If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below. |
|
|
|
Thread Tools | Display Modes |
#1
|
|||
|
|||
Birthday parties
(sheepish grin)
Okay, the thread about pinatas got me thinking. My 8 year old has yet to have a "real" birthday party. Her bday is Feb. 14 so we've always just had the 4 of us do cake and presents since there is no extended family around. She's been wanting a party so I decided to have one perhaps just after school is out, the last day will be May 29. She and I want to have a party here at our house so I can keep it outdoors. Food would probably be hot dogs on the grill.... classic birthday party type food. Anyway, the push to use a venue for parties has taken away from the birthday parties I remember going to. You know.... the ones where the really fun games were played. I have a few ideas for games like Pin the Tail and a balloon race (where the kids run to sit on a balloon and pop it). I'm asking you thoughtful folks for some ideas on games. Simple games are best, imo. I don't want to over-script a party. I envision having the games to play but if they all want to just play among themselves, I'll go with whatever. So.... what games did you play at parties as kids, and most importantly, did you like or dislike them? Thanks :-) Nan |
#2
|
|||
|
|||
Birthday parties
Nan wrote:
(sheepish grin) Okay, the thread about pinatas got me thinking. My 8 year old has yet to have a "real" birthday party. Her bday is Feb. 14 so we've always just had the 4 of us do cake and presents since there is no extended family around. She's been wanting a party so I decided to have one perhaps just after school is out, the last day will be May 29. She and I want to have a party here at our house so I can keep it outdoors. Food would probably be hot dogs on the grill.... classic birthday party type food. Anyway, the push to use a venue for parties has taken away from the birthday parties I remember going to. You know.... the ones where the really fun games were played. I have a few ideas for games like Pin the Tail and a balloon race (where the kids run to sit on a balloon and pop it). I'm asking you thoughtful folks for some ideas on games. Simple games are best, imo. I don't want to over-script a party. I envision having the games to play but if they all want to just play among themselves, I'll go with whatever. So.... what games did you play at parties as kids, and most importantly, did you like or dislike them? Thanks :-) Nan I didn't particularly like organized games. I can remember going to parties where several outside activities were provided (horseshoes, badminton, balls to kick around or play dodgeball with, etc.) The parents made sure nobody monopolized any particular game, but that was about it. Clisby |
#3
|
|||
|
|||
Birthday parties
"Nan" wrote in message ... I don't want to over-script a party. I envision having the games to play but if they all want to just play among themselves, I'll go with whatever. So.... what games did you play at parties as kids, and most importantly, did you like or dislike them? I only went to one party as a kid where games were played. It was my most memorable party. We threw velcro balls at a target, had a bubble blowing contest and pinned the tail on the donkey. DS only wants a classic party this year. We are going to have a Pokemon battle -- very messy, wet and fun. |
#4
|
|||
|
|||
Birthday parties
In article , Nan says...
(sheepish grin) Okay, the thread about pinatas got me thinking. My 8 year old has yet to have a "real" birthday party. Her bday is Feb. 14 so we've always just had the 4 of us do cake and presents since there is no extended family around. She's been wanting a party so I decided to have one perhaps just after school is out, the last day will be May 29. She and I want to have a party here at our house so I can keep it outdoors. Food would probably be hot dogs on the grill.... classic birthday party type food. Anyway, the push to use a venue for parties has taken away from the birthday parties I remember going to. You know.... the ones where the really fun games were played. I have a few ideas for games like Pin the Tail and a balloon race (where the kids run to sit on a balloon and pop it). I'm asking you thoughtful folks for some ideas on games. Simple games are best, imo. I don't want to over-script a party. I envision having the games to play but if they all want to just play among themselves, I'll go with whatever. So.... what games did you play at parties as kids, and most importantly, did you like or dislike them? I loved the pin the tail and the balloon race. I didn't like anything where I had to be physical with another kid (like those three-legged races). Sports is also common and IMO a bad idea. I cant offhand think of an option to suggest (why I dont give the parties LOL) but I do want to say you're thinking in the right direction. Banty |
#5
|
|||
|
|||
Birthday parties
In article , Clisby says...
Nan wrote: (sheepish grin) Okay, the thread about pinatas got me thinking. My 8 year old has yet to have a "real" birthday party. Her bday is Feb. 14 so we've always just had the 4 of us do cake and presents since there is no extended family around. She's been wanting a party so I decided to have one perhaps just after school is out, the last day will be May 29. She and I want to have a party here at our house so I can keep it outdoors. Food would probably be hot dogs on the grill.... classic birthday party type food. Anyway, the push to use a venue for parties has taken away from the birthday parties I remember going to. You know.... the ones where the really fun games were played. I have a few ideas for games like Pin the Tail and a balloon race (where the kids run to sit on a balloon and pop it). I'm asking you thoughtful folks for some ideas on games. Simple games are best, imo. I don't want to over-script a party. I envision having the games to play but if they all want to just play among themselves, I'll go with whatever. So.... what games did you play at parties as kids, and most importantly, did you like or dislike them? Thanks :-) Nan I didn't particularly like organized games. I can remember going to parties where several outside activities were provided (horseshoes, badminton, balls to kick around or play dodgeball with, etc.) The parents made sure nobody monopolized any particular game, but that was about it. I saw this after I wrote my last post. This is exactly the problem in sports Im referring to. I hated any party physical game that looked too 'serious' - could be scored, or relied on a particular physical skill too much. Why set up non-sports inclined kids to look bad when they're just trying to have fun? They get enough of that at school P.E.! We get that at Scouts, too - some parents that think kidssportskidssportskidssports and cant quite seem to get to kids and sports being possibly separable things. A lot of boys are in Scouts *because* they were looking for an alternative to sports. Nothing wrong with sports or doing a sport party with a bunch of kids with a sports connection. But a lot of parent forget that Sports Isn't All. Banty |
#6
|
|||
|
|||
Birthday parties
Nan wrote:
(sheepish grin) Okay, the thread about pinatas got me thinking. My 8 year old has yet to have a "real" birthday party. Her bday is Feb. 14 so we've always just had the 4 of us do cake and presents since there is no extended family around. snip I have a few ideas for games like Pin the Tail and a balloon race (where the kids run to sit on a balloon and pop it). I'm asking you thoughtful folks for some ideas on games. Simple games are best, imo. I don't want to over-script a party. I envision having the games to play but if they all want to just play among themselves, I'll go with whatever. So.... what games did you play at parties as kids, and most importantly, did you like or dislike them? Thanks :-) I remember one birthday party of my sisters - my mom hired a pony and cart. I vaguely remember pin-the-tail on the donkey type games, but that's all I remember. My daughter had a multipurpose party one year (around Memorial Day in Florida c 1999) and I was there at the time - it was a graduation from law school party for her husband, a birthday party for her son and possibly a housewarming. She invited family, neighbors, work-mates and her son's school friends. The birthday party people were invited for the afternoon. She had a jungle gym in the yard and a pool and she hired a bouncy house. They also had hundreds of water balloons. She ordered pizza for the kids and then there was cake. The adult party was in the evening of the same day and they had BBQ. Last year for this kid (13th bday) he invited some friends and they went out to Stiltsville and fished and played in the water. |
#7
|
|||
|
|||
Birthday parties
Nan writes:
So.... what games did you play at parties as kids, and most importantly, did you like or dislike them? The only game I remember playing at a birthday party as a kid was that game where you were supposed to drop a clothespin into a milk bottle. Hated that game. Hated it hated it hated it. But somebody must have liked it because it got trotted out at every single birthday party for years... Fortunately the world eventually ran out of milk bottles. I can remember other games at Girl Scout parties and such... things like bobbing for apples at Halloween, or variations of Ring Toss or Pin the Tail on the Donkey that matched the theme of the party (Pin the Cottontail on the Bunny for an Easter party, for instance). Those were mostly fun, but I always thought the best part of the party was just messing around with the other kids. Our boys and their friends seem to agree - we've always had a couple of games planned for at-home parties in case we needed them, but mostly in those years between preschool and preteens, the kids have just wanted to watch the birthday boy open the presents, play with them, eat, and play some more. Kids here sometimes do Spin The Bottle, not as the goofy kissing game I remember, but to decide who gets to give their present to the birthday boy or girl next. And some parents do the fishing game at the end of the party to hand out goody bags. Another activity, not quite a game, is to let the kids "make" their own food. We've had good luck with making mini-pizzas - an adult rolls out a small pizza crust for each child (or gives each kid a pita bread if the adult in question is feeling lazy ;-) and then lets the kids put on pizza sauce, cheese, and whatever they'd like of maybe four or five toppings. Then these are stuck in the oven to bake while the kids are engaged in another activity - it helps a lot to have one adult to supervise the kids while the other keeps an eye on the pizzas, especially if there are a lot of kids and the pizzas need to be baked in several rounds. We put them on baking parchment and write each child's name on the parchment with a pencil, by the way - then serve them on paper plates with the young pizza artists' names on the bottom. - Cindy Kandolf, mom of Kenneth (14) and Robert (8) ****** Bærum, Norway Bilingual Families Web Page: http://www.nethelp.no/cindy/biling-fam.html |
#8
|
|||
|
|||
Birthday parties
"Nan" wrote in message ... (sheepish grin) Okay, the thread about pinatas got me thinking. My 8 year old has yet to have a "real" birthday party. Her bday is Feb. 14 so we've always just had the 4 of us do cake and presents since there is no extended family around. She's been wanting a party so I decided to have one perhaps just after school is out, the last day will be May 29. She and I want to have a party here at our house so I can keep it outdoors. Food would probably be hot dogs on the grill.... classic birthday party type food. Anyway, the push to use a venue for parties has taken away from the birthday parties I remember going to. You know.... the ones where the really fun games were played. I have a few ideas for games like Pin the Tail and a balloon race (where the kids run to sit on a balloon and pop it). I'm asking you thoughtful folks for some ideas on games. Simple games are best, imo. I don't want to over-script a party. I envision having the games to play but if they all want to just play among themselves, I'll go with whatever. So.... what games did you play at parties as kids, and most importantly, did you like or dislike them? Pin the tail on the doney Treasure map (guess where the treasure is hidden) Treasure hunt (with clues) Musical statues/bumps/cushions/chairs Islands (pieces of paper as islands to get from one side of the garden to another, increasing the gap each time) Pass the parcel Sleeping lions Find the peas Pick up peas (the hard variety) with straws and put in a cup Pick up peas with chopsticks and put in cups Chasing mouse (use a rolled up piece of newspaper to blow (but hitting the floor) a light pice of paper) Blindman buff Oranges and lemons Simon says I agree with the person who said avoid organised sports. When I did that sort of party with #1 (age 5) I actually fiddled the treaure map to give one who had no other prizes. You do need to bear in mind that children now sem to be unused to this format, and they exzpect to have something to do all the time-that means they don't sit and watch when they're out, you need to have something they can go and do. I found crafts went down well. Debbie |
#9
|
|||
|
|||
Birthday parties
"Nan" wrote in message ... (sheepish grin) Okay, the thread about pinatas got me thinking. My 8 year old has yet to have a "real" birthday party. Her bday is Feb. 14 so we've always just had the 4 of us do cake and presents since there is no extended family around. She's been wanting a party so I decided to have one perhaps just after school is out, the last day will be May 29. She and I want to have a party here at our house so I can keep it outdoors. Food would probably be hot dogs on the grill.... classic birthday party type food. Anyway, the push to use a venue for parties has taken away from the birthday parties I remember going to. You know.... the ones where the really fun games were played. I have a few ideas for games like Pin the Tail and a balloon race (where the kids run to sit on a balloon and pop it). I'm asking you thoughtful folks for some ideas on games. Simple games are best, imo. I don't want to over-script a party. I envision having the games to play but if they all want to just play among themselves, I'll go with whatever. So.... what games did you play at parties as kids, and most importantly, did you like or dislike them? Thanks :-) Nan I have no recollection of going to any party, mine or anyone else's. My Mom insists I had one. Is there a procedure where you have one per kid in the old days? It would have made sense in my family since there were 7 of us! One every year would have been a nightmare. But if it were not just us, wouldn't I remember going to friends? |
#10
|
|||
|
|||
Birthday parties
Nan wrote in
: So.... what games did you play at parties as kids, and most importantly, did you like or dislike them? two games we always played when i was little were Pin the Tail (which can be changed to fit any theme, if you do "theme parties") & Musical Chairs/Hot Potato. for Boo's parties i have games planned, but usually the kids are so busy playing (it's the whole 'farm' thing apparently) i don't have to use them. i did have a "fossil dig" for his 5th birthday dinosaurish theme party. i bought plastic dinosaur skeletons from Oriental Trading & buried them in the sandbox. that was a huge hit. lee -- Last night while sitting in my chair I pinged a host that wasn't there It wasn't there again today The host resolved to NSA. |
|
Thread Tools | |
Display Modes | |
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
Neighbor kids birthday parties | MomHoops | General | 27 | March 15th 06 03:32 AM |
birthing parties | mag | Pregnancy | 1 | February 13th 06 05:56 PM |
Birthday parties | Cindy Senger | Twins & Triplets | 2 | February 22nd 05 09:11 PM |
Birthday Parties and Gifts | Usenet Fan | General | 21 | June 22nd 04 02:09 AM |
three year old birthday parties | Jeff | General | 3 | September 3rd 03 08:35 PM |