Category: Ideas

The Benefits of Drama

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When it comes to birthdays, every child loves to have a party! Drama parties are becoming more and more popular with kids because not only is it a huge amount of fun, it is also incredibly creative and stimulates kids’ imaginations and takes them to wonderful worlds of make believe. Drama classes are known for having fantastic benefits to children and the same is true for drama parties, as they incorporate the same key elements that help with children’s development! So your kids can have fun whilst developing their core personal skills at the same time, such as confidence, social interaction, imagination, coordination and communication.

There have been many studies to show that engagement with theatre and the arts promotes creative thinking and even improves academic performance. This is a great way to help your kid’s with their school work by the way; not only will they not feel like they’re learning, they’ll be having fun – Party fun!!!!

Creative skills don’t just help with confidence and communication, but also with problem solving and innovation. It is no secret that kids learn and develop whilst having fun along the way.

Children’s party entertainers offer a huge range of themed drama parties from around the world, to fairies, jungle, magician’s castle and more… A drama party could be just the ticket to get their creative juices flowing and we offer a variety of themes to suit your child’s interests. They can be based around your kid’s favourite character like Peter Pan or Robin Hood, or maybe they would prefer to be transported to Hawaii or even go ‘Under the Sea’.

Children’s entertainers come in full costume, and incorporate a mix of hugely imaginative games and activities linked to your theme, intertwining a super cool adventure story along the way where the kids are actually inside the story!!!

Outdoor Children’s Party

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Providing the weather holds, there is nothing more exciting for children than an outdoor party. Rather than being cooped up inside, the fresh air and additional space will do your guests good and give them new terrain to explore. Here are a few top tips if you’re thinking about hosting a children’s party in the garden or a hired outdoor space:

Plenty of food

An array of party foods will go down a treat. Try to ensure that you:

• Balance healthy and sugary snacks.

• Keep fluid levels up with regular drinks, particularly on hot days
• Provide shaded seating while children are eating

Games

No party is complete without games, and being outdoors will give you plenty of scope. Depending on the size of your garden and the age of the kids attending you could also arrange a:

• Treasure hunt
• Water balloon battle (best to advise for kids to have a change of clothes with them though)
• Messy flour and water game – where you have 2 tubs (one filled with water and the other with flour.) The kids have to use only their mouth to ‘fish’ out a sweet in a tub full of water and then they have to do the same in a tub of flour. Only once they do it with flour, they will end up with their faces covered in it- loads of fun!!! They must keep their hands behind their back at all times!
• Relay race
• Talent show – get the kids into groups and give them ideas of what they could do e.g. sing, do a funk dance they make up for themselves, a mini play, a mini x factor style competition, or whatever they like.
• Obstacle course – another fun idea is to set up some pegs either side of the garden with string either side and tell the kids that the string are laser beams that they have to crawl under, like a spy or just a cool obstacle course game. If you have garden toys, e.g. a slide (where they have to slide down the slide before coming back through the ‘laser beam maze’ or paddling pool (where they have to fish something out of the pool full of water and bring it back through.

With a bit of imagination – a lot of fun can be had!!!

Entertainment

Professional children’s entertainers can really take the pressure off you as a host as well as making the birthday boy or girl feel really special.

Have a look on our directory of children’s entertainers bring so much fun to any party and can include some great activities such as:

• Magic tricks
• Puppet shows
• Comedy
• Musical or dance-based activities
• Balloon modelling
• Exciting themes
• Science parties
• Clowns
• Discos and more

Themes

Introducing a theme can pull all of the above elements together. For example, if your children’s entertainers will be doing magic tricks, a magician or wizard theme goes down well. The children can dress up as their favourite character and the food and games could have a magical theme incorporated too. If you’re planning an outdoor treasure hunt, guests could come dressed as pirates and your children’s entertainers can include a cool pirate theme throughout.

Plan a Treasure Hunt

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Give your child an adventure from your own home with an exciting treasure hunt! It’s a great way to get them exploring and using their imagination, with lots of treats and games thrown in! They require a little preparation to plan the perfect clues, but they’re a great addition to any children’s birthday party and it will all be worth it when you see their little faces light up every time they find a clue or prize!

Planning the Clues

You could just have a free-for-all like a traditional Easter egg hunt, where there are no clues and the kids just explore the house and garden for small hidden sweets or prizes, but we think it’s more fun when the kids get together in teams to work together and solve a puzzle. Then the excitement can really build whilst they work their way to the grand finale!

You can make riddles and rhymes to point them in the right direction of the next clue, and you can vary the difficulty of the clues depending on the age group of the party. Perhaps you could try a word game where each location has a riddle with the first letter of each answer spelling the location of the final treasure.

Themes

Basing your treasure hunt around a theme all adds to the fun and gives the adult planners some inspiration for coming up with the clues and prizes! Here are some examples of how you can incorporate a theme, or take a look at the themes of our children’s parties here for more ideas.

Pirates

A pirate theme is a classic where the kids have to find clues to take them to the final treasure chest, which is full of treats, party food, and more games to play. You could try making a map on tea stained paper of all of the clue locations and then they have to work out the final location from the clues.

Fairies

Make a list of clues to find lots of fairy friendly items and whoever collects all of the items first wins a prize, with runner up prizes for the rest of the kiddies. Some things they could look for are little toy fairies, flowers, fairy dust, leap frogs and magic bracelets.

Magic

Have the magician conjure the first clue to unveil the treasure hunt and then get the kids to find the pieces of their own magician outfits. They could find magic wands, top hats, capes and toy rabbits. The winner is the first person to get dressed!

Science

Split the kids up and get them to look for different ingredients and when they’re all found they can form part of a science experiment! Or you could use food ingredients which get stirred together to bake a cake or make some cookies which the kids can eat later on in the party!

Princess Themed Party

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Favourite Princess Character

If your daughter can’t get enough of a princess in a favourite movie or book, base her party around that character. Use tableware that matches her favourite princess and decorate with matching colours. Some well-known princesses are:

Aurora of Sleeping Beauty
Rapunzel
Tiana from The Princess and the Frog
Cinderella
Snow White
Little Mermaid, or Ariel, from The Little Mermaid

Tea Party

If your little girl likes having tea parties with her toys, she’ll love one even more with her friends. Ask each guest to bring her favourite doll or stuff animal to join in on the festivities. This party can include:

Pink princess tea
Cupcakes arranged on a tiered stand
Small slippers made of clear plastic filled with treats

Shabby Chic Garden Party

If you’re on a budget and want to indulge your little lady, a shabby chic party lets you unleash your creativity and save money. By mixing and matching beautiful elements, your little one will remember her fabulous garden party for the rest of her life.

Party ideas include:

Headband crafting table with silk flowers and ribbons
Using brown craft paper for tablecloths and doilies for decorative accents
Small wire birdcages filled with treats or flowers
Pretty butterfly buntings

Princess Party Food

Food for princess parties are generally items that you’d associate with high tea or an elegant garden party. The guests will love anything cute or dainty.

Pink drinks: Princesses love pink. Serve soft drinks like pink lemonade, strawberry milk, fruit tea or berry smoothies in princess cups.
Tea sandwiches: Keep the main course simple by serving kid-friendly tea sandwiches. Popular sandwich fillings include cheese and tomato, cucumber, chicken salad, and ham and cheese.

Star Wars parties

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Long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, Star Wars came to life. Today, Star Wars is still every bit as popular as it was in the last century. Several generations love the saga and there are so many fun ways to throw a successful Star Wars celebration that even Darth Vader will be jealous of!

Planning & Invitations

From the classic rectangle invitation with eye-catching graphics to a light saber replica made from paper, there are many different styles of invitations to choose from. Another great idea is using your DIY skills and some downloads to achieve a completely custom look.

Star Wars party Invitation Ideas

Unique, homemade invitations can really get you in the party mood! If you have the time, here are a few Star Wars invitation ideas to consider:

Cut a piece of white cardstock into the shape of a lightsabre. Use markers to colour the handle grey and the beam blue or green. Write your party details in silver marker on the beam. Alternatively, fold a piece of cardstock in half, cut out two small lightsabres and cross them together in the middle of the card. On the front of the card, write, “You are Invited to a Galaxy Far, Far Away…” Write your party details inside.

Print out movie stills from the birthday child’s favourite Star Wars movie. Write your party details on the back.
Punch a hole in the corner of a card-style invitation and attach it to a Star Wars Mask that your guests can wear to the party.
Make a simple black helmet to resemble Darth Vader’s helmet out of black construction paper. Write your party details in gold pen.

Include creative wording for your party details, such as:

In a galaxy not too far, far away,

Michael is having his 5th birthday!

So fly your spaceship at the speed of light,

To the celebration of our Jedi Knight!

Decorating & Food Ideas

Star Wars Party Decoration Ideas
Aside from sticking to the basic Star Wars colour palette of royal blue, black, white and grey, you can take your children’s party to another level with the details. Choose a couple of accent colours, such as the green, red and blue associated with lightsabres to add a pop of colour to the party. From a cupcake tower centrepiece to a sweet buffet you can definitely make a huge visual impact with your decorations.

Animal petting party

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Have you ever wanted to pet a kangaroo, or get up close and personal to a monkey? One of the most fun birthday party themes is animals! We all love them, and whether your child is into snake or bunnies, you can add some live animal fun to create a party they’ll never forget!

1. Reptile Entertainment

Some of us get a little squeamish at the thought of reptiles, but you may have a child who loves snakes and lizards. They’re the next best thing to dinosaurs, so why not bring a live Reptile Show to their birthday? Trained professionals will give an educational demonstration on all kinds of reptiles like snakes, iguanas, turtles, insects, and sometimes even alligators or crocodiles! 

2. Farm Animal Petting Zoo

Maybe fluffy bunnies, goats, and baby calves are more your child’s thing? Try a traditional Petting Zoo! Bring the farm to your backyard and let the children spend the day cuddling baby farm animals. Keep the refreshments simple with lemonade and a barbecue. Decorate with table cloths and red or white plates and cups, and buntings and you’ve got yourself an adorable farm-themed party. 

3. Exotic Animal Petting Zoo

If you’re looking to spice up your party with something a little more exciting, try looking for Exotic Animal Entertainment! You and your guests could be face-to-face with a sloth, kangaroo, or a macaw before you know it. Learn about the animals in a way that a zoo could never do! To round out the jungle vibe, decorate the tables with bright green vines and bamboo and serve colourful fruit skewers. 

4. Pony Party 

If you have a little cowboy or cowgirl on your hands, a Pony Party could be the perfect fit! Some pony parties are mobile and can bring them right to your home (of course that is if you have a huge back garden.) Let the little ones go on slow-paced rides with gentle, friendly ponies and it’ll be a party they’ll never forget. Hand out cowboy hats or handkerchiefs as souvenirs, and have a hot dog and marshmallow campfire!!

Ship A Hoy

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A Pirate Party may at first seem a pretty ordinary one, but it can actually be as diverse as any children’s celebration idea. Here are a few ways you can turn a Pirate Party into an event perfectly suited to your child.

Storytelling

Here’s an easy one. Bring in a children’s entertainer dressed in a pirate’s costume or gets some costumes yourself and gather the children around for Storytime! You can read to them from any variety of books, or you can invent a story yourself! The more you get into it, (best pirate voices please) the more the kids will get into it, so lose your inhibitions and have fun!

Adventure

This is storytelling taken to the next level! Instead of simply telling a story, make the story come to life! Hire some actors to play roles and make the birthday boy/girl the hero! Or have an adventure course tailored to the ages of the children. Of course the adventure course needs to be ‘Pirate themed’. When they complete the course they are able to put some treasure in a box.  The most treasure each team puts in their treasure box wins a special prize!!

Movie Marathon

If you’re looking for a slower pace to celebrate with pirates, consider a projector in the garden. Then, put on a marathon of Pirates of the Caribbean movies (or, any of a variety of pirate-themed films). With some snacks and cake, watching movies on a big screen is a great time!

We hope we’ve given you some thoughtful ways to have a Pirate Party. We hope your little buccaneers have the time of their lives!

Family days out for £25 or Free

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Boscombe Coastal Activity Park – Bournemouth, Dorset FREE

 

Stroll down Boscombe Beach and you will be able to enjoy a whole host of coastal activities including free swing ball, table tennis, bouldering and don’t forget to check out the music trail on the pier!9. 

 

Wellsfield Farm Park, Falkirk

Family: £22, Adult: £5.00, Child (under 16): £6.50

 

This family run farm park has plenty to keep the little ones happy.  There’s acres of green space to explore, trails to follow, an adventure play area and so much more. Race around the go-kart track, have a ride on a pony, go pond dipping or try your luck at panning for gold! If you want something a bit more active there’s a climbing wall, agility poles, monkey bars, scramble net, balance beams and a zip wire. 

 

Hoar Park Farm, Nuneaton

Family: £11, Adult: £3, Child: £2.50, Under 2: Free

 

At Hoar Park farm you can meet a whole bunch of different animals such as goats, chickens, geese, ponies, donkeys, pigs, deer, cows, guinea pigs, rabbits and even a tarantula called Rosie, who you can touch! There’s also a playground where your little ones can run around and keep themselves busy for an hour or two.  

 

Ludlow Castle, Shropshire

Family: £13.50, Adult: £5, Child: £2.50, Under 6: Free

 

Explore this medieval ruin and your little ones can play at being princes and princesses for the day! They often have loads of special events on from kids workshops to food festivals and on Monday the 29th of August they’ve got a family entertainment spectacular taking place. Watch the knights battle for the Heritage Cup, listen to the Jester’s jokes and listen to exciting talks about medieval weaponry. Please note that prices are higher for this event – £20 for a family ticket.

 

Alice Holt Forest, Surrey

FREE ENTRY (Parking Charges Apply)

 

For a day of exploration and fun outdoors kids activities take the family to Alice Holt Forest where you can walk, cycle, play or have a picnic. The kids can discover the play area where there’s a pirate ship to climb and explore, a nest swing and even a 3D maze! Entrance is free for all the only cost is parking, which starts at £1.80 for 1 hour, up to £8 for 4+ hours.

 

Family fun won’t break the bank

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Do you need an inspiration on some fun filled family days out for the family to enjoy without breaking the bank? Here’s a list of some amazing attractions across the UK… all for £25 and under (based on 2 adults and 2 children)!

 Liberty’s Owl, Raptor & Reptile Centre, Ringwood

 

Discover one of the South’s largest collections of birds of prey, reptiles, creepy crawlies and more at the Liberty Centre near Ringwood. The flying displays with take your breath away and we can almost guarantee that you’ll learn something exciting and new about the animals you meet. After you’ve looked around, why not stop for a bite to eat at the cafe and the kids can blow off some steam in the play area and sandpit. 

 

Illuminasia, Blackpool

 

Visit the world’s largest indoor illuminations and see wonders from around the globe light up before your very eyes! Combining traditional Chinese lantern methods with the latest in lighting technology, Illuminasia creates a family friendly, educational and awe-inspiring day out. 

 

Adventure Wonderland, Christchurch

 

With over 30 rides and attractions, there’s so much to be had at Adventure Wonderland for all of the family! Battle it out on the Battle Boats, go on the Dragon’s Drop Mega Slide or even go see some adorable animals in the Cuddle Corner Farm! You might even get to meet some of the park characters including Alice, the Mad Hatter and The White Rabbit. 

 

The Viking Saga Boat Trips, Maldon, Essex

 

Step aboard the Viking Saga on Maldon Promenade for a relaxing cruise. With a few different options for where to go on your viking saga cruise you will definitely have plenty of choice. Starting from a 40 minute cruise and going up to 3 hours you can spend as much time here as you please.

 

Windmill Hill City Farm – Bedminster, Bristol

 

This small community farm has loads to offer and is a great day out for kids of all ages. You’ll be able to meet loads of animals, such as goats, sheep, pigs and chickens, and learn all about farming. There’s also a kids play area when they can run around while you refuel with a coffee.

 

 

Family days out around Hawes

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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, cafes 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.

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)

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.

 

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.