Tag: party kids

Fun garden games

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Let’s go outside and make the most of the sun,

Play some garden games and have lots of fun!

From quoits, frisbee and hopscotch too,

You’ll be spoilt for choice at which one to choose!

1.Quoits (Hoop throwing Game)

This game involves throwing a rope or rubber hoop over a distance and land it around an object maybe a plastic peg that is coming out of the ground. Players take it in turn and the player with the most hoops around the object at the end wins.

2. Garden Golf

Garden golf is a very easy game where all you will need is a few plastic golf clubs or bats. Placing 9 or 18 cricket wickets or any sort of stick into the ground and number them using paper triangles (get the kids to make these)

Place objects throughout the course such as grannie in a chair or a teddy bear’s picnic making it into a challenge.  Get the children (the big kids as well) to take it in turns to putt the ball and hit each post.

3) Popcorn Drop

This easy relay race can work at a children’s birthday party or a family fun day with any number of players. It’s most fun with four to eight players.

First, you’ll need to make two pairs of shoe cups. Use a pushpin to poke holes in the bottom of plastic cups. Push a wide rubber band through the holes, and secure it inside the cup with a paper clip.

To play: Split the players into two teams. The first player straps cups on their shoes and fills them with popcorn from a bag at the starting line. Then going from the line head to the other end of the course and dump the popcorn into a bucket, after the popcorn is dumped head back, and tag the next teammate.

The race is over when one of the bags of popcorn is empty. Measure the popcorn in the baskets to see which team actually got the most in.

4) Frisbee noughts and crosses

Supersize tic-tac-toe is perfect for an outdoor children’s party. Flying disks and a shower curtain transform into an easy party game.

Use duct tape to block out squares on a shower curtain liner. Use more tape to mark which disks are Xs, or use colour to divide the teams.

Players stand behind a throw line and follow the rules of tic-tac-toe. If the disk lands off the board or in an occupied square, the player can throw again.

5) Hopscotch

An oldie but a great game none the less, just need some chalk, somewhere to draw and something to throw such as a beanbag or a small stone.

6) Pretend to be pirates

Let the kids imagination go wild with a bit of imaginative play. Dress up, put some blue sheeting down for ‘water’ and some cardboard boxes for ships and let the adventure begin.

7) Make Mud Pies

Let the kids imagination go wild with a bit of imaginative play. Dress up, put some blue sheeting down for ‘water’ and some cardboard boxes for ships and let the adventure begin.

8) Make your own Tin Can Alley

Collect up your recycled tins (with no sharp edges) and make your own tin can alley against a wall, throw either a small bean bag or ball. See who can knock over the most.

9) Garden Waterslide

This may be one for the long summer days but you never know, a super warm day may be just round the corner ? Set up this water slide in the garden for hours of fun for all the family. If your kids are ‘thrill seekers’ like mine, put this at the end of a garden slide for maximum slipping!!! Race down the slide using the swimming floats or on your tummy.

10) Children’s Croquet

Get this adorable croquet set for the lawn (it can be brought indoors in winter too). A great way to learn how to play croquet

 

Bug hunting

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Let’s go and find some creepy crawlies in the great outdoors,

We’ve pulled together this handy guide to help you explore!

Whether they’re hiding under rocks, shrubs or even up a tree,

You’re sure to be surprised… who knows what you will see!

What You’ll Need:

  • Viewing pot with a lid and air holes
  • Tweezers
  • Camera or Sketchbook
  • Hand wash
  • Magnifying Glass

Choose Your Location

The first step of making a fun filled and non disruptive bug hunt is deciding where you’re going to hunt for little critters! There’s plenty to be found in your very own back garden, but there’s no harm in making a fun day out at your local park, garden or even forest. You could even bring along a picnic too!

Be Considerate

Before you start your hunt, be sure to remind your little explorers about how to handle and approach wildlife to make sure you avoid any nasty stings and bites, and how to disturb your surroundings as little as possible! This includes only handling a few of each species and replacing any of the wildlife’s environment (e.g. overturned logs and stones) as you leave.

Get Hunting!

Now that you’ve chosen your location, it’s time to make a start! The best places to find some beautiful bugs are usually shrubs, trees, rotting logs, large and small stones, flower heads and grasses… but the list is endless!

What Bugs Can You Hunt?

Here are some ideas of different type of bug that your little ones can look for.

  • Woodlice

  • Stag Beetle

  • Ladybird

  • Cabbage Butterfly

  • Ant

  • Shield Bug

  • Centipede

  • Worm

What Can You See?

Once they’ve found their bugs and have carefully placed them into their viewing pots, be sure to get them making note of what they’ve discovered! Get them either taking or drawing a picture and noting down any features that really stand out. For example, what colour is it? How many legs does it have? Where did you find it? How big is it? And so on!

Let it Go!

Now that they’ve made a note of everything they can, get them returning their new friend to its home and, as mentioned earlier, be sure to replace anything they might have moved to find their critter!

Make some Memories!

Once they’ve completed their bug hunt, it’s up to them how to combine their findings! If they took or drew lots of lovely pictures, why not get your kids making a fun mini booklet to remember their hunt by and impress their teachers? This is a great rainy day crafting activity for kids on those showery summer days!

 

Time for something different

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Children’s Birthday Parties can be a really fun and exciting time. Kids go wild at the thought of kid’s party entertainers being there and when the time comes to plan your own children’s party entertainment, you’ll probably find your child wants the same entertainer to come along to their party too. But parents often get to a point where they have seen so many kids party entertainers and wouldn’t mind a change. Loads of kids in the class have had the same type of children’s party entertainment or the same entertainer and it’s sometimes nice to spice things up a bit!

The problem is of course – what other options are out there? When you think children’s magicians or kids party entertainers, you often think of a silly man or woman in an outfit doing magic, games, dancing, balloons, etc. This is a classic formula for children’s birthday parties and it works very, very well indeed so you definitely shouldn’t necessarily overlook this. For years’ children’s birthday parties have consisted of this and kids still love it today. These are probably the most popular mix of activities for a children’s birthday party so if you haven’t tried that already then that’s probably a good bet to go for as the variety of the activities makes it a hugely fun and safe option.

But nowadays there is a lot of other choice available and if you’ve already seen lots of kid’s party entertainers doing this mix of activities already it might be nice to try something new.

Science Parties are becoming bigger and bigger at the moment. Think science is boring? Think again! Science parties are barrels of fun! They use really engaging science experiments and demonstrations that are absolutely visually stunning and get the kids involved and are a great way to give kids a brand new and exciting experience. Science Parties are becoming increasingly popular as a form of children’s party entertainment and they tend to be suitable for any age from about 4 all the way to teens. The kids get to see loads of amazing and visually stunning science demonstrations as well as trying out their own super cool science party experiments, where they learn just how much fun science can be!

Bubble parties are another great idea for children’s birthday parties. Ever seen a kids get wrapped inside a giant bubble? Kids love it! Why not give it a try?

Other great options are activity parties, drama, clowns, discos, the fact is that when it comes to kid’s party entertainers or children’s party entertainment, the sky’s the limit.

Of course you do have to think about budget. Often going bigger with kid’s parties will mean costing more. But then if you’re on a tighter budget, you needn’t be limited by choice. There are lots of themed parties that you could go for that can help inject fun and creativity into children’s birthday parties. Why not try a cool spy party or an around the world party where you play games that are linked to the theme?

One other helpful tip is to not get too carried away with organising your little one’s special day. It is easily done with all the exciting choices out there. So do remember to talk through what your child wants and that what you are organising is what they’d like to have and not what you think they’d like to have or what you rather like the sound of. After all it is their day and they may still be happy with the original mix of activities that they have seen before.

 

10 family days out in North Yorkshire

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1.Wensleydale Creamery

By far the best known attraction in Hawes is the Wensleydale Creamery, home of Wensleydale cheese. The centre offers cheese making demonstrations, a small museum and viewing gallery, cafe and shops. The creamery has a lot to thank Wallace and Gromit for; the animated duo helped increase production at a time when sales were slowing. Nowadays the creamery sells a cheese named after them, I bet it’s a popular choice for visitors.

Wensleydale creamery

The best part, for a family day out, is the cheese shop. It’s full of samples, even for those people who don’t like Wensleydale cheese.

You can visit the cheese shop for free; a family ticket (2 adults and 2 kids) to the museum and cheese making area costs £7.50.

2. Hardraw Force waterfall

Hardraw Force is England’s highest above ground single drop waterfall, with a plunge of 100 foot. It’s a short easy walk to the waterfall through the grounds of the Green Dragon Inn. We visited during a dry spell; I’d imagine it’s even more impressive after heavy rain.

The waterfall is open daily from 10am. A family ticket (2 adults, 2 children) costs £7.50.

3. Hawes Ropemakers (Outhwaites)

Outhwaites Ltd, Ropemakers, Hawes

Located in the town this traditional ropemaker is worth popping into for 20 minutes or so. It’s mesmerising standing in front of the machines watching rope being made. There are machines making braids of all thicknesses and lengths from church bell ropes to skipping ropes. And if you’ve got a dog, their leads are available to buy and very popular.

Entrance is free.

4. Sheepdog demonstration

Countryfile have resurrected “One man and his dog” over the last couple of years which may account for the popularity of this evening out.

Sheepdog demonstration, near Hawes

Run by a local farmer, Richard Fawcett holds weekly demonstrations in a field just outside Hawes throughout the summer season.

Visitors are introduced to the dogs and watch them working the sheep. They make it look easy even if the sheep don’t always behave according to plan!

Tickets cost £5 for adults, £1 for children.

5. Dales Countryside Museum

The Dales Countryside Museum is a small local museum that focuses on the Yorkshire Dales and its people. Housed in the old railway station you’ll find exhibits ranging from Bronze Age spearheads to a Victorian smithy. Outside there are railway carriages with activities for younger children.

Dales Countryside Museum, Hawes

The Dales Countryside Museum is open daily except over the Christmas period and throughout January. Admission is £4.50 for adults, kids are free.

Toy story party ideas

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Decorate your Toy Story party to look like Woody’s Roundup, Andy’s Room, a toy store or outer space! Here are some other ideas to inspire you when planning a children’s party.

  • Hang paper airplanes from the ceiling with fishing line so the planes look like they’re flying.

  • Use toys and green plastic army men as balloon weights.

  • Use a Buzz Lightyear or Woody pillowcase as a chair cover for the birthday child.

  • Decorate in lime green, blue, white and red for a Buzz Lightyear party or red, gold, cow pattern, and denim for a Woody party.

  • Have the birthday child or adults dress as characters from the movie.

  • Set up the room like Pizza Planet and offer arcade games like skee ball, electronic basketball, bowling, foosball, plastic darts or air hockey for the kids to play. Hand out gold coins to use as game tokens.

Easily incorporate Pizza Planet into your Toy Story party by ordering or making pizza for your guests. Another option is to have a cowboy barbecue with Woody over a campfire with hotdogs and marshmallows. Here’s one Toy Story food ideas for snacks and dessert.

 

  • Mr. Potato Head Rice Krispies Treats. (Use Cocoa Krispies cereal in the batter. Form into flat oval shapes then add marshmallow eyes. Use gum drop for ears, feet and hands.)

    Toy Story Party favours

Thank your guests with a variety of cool party favours! To find a large variety of Woody and Buzz party favours, visit the store and click the “Party favours” tab or the “More Fun Stuff” tab. Some of the favours we have include:

 

  • Mini Slinky Dogs

  • Buzz Lightyear flyers

  • Army men

  • Toy Story 3 stickers and temporary tattoos

  • Toy Story punch balloons

  • Cowboy and cowgirl hats

  • Fun-shaped candy and lollipops

 

Harry Potter Children’s party themes

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Transform your child and his or her guests from Muggles to wizards with our Harry Potter Party Ideas! We have suggestions for everything from invitations to activities that will ensure a mystical birthday bash no one will forget!

Harry Potter Children’s Party Planning & Invitations

In addition to basic magical kids party supplies, like plates, cups, napkins, and decorations, you may want to consider purchasing, borrowing or renting the following items for your Harry Potter party:


  • Harry Potter movies, soundtracks or video games

  • A Selection of Magic Tricks

  • Wands

  • You may also want to consider hiring a magician to come perform for your guests.


Invitations are an important part of your planning because they give the first impression of your children’s party to your guests. If you have the time to make your own invitations, here are a few ideas to consider for your Harry Potter Birthday party:

  • Fold a piece of cardstock in half to create a top-fold card. If you are artistic, draw the Hogwarts crest on the front. Underneath the crest, write, “You are Invited…”

  • Punch a hole in the corner of a card-style invitation and attach it to a magic wand. Ask your guests to bring their wand with them to the party.

  • Create a top-fold card and divide the front of the card into four squares. Write one of the Hogwarts house names in each square (i.e. Gryffindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff).

    Harry Potter Decorating & Food

Transform your party area into a page out of the Harry Potter series with some ‘mystical’ decorations:


  • Make a “Sorting Hat” by cutting a cone shape from a 24″ x 18″ piece of purple poster board, as shown below. Roll it into a cone, and tape or staple it closed. Cut out star and crescent moon shapes from yellow construction paper, and glue them onto the hat. As each guest arrives, put the hat over his or her head and announce that they have been chosen to the [child’s last name]’s house! Then, use the Sorting Hat as a centerpiece.

  • Hang two or three stuffed owls from the ceiling of the party area.

  • Cut a large lightning bolt out of white poster board and spray paint it silver. Hang it on the door leading to the party.

  • Create placemats that represent the four houses of Hogwarts using plain white construction paper and coloured markers. Write one of the house names on each placemat, and decorate them with the appropriate colours:

    • Slytherin: Green and Silver

    • Gryffindor : Scarlet and Gold

    • Hufflepuff: Yellow and White

    • Ravenclaw: Blue and Silver


When it comes to children’s party food, your guests would most likely be perfectly happy with pizza or hotdogs. However, if you would like to include some Harry Potter themed snacks, consider these ideas:


  • Serve “Bertie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans.” We suggest using Jelly Belly brand jelly beans because of the wide variety of flavors available.

  • Make chocolate frogs using chocolate chips and gummy frogs (available at candy stores). Microwave one cup of chocolate chips for one minute or until melted, and stir. Dip the gummy frogs in the melted chocolate, and then place them on wax paper to cool. Keep the frogs chilled until you’re ready to serve them.

  • Serve “magic potion”. Freeze cranberry and grape juice in ice cube trays before the party. Serve a colourless soda at the party, such as ginger ale or lemon-lime. Let your guests select their ice cubes, which will “magically” change the colour of their drinks.

  • There are a number of treats from the Harry Potter stories that are made from everyday products, such as Butter Beer (root beer), Choco Balls (chocolate covered strawberry mousse balls), Fizzing Whizbees (sherbet balls), Rock Cakes (randomly shaped cakes with raisins), chocolate eclairs, and licorice wands.

    Harry Potter Party favours

Put a smile on your guests’ faces by sending them home with party favours that fit your theme. You could give one large favour, such as one of the Harry Potter novels or movie tickets; or combine smaller favours such as:


  • A magic wand

  • A book of magic tricks

  • Harry Potter stickers, pencils and stationery items

  • Plastic Harry Potter glasses

 

Shops they’ll love

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If you’ve got little elves and angels in tow whilst hitting the shops, then why not take them for a peek around a shop they will LOVE?! Here’s a roundup of some of some fun, family favourites!

Lego Store, London

Come along to the largest Lego store in the world, which stocks many amazing fun and educational ranges for little builders to get stuck into. You can also marvel at their Lego creations, which includes Big Ben and a replica of William Shakespeare!

Hamley’s, London

Hamleys, which is the oldest and largest store store in the world with over seven magical floors, naturally offers a toy to please even the fussiest of kids! You’ll find every toy imaginable, from soft toys, children’s arts and crafts and even mini cars!

The Harry Potter Shop at Platform 9 3/4

Visiting this shop is a must for your little witches and wizards who love Harry Potter! Come and try some Bertie Botts Beans, find your perfect wand and browse amongst so many more themed items.

The Disney Store, Manchester

This shop is a must for all Disney lovers (little and big alike!) looking to find their favourite character amongst an array of soft toys, stationery and so much more!

Sylvanian Families Shop, London

For little lovers of Sylvanian Families (or just cute animal lovers alike!) this lovely shop is a must. Kickstart your collection, add to it or have a browse at their latest ranges!

Science Museum Shop, London

Little budding archaeologists will love exploring what the Science Museum Shop has to offer to fulfil their curious minds! There’s also exhibition related gifts, so if you’ve seen a collection that catches your eye don’t forget to take home a souvenir!

Build-a-Bear Workshop

This cute shop, which has various locations all across the UK, is perfect for those looking for a unique take on having their own teddy bear. Choose your bear (or character from a much loved film!), add personalised touches such as recorded messages and clothing, then watch as your very own bear comes to life!

Harrods, London

Come along to marvel at Harrods stunning decor and vast array of ranges on every floor, which includes an amazing toy floor with every gadget, soft toy and more that you could imagine! Make sure to stop by their Disney themed cafe on the fourth floor too

Sit back and enjoy

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Entertaining children at a party is hard work, especially if you’ve got a range of ages attending, they all want to play, and you’re trying to set up the food! So, why not let a professional children’s party entertainers delight, entertain and enthrall your children and their friends, while you relax and wonder how 20 kids could possibly eat all that food in one sitting. (Don’t worry, they will!)

Despite knowing how to work an XBox from birth and being more tech savvy than Bill Gates, kids actually really enjoy traditional style entertainment that engages, amuses and surprises. A professional kids’ party entertainer understands the need to provide party entertainment that keeps children involved for every second, never letting their attention wander, or their enthusiasm lapse.

Make sure professionals are from either performance or childcare backgrounds, who are CRB checked and have full insurance. They should be highly experienced and are able to provide quality entertainment for all types of parties and children, so you can sit back and enjoy the fun and games.

Once you have booked outside help for your child’s Birthday, you will find that you never really would like it any other way, you can sit back and relax, which makes for a memorable child’s party for years to come.

Star Wars party ideas

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Now that the Force has awakened, no doubt you have a child in your life begging for a Star Wars birthday party! We have some great children’s party ideas to help you throw the ultimate celebration.

Spacey Decorations

Luckily, recreating “space” isn’t too complicated! Use a black tablecloth or sheet and splatter with white paint to add a galactic feel. Hang it up as a backdrop for food/cake table or for a photo booth! Lay out black plates, cups, and cutlery, and blue and black balloon bouquets as centrepieces. There are tons of resources for printable garlands.

Finally, try gathering some white paper lanterns and using gray paint to create the Death Star ship.

Fantastic Food and Drink

You can get really creative with the snacks at your Star Wars party, and this is a great opportunity to use puns. (Even if the kids don’t appreciate them, it’s fun!) Party foods like Obi Wan Kabobies, Yoda Soda, and Padawan Popcorn are all great choices. Use your clever wit and put your own sci-fi twists on old party favorites.

As for your Star Wars birthday cake, you can have one made by the pros with expert detail or you can take the DIY approach. If you opt for making your own, there are some pretty simple designs that the amateur baker can try, like this awesome BB8 cake. Cupcakes are also a great option, and you can include multiple Star Wars characters.

Galactic Games and Activities

There are a lot of kid-friendly games that you can incorporate into a Star Wars kids birthday party. Create light sabers out of pool noodles! Set up target practice with Nerf guns to take out the toilet-paper roll Storm Troopers. Add some “Jedi Training” with a galactic bean bag toss and a “laser” obstacle course made out of streamers. Or, Pin the Bun on Princess Leia, anyone?

Want to really blow your child’s mind? Invite Darth Vader or Hans Solo to visit!

Have a sleepover party

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Invite your friends for an extra cool sleepover birthday party!

Crafts, Makeup, DVDs, Midnight Feasts, Birthday Cake, Sleeping Bag Races – what more can a birthday girl ask for? The girls are coming round for a sleepover! Birthday party girls just love to make things with their friends.  Get creative and make something really special like a funky t-shirt or some cool jewellery:

T-shirt painting is always a popular kids crafts activity and a great idea for a sleepover. Give them a blank white t-shirt and a bunch of fabric pens and paints, some sparkly bits and pieces to stick on and see what new fashion they can design. They can really let their imagination go wild with fabric painting.

Having a ‘girlie night in’ means only one thing- time to get your nails painted, create cool hairstyles, have fun putting on each other’s make-up and get all dressed up ready to show off your artistic expression ‘ designed by yourself’ new T-Shirt.

  • Roll out the cat walk, load the music, flick on the spot lights and have your very own

  • fashion show!! Catch it all on camera for some great memories.

Time for Dinner:

Why not make your own Pizza? The kids will really enjoy making the pizza dough (most supermarkets have an easy packet pizza base mix that takes 5 mins to mix up) and then add lots of great toppings e.g. tomato, ham, pepper, pineapple, pepperoni, olives and lots of cheese.  Children love to eat their own homemade dinner.

Chocolate Fountain Dessert:

How about the kids cutting up lots of different fruits and dipping them in some scrummy melted chocolate!!

Get cosy:

Grab your sleeping bags and pillows, get comfy in your pj’s or onesies and settle down in front of the TV to watch a great movie for a little quiet time and don’t forget your popcorn!