

bit more info. DD turns 6. party is at Painted Penguin where the kids pick out an item to paint and take home. I'm aiming for no more than $3.00/goody bag. I like the craft ideas as it will go with the party theme. I recently came across Oriental Trading scrapbooking catalog but threw it away. I'll have to look on line. Does anyone have any discount codes for Oriental Trading? Thanks for all the great info/advice. I'll definitely have to cut down on the list next year!

 

[Kellydelly]

bit more info. DD turns 6. party is at Painted Penguin where the kids pick out an item to paint and take home. I'm aiming for no more than $3.00/goody bag. I like the craft ideas as it will go with the party theme. I recently came across Oriental Trading scrapbooking catalog but threw it away. I'll have to look on line. Does anyone have any discount codes for Oriental Trading? Thanks for all the great info/advice. I'll definitely have to cut down on the list next year!

If the kids get to pick an item and paint it and take it home, why bother with goody bags? I really don't care for them and the junk that comes home with my kids from them. If money is tight, why waste another $75 on goody bags? I'd rather spend that money on my own kids. It sounds like you already have a nice party planned without bothering with them.

 

[shades]

bit more info. DD turns 6. party is at Painted Penguin where the kids pick out an item to paint and take home. I'm aiming for no more than $3.00/goody bag. I like the craft ideas as it will go with the party theme. I recently came across Oriental Trading scrapbooking catalog but threw it away. I'll have to look on line. Does anyone have any discount codes for Oriental Trading? Thanks for all the great info/advice. I'll definitely have to cut down on the list next year!

It sounds like you already have the main item for your gift bags - their painted item. I agree with most of the other posters, though - I hate gift bags. My daughter is 13 and thank goodness, gift bags are in the past! Nothing was more frustrating than when my daughter would go to the first birthday party of the school year and that party set the "standard" for everybody else with an expensive goody bag. I like the decorated cookie idea, though. When my daughter used to bring home goody bags, the first things to go in the trash were the noise makers The second thing was the candy. Of course, I'd always reciprocate the favor and stick noise makers in my dd's gift bags I've done the pinata thing, too. Lots of fun for the kids and a good idea to have an extra bag or two of candy so you can stick some handfuls of candy into the bags of the little ones too shy to jump into the candy frenzy Put the candy in their bags while the others are "on the floor" and nobody will notice you helped

 

[summerrluvv]

bit more info. DD turns 6. party is at Painted Penguin where the kids pick out an item to paint and take home. I'm aiming for no more than $3.00/goody bag. I like the craft ideas as it will go with the party theme. I recently came across Oriental Trading scrapbooking catalog but threw it away. I'll have to look on line. Does anyone have any discount codes for Oriental Trading? Thanks for all the great info/advice. I'll definitely have to cut down on the list next year!

They are making something to take home. That in itself is a "goody" IMO. I wouldn't bother with the goody bags. I know that the ones we get from most parties are just a bunch of junky little toys that end up in the trash. I do make goodie bags for DS's friends, however, I put the good stuff in them. Last year was a DVD and This year it's going to be a cannister of legos that I got 90% off at Target last year

 

[lovebuzz]

Summerluvv I just had to laugh at my 6 year old birthday party in the goodie bag was guess what??? The legos I got at target for 90% off. HAHAHA. My son just got back from a party where they burned a cd with all of his favorite songs on it. My kids loved it they are still listening to the music.