IDEAS FOR BIRTHDAY PARTIES
from the Homeschooler's Notebook
Encouragement and Advice for Homeschool Families

From Lois: A Noah's Ark theme for a 5 year old would be great, and very easy to pull off. (Even for the creatively challenged!) I gave my 3 year old a jungle animal party this year, and my 5 year old went to a farm party. Both were huge hits with the kids. By adapting some of the ideas from both, you could have a great Noah's ark party.

• Invitations: Yes you could make these yourself! Using brown construction paper, cut out the shape of an ark. (It can be as simple as a semicircle for the boat with a square on top) Fold the paper in half before cutting it, with the fold is across the top of the ark so that it will open like a card. For the animals, look in the craft dept. I found a package of the coolest animals made out of fun foam at Wal-Mart Now glue 2 or 4 of them onto the ark and write the party info inside and you are done! You can also purchase a box of invitation size envelopes at Wal-Mart to mail them in. You could also make your thank you notes the exact same way. I always make thank you notes at the same time that I make my invitations, that way it's easier to get them written later! (Don't forget to make an extra invite for your daughter's scrapbook!


• Games: Pin the animal on the ark: Just like pin the tail on the donkey. Just make a large ark out of brown construction paper with a door drawn on it and put a piece of tape on the back of the fun foam animals and write the child's name on the front of them. See who can get their animal closest to the door.


• Animal pairs: If you can get a large refrigerator box, lay it on its side to make an ark, cut off one of the long sides so that it's a large open rectangle that everyone could fit in. Write down the names of animals with easily recognizable sounds (monkey, lion, cow, sheep etc.) on slips of paper. Have 2 slips for every animal, and make sure that there are an even # of guests (have a mom or dad play to even it out :) Each person draws out a slip of paper and mills around the room making their animal noise until they have found the other one, when they can make a pair they can go into the ark!


• Cake: If you have a small Noah's ark play set, Make a 13x9 cake and frost it green. Set the Ark on top with the animals marching 2 by 2 into it, and you're done!


• Treat bags for the guests:Take plain brown lunch bags and glue 2 of the fun foam animals on the outside. Put a few goodies inside such as animal crackers or cookies, gummy bears, etc. You can also get at a dollar store or Wal-Mart a bag of plastic farm or wild animals and put a couple in each treat bag.

Check out children's party books from your library and you see how easily you can adapt ideas for a farm or jungle party to fit the Noah's ark theme.

From Jane: A Dress Up Tea Party

• Place Mat Idea: Place one paper lace place mat at each setting and divide stickers between the place mats so that your guests can decorate them with the stickers.
  


• Make your own Napkin Rings: I take a one inch wide piece of cardboard tube from paper towel roll and glue fabric strip over the tube, overlapping the fabric on the inside of the tube. Repeat for each tube. Set aside to dry. Glue small silk flowers to one side of the tubes. Let glue dry before inserting napkins through tubes


• Activity Ideas: Supply a straw hat for each guest and let everyone decorate their hat with silk flowers and pretty ribbons. Be sure you all wear your hats to the tea table. Have a dress up box filled with clothes, shoes, costume jewelry and gloves so everyone can dress up for tea
  Make beaded bracelets: At the craft store, purchase an assortment of beads and elastic cord. For each bracelet, cut elastic about 1 1/2 inches longer than the distance around your wrist. String beads onto elastic and tie ends in a knot.


• Menu Ideas/Recipes:
  Cherry Bonbons - Maraschino cherries with stems + Semisweet chocolate chips
  Remove cherries from jar and place on paper towels to drain. Place chocolate chips in a microwave safe container (a coffee cup works well). Melt on high for 20 seconds, stir and then heat again for another 20 seconds. Continue stirring and heating until melted. Dip the cherries in the melted chocolate and set on waxed paper. Store in refrigerator until serving time.
  Fruit:Fill a bowl with cut up fresh fruits in season (or drained canned fruit).
  Pretty Petit Fours - Purchased pound cake + 2 cups of powdered sugar + 6 tablespoons
  of water tubes of decorating gel tiny candy flowers (cake decoration type)
  Cut the pound cake into one inch slices. Trim the crust from each slice and then cut each slice into four squares. For the icing, add water to powdered sugar one tablespoon at a time stirring after each one until your icing is very smooth. (You may not need all the water) Place each cake square on a wire rack and drizzle icing over each piece until completely covered. Let dry. When icing is dry you can decorate your tiny cakes with icing gel and candy flowers.


• Tea Sandwiches: (A MUST!) Tea sandwiches are tiny and made with thinly sliced breads with crusts removed. Here is how to make them: First spread on a thin coat of mayonnaise, butter, or cream cheese to keep the bread from getting soggy. Next add the filling, which can be anything you like (see suggestions below). Cut off the crusts using a serrated knife. Sandwiches are easier to cut into shapes when they are cold, so wrap them carefully and chill in refrigerator first. Then they can be cut into squares, triangles, long strips or cut into fun shapes using small cookie cutters.
  Tea Sandwich Filling Suggestions:
  Sliced turkey or chicken with cranberry mustard (mix Dijon mustard with cranberry sauce)
  Cream cheese and fruit whipped cream cheese mixed with fine chopped pineapple
  Cream cheese with nut whipped cream cheese mixed with diced celery and chopped walnuts
  Cream cheese with cucumber or watercress (whipped cream cheese mixed with diced watercress or cucumber)
  Tomato and cucumber
  Ham salad
  Egg Salad

From Deb: Try these two sites for game ideas, songs, and even craft/science activities around a Biblical theme.

You could have a Creation party, a Bible party, or Noah's Ark party with lots of animals-great for your five year old!

Christian Themes and Activities for Kids is a great site!
Also, be sure to visit: Family.com: Great ideas. Practical advice. Fun
This site has a cake finder, where you can find instructions for loads of theme cakes you can make without special tools or baking pans! They even have lots of kid-friendly recipes and craft ideas that might complement your party theme.

From Katie B: Here is an idea for a Bible-themed party:

Matthew 13 tells all about what the "Kingdom of Heaven" ( the Church) is like....
A fun theme for kids is "King's Kids": with crowns labeled "I'm a child of the King", castles, banners, etc.! You can do activities based on Jesus' description of the Kingdom: "yeast"- bread making, "pearl"- necklace making, "a net"- fishing game, "a treasure hidden in a field"- a treasure hunt.
Most little girls LOVE to play" Princess"! This is a great variation on that theme, emphasizing that Jesus is the "King of Kings", and that if we are "rich in faith" we will "inherit the kingdom..." (James 2:5)

From Catherine C: We have always had our parties at home and no complaints yet!! I found an old book birthday ideas (published in the 50's or 60's)that has great ideas at a yard sale. Of course, right now I cannot locate it but we did a fun one that all the girls liked.

• Each child should bring a bag of dress up clothes. When they arrive, number the bags and then have each child draw a number out of a hat. They get the bag with the same number and dress up in those clothes.
  
• They they can have a tea party or whatever they like to eat. I also had a mother-daughter tea party when the oldest was 6. It was around Christmas (Dec. 13) so we had fun visiting. I had all the tea sandwiches cookies, coffee and punch and of course the cake. It was fun for moms to visit too.


• One last idea. For our 6 year old last year we had a snow party. We had cupcakes with snowflakes and made snow globes We used baby food jars (Tender Harvest that have good lids) and I found little figurines at the craft store for inside. "Goop" for metal adhesive to attach to the lid and glycerin and water with glitter. (Martha Stewart had article I had saved regarding this initially.) Since we live at the beach snow is a rarity although it was very cold that day.


• I know these are simple and if I find that book I'll send the name of it. I do not like to spend money on "theme" parties. Disney and others make enough money without me buying throw away stuff. Just having the friends over is sufficient for mine

From Janet: First of all, remember you are creative-you homeschool! If that's not creative, I don't know what is, so don't sell yourself short. Creative people don't know all the answers, they ask, and so did you.

• Tomie De Paola has small soft-cover books of Bible stories (we have Esther) with little paper finger puppets inside. Or you can also use a cheap light colored cotton glove and some glue-1 finger is Esther (draw a face and glue on some long yarn hair), one is Ahasuerus (draw a face with a beard, and a crown) One is Mordecai (draw a skullcap and a face with a beard) one is Haman (draw a face, and a little triangle of felt for a hat). Now tell the story. You can make Hamentashen (Hamen's hats, a Purim cookie) even though they're out of season.
  
• Noah is easier, since you can get little tiny plastic animals (2 of each!)and either get some little bath boats, or make them as a party craft with tin foil.


• There are beautiful fabrics with Noah's ark prints available. You can make tiny pillows, or tiny bags, or just wrap things up in it, or use as a pillow case.


• You can also bring rainbows into it. Play stick (with tape) the dove on the rainbow. Make a paper chain with rainbow colors. Make a rainbow cake (separate batter into at least three small bowls and add different food coloring to each, swirl in the pan and bake). Give everybody little doves, like the kind people put on Christmas trees.

From Roben: A lot depends on how many children you are inviting.

• A good Noah's Ark game would be to put picture of different animals into a bowl (2 of each) and then have them draw out an animal. Then they would all making that animal noise and acting like that animal and their partner has to find them. Once they are paired you could have an "ark" - a blanket thrown over a table works well. And they could walk, crawl, whatever into the ark like their animals. Or you could have them make animal masks out of paper plates, also.


• A cute idea for an edible treat is to take frosting and animal crackers. Put a circle of frosting around the edge of the plate and then have them stick their animal crackers into it so they stand up. Then, of course, they can eat the animal crackers dipped in the frosting.

From Dona: As a mom of two, "different" party ideas are always welcome.

• For my son's 6th birthday party, we had a pirate theme. We used some of his Playmobile pirate toys to decorate the top of the cake.


• On the cake tray we placed a "map" for the treasure, then a layer of handi-wrap, then the cake. When the boys realized there was a map under the food, they ate quite quickly. The map gave clues about how to locate the treasure. At each spot, was an additional clue. If you're doing the treasure outside, put the clues in the plastic Easter eggs.


• The "treasure" chest was a plastic box with party gift bags for each boy. My children helped decorate these brown lunch bags with pirate-type art.


• For games, we did "walk-the-plank" where each boy had to walk the length of a 2x4 blindfolded. Obviously this was at ground level :} , over-and-under, and each boy made his own eye-patch with black elastic and recycled boxes that we cut in the appropriate
  shape. They could color their patch in any manner.

From Beverly: I came across this site today - it has some great ideas for theme birthday parties. It gives you ideas for snack / games / activities / goodie bags etc. all for a particular theme. I thought it had some great ideas which could be used not only for birthday parties but just a kids party in general.
Domino Sugar's Website.

From Another Reader:

• Oriental Trading Company has some excellent easy cheap craft packs for a dozen children. I noticed that they have a Noah's ark wreath, very cute animal masks, and many other animal theme projects. Their crafts are pre cut and run about $6-8 for a dozen of the same thing (e.g. a dozen foam art animal masks). They are my first stop for birthday parties.


• If her birthday is soon, how about a half watermelon hollowed out with animal toys coming out of the top and sides as a centerpiece? How about a bean bag jungle animal game?


• Another thing that is very fun and cheap is to get a big piece of foam core (like thick poster board) at the drugstore. Enlarge a coloring book picture of an animal at the copy store to the same size (about 24 x 36") and cut out the face part. Cut a hole in the foam core with an exacto knife, box cutter, etc. to match the face shape on the picture. Glue the picture to the foam core. Now the kids can stick their face through the hole and you can take a picture of each kid looking like a lion! We did this for my daughter's 5th birthday and it was a hit. I actually made two handles out of duct tape on the back so that the kids could hold up the Madeline picture and you couldn't see their hands. It was a hit!


• Another easy craft is to take a Twister board and lay a clear shower curtain over it. On the shower curtain, draw simple pictures of four different animals or Noah's ark things (e.g. lions, ducks, crocodiles, and bird). I simply traced the outline of a coloring book picture with a sharpie marker. It was easy- since the curtain was clear, I simply slipped the picture in between the twister board and the curtain and quickly outlined the picture. Thus, you end up with the yellow circles having a picture of a duck overlaid, the red circles having a bird, the green having a crocodile, etc. Then the kids play regular twister.

Just some thoughts - the party supply stores have lots too!

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