Pizza Making Party Activity

As we were celebrating our son’s 7th Birthday at home, we wanted to do something a little bit different, and knowing all the children love Pizza, this is what we did…

In preparation we made the dough, grated lots of cheese and prepared as many baking trays as we could.  We then cut vegetables into little pieces and placed them in small dishes in the centre of the table.   Finally we wrote each child’s name on a separate bit of paper.

When the children arrived we gave them each a lump of dough to kneed and form into their chosen pizza shape.  They then added their own cheese and chose vegetables to make their individually designed pizzas.  Once they were all complete we went around the table with pieces of paper and placed them beside the children’s pizzas (this definitely saves arguments later!).

The children were then sent off for a Treasure Hunt which gave us the space and time to get the pizza’s sorted onto baking trays and in the oven (do a few at a time then put the first ones in again for a quick warm up before serving).  By the time the treasure hunt was over we had the table cleared and the pizzas were ready to eat.  The bowls of vegetables were left on the table to be eaten alongside the pizza’s.

Voila!  You have the food sorted without much preparation, you have a party activity under your belt and the children are all well fed.

All you need is Cake!!

Kid’s Birthday Parties – A Winning Formula

When my son reached an age where Birthday Parties became important, all of a sudden we had the complexity of who to invite and what was to happen at the party, it all felt very daunting.  Of course there will be trends amongst groups of friends and the expected ‘norm’ in what is included – pass the parcel, goody bags, etc. etc.  But here is a formula that my friends and I have found really works.

If the children all know each other well, you are off to a good start and allowing them to run around in the garden, or in a fairly contained space gives them the chance to greet each other and free up some of their excitement.  Gather presents into a basket or box to be opened later.

If you have children who are quite shy or don’t know everyone so well, it helps to start the party with a gentle activity that allows them to find their way into the group.  This is where a making activity is good.  This year we did Pizza Making and a friend of mine started her daughter’s party with a craft (see separate blog postings for details).

A Treasure Hunt is always good fun and we have found that at the beginning of a party it is an excellent way of burning off all the excitement and keeping things under control!!!  If you can get outside all the better.  One year we had a beach party and gave the treasure hunt a pirate theme (see Treasure Hunt blog posting) and this year we took the children over the road to the park.  Another friend took the children into the local woods.  If you don’t have these luxuries on your doorstep you can always use the house and/or garden and if you have good neighbours you could ask them if you can also use their gardens.  Use the hunt to gather clues but save the finale until after the food.

Once everyone has had a good run around they will be ready to eat and it should be easy to gather them all in.  If you are having the treasure hunt outside you can have your table pre-prepared for when they come in.  Another tip if you don’t have a large table is to lay a big picnic rug in the middle of the floor (who says you can’t have an indoor picnic?) and this way when they have finished eating all you have to do is gather the rug up from the corners and put it aside to deal with later.

Keep food really simple and healthy.  Pizza is always good and alongside chopped vegetables makes a really easy choice in preparation.  There really is no need for lots of sweets and sticky cakes, if you bring the Birthday Cake in towards the end of the meal it can be cut at the table and everyone can be served a piece to eat.  Accompanied with strawberries or grapes it provides all you need in sweet stuff, and you don’t have the extra task of wrapping it up for everyone to take home.

If you have prepared a Treasure Hunt, this can be continued after the food (see Treasure Hunt blog posting for tips) otherwise a party game like Pass The Parcel works well.  Follow this with Present Opening…

Clear a space and place the basket or box of presents in the centre of the room.  Allow the children to gather around while the birthday child opens his/her gifts.  Make sure you have a video camera or a pen and paper handy so that you can record which present came from which child (this really helps if you are sending out thank you notes).

Finish the party with a story.  This is one of the best tips ever and has proven to be a success again and again as it brings the children into a calm state so that they are not going home to their parents completely hyperactive.  If you can tell a story without the use of a book you are more likely to keep the children’s attention.  If you are feeling creative it is great to make up your own story or puppet show.  But if like me you are not that confident or haven’t had chance to prepare well, a story from a book also works really well.

One year I chose a story about a group of monkeys that stole the hats of a hat seller and wouldn’t give them back (Barefoot Books – The Story Tree).  Earlier in the party we had a hat making activity and we were able to use these to make the story interactive.

Finally – have your goodie bags ready at the end of the party, so that everything goes home with the children.  We have a gorgeous selection to choose from on our website (Party Treats page) and as the bags are paper and the gifts are quality wooden toys you know you are sending them home with something worth having.  Avoid putting sweets into the bags if you can – it is a much healthier option to find alternatives and your friends may thank you for it.

Easter Egg Hunt

Last week Easter came early to our family as we had my brother and his family visiting us from the States.  My brother (like me) loves chocolate and we both have really fond memories of the abundance of chocolate Easter Eggs piled up on the top of the kitchen cupboards and the daily rations to stop us overeating (wise mum!).

The warmth and excitement came flooding back when we went round to mum’s for dinner soon after the family had arrived.  She had set up a surprise Easter Egg hunt for us all, and there was an egg for everyone (aged 6 to 69!).  It was so much fun I thought you might like to hear about it and repeat it with your own family.

When we arrived we were all presented with a hand drawn Easter Bunny holding a label with our name written on it, and the name of the bunny written on it’s foot.  Each of the bunnies was named after our grandparents or great uncles and aunts. When we turned them over they all had a different clue on the back which led us to another clue and then another.

We were all  immediately scattered to all parts of the house, hunting in cupboards, looking behind mirrors, under vases etc seeking out our clues.  Lots of puzzled faces and plenty of helping each other out led us to the next clue and the next.  Until after about 6 hidden clues later we were all brought together in one place holding a piece of paper with just one word on it.  When we gathered all the words together and shuffled them about we discovered a sentence that led us to the final clue.  The car keys hidden in an envelope none of us had yet noticed.

Mum lives opposite a carpark and she had parked the car there.  Our relatives from the US had no idea what her car looked like, so the car keys were handed to the teenagers who had great fun pointing the keyfob at all the cars to see which car lights flashed!  When they found the car and we opened up the boot there was an amazing aray of Easter Eggs beautifully displayed and all labelled with our names.  Mum had chosen the perfect egg for everyone, based on their personal tastes.

We had so much fun and I am sure it is something we won’t forget for a long time.

Do you have any fond Easter Egg hunt memories.  I’d love to hear them.