Hostesses With The Mostest > Entertaining and Hospitality
Help with my party planning - please?
workerbee:
--- Quote from: Ceallach on May 02, 2012, 07:39:05 PM ---
--- Quote from: workerbee on May 02, 2012, 02:55:04 PM ---For favors, I picked up a bunch of sand/water/outdoor play toys in the dollar section at Target - I have them all in a big bin and was thinking the kids could each pick one.
--- End quote ---
These sound great, but I'd think very carefully beforehand about how this is going to work so that it's organised on the day. What order do they get to pick in? Is it a free-for-all? Do they get them at the start or the end of the party? Will there be a kid who gets to pick last and is stuck with whatever is left, or is there plenty that there will be leftover?
It doesn't need to be over-engineered, my concern is just around preventing any tears and tantrums. ;) As adults we forget how important these small things are to kids! (I was always the anxious kid who worried that there won't be enough for everybody!)
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I do get your point! I thought there would be plenty, but with so many people accepting the invitation, it looks like we'll have just enough to go around......and I am worried about everyone wanting the sand buckets and no one wanting the kites, etc!! I was thinking they'd all be able to pick something on their way out, but it does mean the last kid to leave gets last pick.........
Any suggestions on how I could handle this better????
audrey1962:
Maybe something with peanut butter? When I was a kid, it seemed like many of us didn't like cheese, that was for adults, but we all liked peanut butter. (Of course, you know your kids best).
ETA: unless there are nut allergies of course
ShadesOfGrey:
I just went to a 5 year old's party at a park, and no structured games were needed. There was, however, a parachute to play with. It was mayhem!
jpcher:
--- Quote from: workerbee on May 04, 2012, 10:50:14 AM ---And I appreciate the comments about having some sort of structure.....this was in the back of my mind, so it helps to have it validated. I'm thinking something like:
3-3:30ish - arrival and playtime
3:30ish - some kind of game......any suggestions??
4:00- cupcakes
4:45 - pick favors and prepare for departure
--- End quote ---
While I do understand the idea of structure . . . I cannot imagine getting 19! 4-yr olds together and organized for some kind of game within a half hour.
Leave the game out . . . there's a park to play at and a lot of people to mingle with.
Make sure you have the snacks and food laid out before guests arrive. Let them all do their thing for an hour (nosh at the table or play) then do the cupcakes at 4:00 as planned.
Honestly? For this large amount of guests, 2 hours is not enough time for a party like this. You'll be surprised how quickly the time passes.
workerbee:
So, the party was a success!! Despite the fact that it began pouring down rain RIGHT at 3pm.......lovely. :o Luckily there was an indoor space nearby, so we shifted the food and decorations there VERY quickly. Unfortunately that meant we were still setting up as the first guests began to arrive, but everyone was very understanding.
I decided not to have a planned game. With the change in venue, though, we had to come up with something for all those kids to do! Turns out nineteen kids + a whole bunch of party balloons = hours of fun. :) The kids had a blast running around and chasing balloons, while the adults chatted and nibbled on the food. We had cupcakes at 4pm, and then the sun came back out so we were able to move the party back outside to the playground!
I did add cheese sticks to the menu, as well as some of those pre-packaged "fruit" snacks -- both were a big hit with the kiddos.
Thanks for all the advice! I'm going to call this a success and be glad that it's over. ;)
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