Super Hero Party Round Up

Over the next few months I am hosting 2 super hero parties so I've been scouring the net for inspiration and ideas. So here are some of the parties which really caught my eye.

First up is this bright party featured on Chickabug Blog. I love the use of primary colours and the skyline table centre!

Next, another party using primary colours - they work so well for a hero party.

This one is from This Girl's Life and is a wonderful example of how you can throw an awesome party in your own home. I love how they have decorated the fireplace and all the other DIY elements they used look fabulous.

This Captain America inspired party from Creative Green Living is packed full of cool game ideas.

I really like the look of the strawberries too! I'm sure they will feature in one of my parties!

And remember, Super hero parties aren't just for the boys! My younger and myself both love our super heroes but we still have a girly side so I think this party from Lily Paul Designs is totally adorable.

Silly string and Kryptonite shooters are surely a must at any self respecting super hero party! And giving your little guests their own super cape is a lovely way to get everyone in the spirit.

This next on Spaceships & Laser Beams party uses lovely colours which would be lovely for the littlest heroes.

And finally, from Liebsbotschaft come this party in red, black and white.

This colour scheme is one of my favourites - it's so simple and classic. The gumball machine works really well and the little figures look great.

Well, I hope you have lots of fun looking at these parties more closely.
Take care
Suz x

Pirate Tea as easy as 1, 2, 3!!

Avast me Hearties! Come join me in an adventure on the highs seas!
I do love a pirate theme so we had lots of fun last night when the kids had a couple of friends round for tea. I have some tips for the most easy party ever and even a recipe to share with you today!

At the beginning of the week, I decided to add a pirate them to tea for the kids, so I sat down and thought of  what food I could do and some piratey names! I didn't want party type food so decided on baked potatoes with beans (Treasure chests filled with rubies!), carrot sticks (peg legs!), sweetcorn (pirate teeth!) and chicken dippers (Golden nuggets!). I also included potato waffles (pirate rafts) and spaghetti hoops (pirate hoop ear-rings) as my son doesn't like baked potatoes! So , really easy and nothing I wouldn't normally make but livened up with cool names!

 I used the circle tags from my kit to make little picks for the treasure chests.

 Food trays are great for serving and labelling food so the golden nuggets, peg legs, rafts and treasure chests  were served up in these.

 The gold teeth and pirate ear-rings were served in some plastic serving bowls and I used some menu cards to label these.

 My trusty mini milk bottles were brought out and labelled with each child's name (no more wondering who's cup is whose) and of course a pirate straw flag was added to each! I also re-labelled some water bottles with Salty Brine labels. A popcorn treat box was filled with some large chocolate jazzies and sweetie necklaces as treasure for after the main food.

As an activity to keep the kids busy, they made and decorated their own cupcakes. These were then popped into cupcake wrappers and a cupcake topper was added.

Everything was served up on the table with a treasure chest and jewels (this was from a treasure hunt game my son has which we played before eating). The kids really enjoyed it and it was pretty easy to prepare and clean up afterwards.

The Golden Nuggets were home made and you can get a free recipe sheet here.

So, I hope this has helped to give you some inspiration for any pirate themed party you have and also show you that entertaining can be easy! And don't forget that once you have your printable package you can use them over and over again!
Take care
Suz x

What Shall I Do With Them Now?

One of the most important things to get right when having a party is entertainment! I can't think of much worse things than a group of kids running around with nothing to do especially if the party is at your house!
Classic party are great and they're classic for a good reason. Most of the children will already know how to play and they are usually easy to organise too. The first ones which spring to my mind are Musical Bumps, Statues or Chairs, Pass the Parcel, Corners, Simon Says and Pin the Tail On The Donkey. These games can easily be revamped and themed to your party too.

Musical Bumps, Statues or Chairs
If space is limited then musical chairs might not be very safe. You could use cushions instead or cut shapes from paper to fit with your theme - a shield shape for a Knights party, a crown for a Princess theme, wings for Fairies, eggs would work for dinosaurs or Easter. You could even have the children decorate the shapes with crayons before the game as an extra activity if you like.
Rather than just asking the children to dance you could get them to do different actions before they sit down or become statues. I've often found that some children feel a bit shy about dancing or are rather cunning and don't move too much so it's easier to become to a statue. Again, you could customise the game to your party theme by doing appropriate actions.
To make musical statues more interesting ask the children to pose in a particular way when they become a statue! I'm currently listing jungle animals for a jungle themed statue game for my son's party - I have a snake (children could lie down), a crocodile (perhaps they might use their arms and hands as jaws) and a nice easy elephant! This is great way to get the children really engaged and using their imaginations and I'm sure there'll be lots of giggling as they try to think of something for more tricky poses! How about offering extra prizes for the best pose, the silliest pose and the most giggling!

Pass The Parcel
One of my favourites! You can add a small sweet in each layer so everyone gets something which is always popular or I have seen this game played with the child who has just unwrapped a layer then sitting out so that everyone only gets one turn. Another way I've seen this played is with a slip of paper in each layer with a challenge on which the child then has to do such as sing a nursery rhyme, tell a joke. I would be cautious with this as some children will find it very difficult to do anything in front of others, but if you know you're guests will be fairly confident then this could work very well and adds depth to the game.
For groups of slightly shyer children (like me!!) I thought that having a "fortune" in each layer would be nice. Again, these could easily be themed so at a princess party you might get the fortune "You will meet a handsome prince".
I do have some plans to make a sheet of fortunes and challenges in different themes which can be used for games like this (also great in crackers and party bags).

Corners
A fairly good space is needed for this game and for anyone who doesn't know the rules, you simply have four corners of a room assigned a different name (colours or something to fit with your theme). Stick up a piece of paper or card with a picture on to remind everyone which corner is which. You play music and the children dance: when the music stops the children have to run to a corner. Some would be the caller and without looking will then call out a corner (ie blue) any children in that corner are out and the game carries on until you only have one child left (or maybe 2 or 3 if time is running short).

Simon Says
I'm pretty sure we all know how to play this game. Another easy one to theme by changing Simon to The king, the fairy queen, Obi Wan Kenobi! And again the actions you ask the children can include some themed ideas - wave your wand, Strike down the Emperor! You don't need too many special actions, just add a few in with all the normal stuff like clapping hands, jumping and wiggling bottoms!

Pin The Tail On The Donkey
A little artistic skill may be needed here but I find children are pretty forgiving if your dinosaur looks more like a poorly cat!! Using a piece of wallpaper for your picture will keep costs down. If the children are quite young then just blindfolding them but older children can be spun around once or twice (try to gauge their ability so the game isn't too easy but they do have a chance!).

Well, I hope this has given you some ideas for simple games. Look out for future posts on booking an entertainer, doing something crafty, timetabling the party, party bags and food presentation.

Suz xx