Author: kiddy@admin

Save on your children’s party

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Gone are the days when a sandwich, bowl of jelly and a game of pass-the-parcel were enough for a fun children’s party. Social media bragging and peer pressure have upped the ante.

Some parents admit to spending £800 on their kids birthday bash, with £300 being the average cost, according to a poll by Mums Show Live!

Extravagant parties include an entertainer for three hours at £435 (£145 an hour); catered food and drink for 30 at £3.95 a child (£118.50); hire of a hall at around £100; birthday cake £64.90 and party bags for everyone at £3.25 each add up to £97.50. Grand total: £815.90.

Here are simple ways to stop your party parting you from your money.

Invites

Email invitations or download them for free from websites.

  • A fun idea from is to write the details on an inflated balloon, let the air out and ask the nursery or school to hand them out after class.

  • Share the party with one of your children’s friends with a birthday around the same time and keep it short, say two hours rather than three. Keep numbers down by making it clear that guests’ brothers and sisters aren’t invited.

  • If you can’t face having it at home, or don’t have enough space, summer parties can be held in a local park or free outdoor play area with a picnic and energetic party games.

  • If you don’t want to take a risk with the weather, get a quote from a soft play centre or local hall. Avoid peak times – weekends, school holidays and half terms – when admission charges are higher. Babies often get in for free. Ask if you can bring your own food.

Entertainment

Professional children’s party entertainers are expensive. There are horror stories of the family pet savaging the magician’s rabbit and little ones being left in tears by grumpy clowns. Keep the stress and cost down by doing it yourself.

You can always organise traditional games such as blind man’s bluff, pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey and musical chairs.

Catering

Young ones typically don’t eat much, so don’t go overboard. Sandwiches, crisps and ice cream with a flake should be enough. Or ask family and friends to bring a dish and bake your own cake.

If you’re not a baker, and don’t know an enthusiastic amateur, buy plain fairy cakes and get the kids to decorate them.

Borrow a tablecloth and decorations from a friend. Or get a plain white paper cloth, scatter crayons and stickers on it and get the children to draw on it. Balloons are always popular, especially if you customise with glitter.

Party bags

These are a real bone of contention and thinking up what to put in them can be stressful. Even if you buy loads of plastic toys from a pound shop this can quickly add up.

One idea is to buy a set of books such as the Mr Men series and let the children choose one to take away. A book will last far longer than a tatty toy that will be broken by bedtime. Or do a lucky dip.

If you must have a going-home gift, decorate brown paper bags and buy seeds, multipacks of sweets and stickers to fill them and a slice of cake. Or fill a jar with sweets and tie a ribbon round it.

There are lots of ideas on the internet on how to throw a great party on the cheap. We are sure if you stretch your imagination it will be a real success!!

Top Zoos to go in the Holidays

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The zoo has long been a favourite place to visit for family and with over 60 to choose from spread around the country, there is always one within travelling distance.  But when you are wanting serious, full on animal exposure, then the big zoos offer the most critter for your cash and here are the top 7 zoo’s in the UK.

Chester Zoo

Chester Zoo comes consistently top of the rankings for UK zoos, for the most visited wildlife attraction and even the top attraction outside London in various polls and surveys.  The zoo is located in Upton, Chester and is one of the largest in the country cover 125 acres and being home to around 400 species.  Travelling around the zoo is easy with a public bridleway, called Flag Lane, bisecting the park as well as a monorail system with three stops around the park and even a circular boat rides on the Lazy River.

But it is the animals that are the real attraction and there plenty of them.  Over half the species at the zoo are currently on the IUCN red list for endangered and threatened species and around 130 of these are part of captive breeding programs to boost numbers.  There are 79 species of mammal and 150 bird species as well as reptiles, amphibians, invertebrates and fish.  The latest addition to the zoo is the Islands at Chester Zoo exhibit, adding 15 acres to the site and showcasing conservation programs from Madagascar to the Philippines.

Paignton Zoo

Paignton Zoo Environmental Park is in Paignton, Devon and is a combination of a zoo and a botanic garden that sees over half a million visitors every year.  There are over 2,000 animals in the zoo covering some 300 species and even 1600 species of plant.  The animals are divided up by the habitats they are native to such as the Desert House with real plants, free-flying birds and pancake tortoises.  The Tropical Forest House displays everything from Burmese pythons to poison dart frogs from the tropical rainforests while the Forest Animals area is home to lions, tigers, orang-utans, owls and doves.  The Wetlands Birds occupies the moats around the monkey islands and sees pelican’s storks as well as plenty of ducks and geese while for zebras, cheetahs, giraffes and elephants, head to the Savannah Animals area.

Dudley Zoo

Dudley Zoo is a 40-acre site within the grounds of Dudley Castle in the West Midlands.  It combines a zoo with a host of listed and important buildings associated with the castle.  There are over 900 animals at the zoo from 160 species and include some notable animals.  These include giraffes, tigers, lions and three snow leopards.  Many of the animals are from endangered species and are involved in captive breeding programs to help boost numbers.  As well as the large animals, there are plenty of cute, smaller ones for the kids to see including meerkats, lemur, wallabies, monkeys and even kangaroos.  A favourite attraction is the Monkey Tails where you can have a close up encounter with a number of monkey species.

Edinburgh Zoo

Edinburgh Zoo is an 82-acre site in the Scottish capital that was founded in 1913 by the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland.  The zoo sees over 600,000 visitors each year, has over 1000 animals within its walls covering over 170 species.  It was the first zoo in the world to both house and breed penguins and is currently the only one to house koalas and giant pandas.

The pandas, Yang Guang and Tian, are currently one of the biggest hits at the zoo, with a special enclosure having been built for their arrival from China.  Other important exhibits include the Brilliant Birds, a walk through aviary with a number of exotic species free flying within, including the only Andean cock of the rock in the UK.  The Budongo Trail is a new facility that is home to a troop of monkeys and features a viewing gallery and interactive displays to educate kids about these fascinating creatures.

London Zoo

London Zoo is the oldest scientific zoo in the world, opening in 1828 and welcoming the public from 1847.  There are over 19,000 animals in residence today, making it one of the largest in the country and over 800 species can be seen.  These include over 70 species of mammal and over 110 species of birds.

Notable sights include the into Africa themed area with African animals including giraffe, hippopotamus, zebras and wild dogs.  The Rainforest Life and Nightlife is a glimpse of the rainforest with sloths, marmosets and armadillos on show while the Gorilla Kingdom is home to five western lowland gorillas as well as smaller monkeys and birds.  There is also an aquarium within the zoo, opened in 1853 so the world’s first public aquarium.

Twycross Zoo

Twycross Zoo is near Norton Juxta Twycross in Leicestershire and is known for the largest collection of monkeys and apes in the Western World.  It sees over 500,000 visitors each year and has 900 animals covering over 150 species.  Most of these are endangered and the zoo operates a number of conservation programs.

The zoo is separated into eight different zones, each with a theme.  These include Elephant Creek, home to five elephants as well as the World of Small Monkeys, tortoises, foxes, and three types of owl.  The Kingdom of the Apes is the only zoo in the UK to have all four of the great ape species in one place while the Himalaya section houses the snow leopards.

Banham Zoo

Banham Zoo is found in the town of the same name in Norfolk and is home to over 2,000 animals.  It receives some 200,000 visitors each year and is voted as the Top Attraction in Norfolk.  It has humble origins, started out with a collection of pheasants and parrots when it opened in 1968.  Now there are over 100 species represented in the various enclosures.

Don’t lose sleep

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Children’s party organisation is something that many parents lose sleep over. Where do you find something that will keep your kids busy and engaged for the whole duration of the party, and something that they haven’t already seen before? It’s a challenge most parents would gladly forgo, so Kiddy Zone is here to help. We have access to an eclectic mix of party games, party entertainers and a fund of children’s birthday party ideas that are new and different.

It’s quite challenging thinking up every year of something ‘special’ and different for the right reasons for your child’s/teenagers birthday this is why Kiddy Zone hold the key to taking the stress out of trying to think of something unique.

Why not book some entertainment, where you can hire the best kids party entertainment, for any age group, which can thrill, enthral and astound the audience; from balloon modellers to magicians, street dancers to caricaturists and even green screen photography entertainments, plus a whole series of indoor and outdoor games which include:

Indoor –

  • Dance Machines,

  • Table Football,

  • Air Hockey and Skittles.

  • Bubble and Smoke machines

  • Karaoke

  • Balloon Modellers

  • Face Painters

Outdoor –

  • Funfair Stalls,

  • Giant outdoor games Connect 4, Kerplunk etc.

  • Giant Scalextrics.

  • Bouncy Castles

  • Fairground rides

Make sure you check out the entertainer’s policies so everything runs as smoothly as possible to get the best out of your kids party.

Teenage ideas for Halloween

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Halloween party games for teenagers are super to add to any teen party or even just a family party where teens will be present. Though teenagers can be easily bored, these Halloween games for teens will keep them entertained all night long! Games that require preparation are also fun to plan and think up! If you need a few ideas for Halloween party games for teens, take a look at the list below:

Bob for apples: That’s right—though this classic game may seem childish, it’s actually fun for people of all ages! Just set up a big barrel full of water and apples to challenge your teenagers to see if they can pick the apples up without using their hands!

Costume dance contest: This is a quick and easy way to get everyone on their feet. You can do contests such as the limbo or just award funny prizes for guests’ costumes. Make sure to have prizes on hand!

Murder mystery: This game requires a lot of thought and planning, but it is well worth it! It’s similar to a live action version of clue. For this game, you’ll have to create a story, character list and solution to a murder mystery. Just be sure not to tell any guests about it! Assign everyone at the party a “part” and hide clues around the house. Have them act out the story as they figure out who’s the murderer together!

Halloween night sweet hunt: Plant sweets around the outside of your home. Once it’s dark out, have guests go on a night-time sweet hunt. Give them bags for the sweets and flashlights and split them up into groups of 3-4. See how daring they’ll be on Halloween night!

Halloween Fear Factor: For this game, play a guessing game! Blindfold guests and have them put their hand into a bowl or jar filled with something horrible to the touch. Then have them guess what they just touched. Some ideas include Jelly, peanut butter and crushed biscuits. Award prizes for the people who have the most accurate guesses

Halloween trivia: Before the party, make up Halloween movie, TV show and history trivia cards. During the party, host a trivia session complete with prizes!

These Halloween games are just a few ideas to get your teenagers party started. These ideas are also Halloween party games for tweens too, so feel free to get as many people in the family involved as you can!

Cars Children’s party Theme

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Race toward Lightning McQueen and the rest of the gang from Disney Cars for your kids next party! If your child wants racing excitement, then a Cars birthday is right up their race track. Go the extra mile by getting creative with your Cars invitations, decorations, food, favours and games. Here are some fun suggestions to get your child’s party on the right track.

Disney Cars Party Planning & Invitations

You may want to consider purchasing, borrowing or renting the following items for your party:

 

  • Die cast Disney’ Cars toys and race tracks

  • Inflatable Tyres

  • Go-karts

  • Racing helmets and driving gloves

  • Disney Cars: DVD, video games or soundtrack

  • Racing flags

 

Let the race to your child’s birthday party begin with creative Disney Cars invitation. Consider one of the following suggestions.

  • Fold a piece of red paper in half and cut out a car shape. Write “Ladies and Gentlemen, Start Your Engines! [Child’s name] is turning [child’s age]!” Cut out circles from black  paper for the wheels. Attach the wheels to the card with brass fasteners so they spin.

  • Include a Disney Cars character or a small racing flag with your invitation to hand-deliver to your guests.

  • Make your invitation look like a pit pass for the Piston Cup! Write the party details on a piece of 2-1/2 x 4-inch paper and laminate it. Then punch a hole in the top and loop a 12-inch string through it to make a necklace.

    Disney Cars Party Decorating & Food

  • Attach two checkered racing flags to your mailbox or crisscross them on your front door.

  • Make a centerpiece out of characters and a toy racetrack.

  • Use chalk to draw a “Track” on the driveway and/or sidewalk leading up to your door.

  • Make a few Cars inspired signs like “No Tractor Tipping,” “Radiator Springs” and “Casa Della Tires” and hang them throughout the party area.

  • As guests arrive, hand each their “Driver’s License” using our laminated bag tags. Guests can take them home as their party favour!

  • Use white and yellow lawn paint to draw a racetrack on the grass in your garden for outdoor games. Include a Start and Finish line, complete with checkered flags.

 

We’ve changed the names of some common snacks to accommodate a Cars-inspired menu! Label the food table as “Flo’s V-8 Cafe” and serve some of the following tasty treats.

 

  • Lightning McQueen’s Ice Cream: Set up an ice cream bar where children can choose their own flavour and toppings.

  • Chick Hick’s Chicken Bites: Chicken fingers

  • Tow-mater Taters:  jacket potatoes with melted cheese on top and ketchup.

  • Luigi’s Special: Any Italian meal will work, such as spaghetti or fettuccini.

  • Sally’s Shakes: Milkshakes

  • Red’s Salsa Surprise: Spicy salsa with tortilla chips

  • Mack and Cheese: Macaroni and cheese

  • Tex Mex: Any Mexican meal will work, such as tacos or quesadillas

    Disney Cars Party favours

Thank your guests with awesome party favours! Some of the favours we have include:

  • Racing Helmets

  • Lightning McQueen race launchers

  • Disney Cars Rolling Stampers

  • Disney Cars punch balloons

  • Disney Cars temporary tattoos and stickers

  • Tow Mater hats

  • Race flag pencils

 

Have a Frozen Children’s party

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Frozen is the biggest movie that Disney has had in years. The demand for Frozen party supplies and costumes has been great so if you child dreams of having a Frozen themed children’s party, consider her in good company. This will be a celebration that every one of her friends will think is the best party they ever went to. As a parent, we have made it easy for you to throw a fun kids birthday party that your daughter and her friends will never forget.

Frozen Party Planning & Invitations

To bring the world of Anna, Elsa and Olaf to your home you’ll need some special extras. In addition to all of the Frozen Themed party supplies and decorations you should consider enhancing your party space with some of the following ideas:

 

  • Frozen DVD & Soundtrack

  • Frozen Costumes

  • Crowns & Tiaras

  • Sprinkle paper snowflakes on the table for icy sparkles

 

If you have the time and you’re feeling creative, you can make homemade Frozen invitations but you can get just as much impact with our personalized invitations that include your child’s name, a personalized message and all your party details.

 

Seal your envelopes with a snowflake sticker or an official Disney Frozen sticker. This will give your guests a good guess as to what is inside the envelope!

 

  • Cut snowflake construction paper or make a Snowman. You can even use light blue paper and glitter to make a dress like Elsa’s . Write in your party details on the back and decorate the front to look like the character.

  • Include creative wording on your invitations such as:”Let it go! Let it go!”It’s a Frozen birthday for nobody in particular that will be the “coolest” party for sure because she’s a girl worth melting for

    Frozen Party Decorations & Food

Here are some of our favourite suggestions for Frozen party decorations:

 

  • Set the scene with cardboard full-sized standups of Anna, Elsa and Olaf as well as Sven and Olaf together, and the Frozen castle. The kids will have a blast posing for pictures next to them. These pictures will also make great favours..

  • Turn your room into the winter wonderland of Anandelle with snowflakes, silver foil star hanging decorations and metallic silver streamer curtains in the doorway to simulate icicles.

  • Winter scene wall decorations will give the snowy appearance you seek but without the chill.

 

Every little girl will be thrilled to go home with a bag of Disney Frozen favours, toys and goodies.

 

  • Purchase a Frozen  reusable drink cup or Frozen Drink Bottle and fill it with sweets.

  • Frozen themed snow globes make a great favour that will give a child something to display in their room

  • Get some Frozen Award Ribbons to give to kids for winning party games

 

Throw a pooh party

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Choosing a location for your Pooh themed children’s party will be your priority. Throwing a party at your own home can be a lot of fun, since you can get creative with decorations and activities that fit your theme.

However, if you would rather hold the party elsewhere, consider choosing a local park, or a zoo.

What do you need for the Party?

To start, you’ll need to include basic party supplies, such as plates, napkins, cups, and cutlery, a tablecloth, streamers, and balloons.

 

  • Pooh party ears

  • Teapot and tea cups

  • Jars of honey

  • A Pooh-themed movie (i.e. Winnie the Pooh, My Friends Tigger & Pooh: Friendly Tails, or Pooh’s Heffalump Movie)

If you choose to incorporate the silly, old bear into the fun at your little ones first birthday celebration there are a few simple steps you can take to ensure that the party is age-appropriate for babies and toddlers.

  • Invite your party guests with Winnie the Pooh 1st Birthday Invitations to celebrate your child’s first major milestone while maintaining your theme.

  • You’ll probably want to take lots of pictures during cake time, so be sure to decorate your little ones highchair using Winnie the Pooh First Birthday supplies.

  • Decorate your cake with Winnie the Pooh on it, it won’t matter if it’s not professional the children will love it. You can always buy Winnie the Pooh cupcake rice paper if you’re really not that creative.

 

Whatever you decide to do we guaranteed it will be a fun family party.

 

Mickey Mouse party ideas

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For you next Children’s party use Mickey children’s party supplies, like plates, cups, napkins, and decorations, you may want to consider purchasing, borrowing, or renting the following items for your Mickey or Minnie party:

 

  • Mickey Mouse Ears

  • Several pairs of white gloves

  • Airwalker Mickey Balloon

  • A Mickey Mouse Movie (i.e. Mickey, Donald, Goofy: The Three Musketeers, Classic Cartoon favourites: Starring Mickey, or Classic Cartoon favourites: Best Pals Mickey & Pluto)

  • Apiata

Mickey 1st Birthday Party Ideas

A Mickey Mouse kids party theme is tons of fun for all ages. There are a few simple steps you can take to create a fun Mickey 1st Birthday Party appropriate for babies and toddlers.

 

  • Invite your Mickey party guests with Mickey 1st Birthday invitations.

  • Decorate the birthday child’s highchair with Mickey themed supplies.

  • Bake or buy a small Mickey cake or cupcake just for the birthday child to smash into! Decorate with Mickey candle and provide a separate cake for your adult family party guests.

    Mickey & Minnie Party Decorations

Decorations that match your theme makes a party even more fun and exciting. So, for this party, transform your party space into a Disney fun house using these tips:

 

  • As each guest enters the party area, give them mouse ears to wear! Consider handing out white gloves to the boys and big pink hair bows to the girls.

  • Cut large Mickey Mouse heads out of black card and tape them to the walls. Consider writing one guest’s name on each cutout in big block letters.

    Mickey & Minnie Party Food Ideas

Serving children’s party food that fits your theme can be a fun way to keep the party exciting! If you have the time to make some Mickey-themed treats, consider these ideas:

  • Put out larger black plates that are framed with smaller ones to serve your food on hidden mickeys.

  • Serve Mickey Mouse pancakes, just make three circular pancakes, one big for the face and two little for the ears.

  • Serve chocolate milk with silly straws.

  • Stick two Oreos or other chocolate cookies in the chocolate frosting of a cupcake so the ends are sticking up to make a dessert that looks like the character.

  • You can bake a Mickey Mouse cake using a Mickey cake pan.

 

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

 

Trolls party

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Trolls is the newest animated movie from DreamWorks and it is going to be this season’s biggest hit. The trolls are led by their fearless leader Princess Poppy who believes the world is made of cupcakes and rainbows. Trolls love to dance, sing, and hug so keep that in mind when putting together a Trolls themed children’s party which your kids will love! Grab your karaoke machine and get the Trolls party started!

Invitations

Princess Poppy does love her glitter so add a little hot pink confetti to the invitations. Who doesn’t love confetti in their invitations?

Decorations

Rainbows rainbow rainbows! The movie is bright and colourful so have fun with colour. Mini balloon flowers can be made out of water balloons and attached to the backdrop and the table for added colour and whimsy.

Princess Poppy is pink so the dessert table is a nod to our favourite Troll. A pink plastic skirt was secured to a fabric tablecloth to add a feminine touch. It is also perfect if your tablecloth isn’t quite big enough for your chosen table…no one will ever know.

Food

More rainbows! The dessert table is fit for a troll! Rainbow layered jelly can be prepared the day before and rainbow slushies, made from frozen popsicles, can be prepared several days in advance and left in the freezer. Rainbow fruit cups include (from bottom to top) blueberries, grapes, pineapple, cantaloupe, and raspberries. Prepare about two hours before the party. You do want these to be as fresh as possible. Poppy loves cupcakes so rainbow cupcakes were a must!

Activities & favours

 

  • Poppy really loves to scrapbook so creating a scrapbook station would be a great activity. If you have a portable printer you can print pictures on the spot and give each child a picture to remember the day.

 

  • Hair chalking is also a really fun activity and one that the kids can do for each other.

 

  • Pinatas are always fun! If your guests don’t want to hit the piñata you can always choose the pulling string type.