A
good length for your Party
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It is important to get the length of the party right, so there is time
to have fun,
but not to long that the kids get bored. The optimum length for
birthday parties
involving children from 4 to 8 years old is about 2½ hours.
This gives time for opening presents, entertainment, food, and a couple
of games.
Party
time-table
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In
my experience, a 2½ hour party is best scheduled as follows.
0 hrs. Party begins. Guests arrive, Opening
of presents.
0 hrs 30 mins. Entertainer. (60 mins)
1 hr 30 mins. Yummy food (30 mins)
2 hr 0 mins. Cool games. (15 mins)
2 hrs 15mins. Free time and giving out
Party Packs. (15 mins)
2 hrs 30 mins. Home sweet home!
This time-table allows latecomers to
arrive in time for the
entertainment, food and games.
It is usually best to eat after the
performer has finished.
Home
or Hall?
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Where to hold your birthday party?
Celebrating
at home keeps the costs down and saves you having to travel back and
forth. Also the atmosphere at home will be more relaxed and familiar.
The
local Hall, Kindy, restaurant party rooms have the advantage that there
is plenty of room for the guests. You will have space for
entertainment, usually plenty of tables and chairs for the feast, easy
parking and in some cases "NO" tidy up at the end.
Invitations
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They should be sent out early to give plenty of time for reply. You can
buy them, or make your own, which will give your child a chance to be
involved too. Whatever you do make sure the invitations contain;
Your
Child’s name and age.
Your Guests name.
Where
the party will be held.
The
date, and time.
Details
of Fancy Dress, etc.
How
to reply (your phone number, etc.)
Just
in case of any emergencies
it's a good idea to have all your guests phone numbers.
If
you look above you can print out invitations and a colouring picture
for you to use too.
Food
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I have never yet been to a birthday party where all the food was eaten.
Kids are not starving, and in many cases they would have eaten
something before they have arrived at your house.
Try
to set out the food in advance and cover it with a tablecloth.
Keep
to bite sized pieces, cutting sandwiches in eight, Kids love food they
can get in their mouth in one go.
Balance
sweet and savoury treats.
Some
children may be Vegetarian.
Make
the tables look special using matching paper tablecloths, napkins, and
cups.
Don't
give out drinks or icecream during the entertainment.
Preparation
on the Day
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Put
some balloons on your letter box so you are easy to find!
If
the party is in the local hall, be sure to arrive at least 30 - 45
minutes before the guests. This gives you a chance to turn on the
heating, unload the car, set out tables, and get the kettle on for a
refreshing cuppa before the onslaught begins.
When
the Guests arrive
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The
children will start arriving at the time you said the party will begin!
Guests will usually have a coat that needs hanging up and a present for
the birthday child.
Some
parents prefer to place the presents on a table and save the opening
for later.
If
you are having an entertainer, it is a good plan to begin the
performance about half an hour after the start of the party. This gives
a chance for the latecomers to arrive and for
everyone to settle down.
Helping
the Entertainer
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"HARRY
the CLOWN
or HARRIETTE the CLOWN"
is very adaptable to entertain in all situations.
At
children's shows we prefer if the children are sitting down on the
floor in front of us. Not spread out far and wide.
It's
a good idea that no one sits behind us.
Avoid
giving the children squeaky noisemakers
just before the show starts.
One
of the most difficult and distracting things for any performer is to
have a group of adults chatting away behind the children or even in
the kitchen. So try to make sure that any parents or relatives either
watch and participate in the show or get completely out of earshot.
(Thanks!)
Party
Games
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If you organise the party along these guidelines, you will not need
many
games at all. You will have time for ‘Pass the Parcel’ after the food
and before you know it the party is just about over!
Pass the Parcel
Wrap a bar of chocolate or some other special gift, in a layer of
paper. Now wrap it in another layer ,place a lolly pop and repeat until
you have layers for the children you have have at the party. Finally
wrap it in gift paper so it looks nice. Sit everyone in a circle and
play
a short snippet of music. When the music stops, the person holding
the parcel removes ONE layer of wrapping. Repeat until the last layer
of
wrapping has been removed. The winner keeps the present.
Hunt the Clown Nose
Hide a Clown Nose somewhere before the guests arrive, and have a small
prize for whoever finds it.
Ring on a String
Tie a long piece of string in a circle and have the children sit down
holding it. On the string is a ring. One person
is placed in the middle and closes their eyes while the ring is hidden
in someone’s hand.
Then s/he opens his/ her eyes and the children rhythmically move their
hands along the
string, trying to pass the ring round but hide it from the person in
the middle. When the ring is found the person holding it goes into the
middle.
Feel The Sack
Hang a sack from the ceiling in your house. Place objects in the sack
such as a alarm clock, a toothbrush, toys, fruit, etc. Split the
children into two teams. Get the children to feel the sack and try and
guess what is inside. Keep the score.
Shoes in the Bucket
Divide the children into equal teams. Place all the teams the same
distance away from a bucket or container. Get each child to try and
flick his/her shoes into the bucket. Count the shoes in the bucket at
the end the team with the most shoes in the bucket wins.
Roll the Marble
Each child must roll a marble using his or her nose from one marked
point to another. Large objects such as tennis balls may be used but an
extra rule stating that the ball must always be in contact with the
child's nose should be put in place.
Musical Chairs
A well known game whereby each party guest is given a chair or a
cushion. The guests walk around the chairs or cushion when music is
played. When the music is stopped the guests must find a seat. Each
time the music stops and starts again a chair or cushion is taken out.
The person without a seat when the music stops is out. Continue until
only two people are left with only one chair or cushion. The winner is
the contestant seated when the music stops.
Treasure Hunt
Divide your party guests into teams. Give each team a list of items to
collect which you will already have hidden in a garden or park. The
first team to find everything on the list and return to the starting
point are the winners.
Booking
your Entertainer
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Please
book your party entertainer well in advance to ensure that you
get
the
right entertainment, the date and time you prefer.
Remember
when you hire a children’s entertainer you are paying for their time,
their expertise and the enormity of fun they will bring to your child's
birthday party.
Of
course, for your party to be really memorable and stress free, "HARRY
the CLOWN"
is excellent and will certainly help to make your special
occasion something to remember!
"HARRY the CLOWN"
has a fantastic mixture of magic, clown silliness, a
cool puppet, a rabbit, balloon animals and more. There is lots of
audience involvement and special attention is given to the birthday
child. The show is tailored to the age of the child and the whole show
& Balloons lasts around one hour.
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