Tag: idea

Tea Party Ideas

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All little ladies dream of having a tea party, dressing up and sitting down at a beautiful table with china cups and flowery table accents. So get ready to put on your fancy dress and a tea party hat. Here are some ideas you need to throw a beautiful children’s Tea Party;

Transform your home or garden into a family fun pastel coloured tea party getaway. Serve tea, lemonade or punch along with dainty finger sandwiches and fruit. Your little Tea Party guests will be over the moon.

Invitations.

Tea party invitations can be a tea cup, a tea party hat or just a beautiful tea party designed card. Just be sure to make them really special by using a fancy font and graphics that support the theme. Be sure to give the start time, end time, date and location of the Tea Party.

Decorations.

Set the mood for your party with great decorations like a garland archway and play some beautiful music. Cover the party table with a flowery tablecloth and a beautiful centrepiece. Create a beautiful tea party setting for your guests to enjoy the finger sandwiches and tea.

Party Games.

Sometimes the memories are even more special when guests get to take home the artwork that they’ve created themselves at the party. Whether they decorate tea party hats, tiara, or a special decorative item, it will be something special that helps them remember and share their event with others.

Costumes.

A tea party just isn’t the same without all the guests dressed with some fancy tea party dresses. If you are throwing a kids tea party, be sure to include a hat or tiara!

Drinks and Snacks.

Don’t forget the snacks and drinks for all of your tea party guests. Tiny finger food snacks and sweet flavoured tea drinks or lemonade are always top of the list. But it’s also fun to have some sweet pastries and fruit.

The cake.

A tea cup cake is always popular with those who like to bake. For those who prefer a simple and less complicated treat, individual cupcakes and ice cream in individual cupcake liners can reduce the mess of serving treats under pressure.

Making happy memories

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Most people can look back on their childhood and recall a few magical memories from a children’s party that was either thrown in their honour or that they attended in order to celebrate someone else. These occasions often live long in the memory and as a parent, it can be just as exciting to throw your own child a party and give them tonnes of wonderful memories to look back on.
Although kids’ parties can be stressful and slightly challenging to plan; your child is sure to get so much out of it and have such a good time as they celebrate their special day.

Interaction

Let’s face it, kid’s parties are all about having fun but there are real benefits that go with having a party too, that parents probably don’t’ even think about like.

The interaction that children experience with other kids of a similar age is vital in their early development. Their interaction and social skills will be developed as they have heaps of fun, constantly interacting with their friends.

Most of the interacting kids do with their friends is at school, so it’s really nice for them to be able to do this in an environment that is completely different. Not to mention the fact that they gain new experiences like seeing an exciting magic show and puppet shows, etc. Children’s parties can give kids real benefits as it opens up a world of imagination and excitement. Getting to help with the magic tricks can really help your child build their confidence too, especially for those children that tend to be quite shy. Children are always more likely to build confidence whilst doing something fun, new and exciting.

Imagination

One of the most important parts of any kids’ party is the children’s party entertainer and not just because they hold the focus of the children whilst you can take a break. A great children’s entertainer will be able to really amaze the children and open their eyes to host of really exciting activities, invigorate their imaginations. The first time a child sees a seemingly impossible magic trick, or their made to feel really special will provide an unforgettable memory and teach them something really new and intriguing.

A Lasting Smile and a Story to Tell

As a child, there’s nothing more exciting than your birthday party. But as a parent, one of the best parts of throwing a party for your child is the priceless look on their face as they enjoy their special day and the delightful way in which they tell you all things they loved about it.

Party Food

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An important part of any child’s birthday celebrations is the party food, and parents who are choosing to do the spread themselves will want to create a feast that is guaranteed to get eaten. Naturally, dishes you choose will be dependent on what kind of party your child is having but there are a few ways in which you can make sure that your party food goes down a treat.

Mix Staples with party food ‘Experiments’

It’s always fun to create your own fun dishes. You can get loads of ideas form the internet. No matter what you do it’s almost certain that some dishes will be more popular than others. You therefore should aim to create a spread that is a mix of good party food staples like cherry tomatoes, carrot sticks, sandwiches, etc.…with ‘experimental’ plates like party themed cupcakes, food shaped as characters from a theme, etc.… Whilst planning the menu, make sure that you consider what leftovers you may have, and how you would use them too as there can be a lot of food left over.

With classic children’s party food such as crisps and biscuits, buying multipacks and refilling will mean that any leftovers you have are fresh and easily used in lunch boxes and for snacks. With more ‘experimental’ dishes, make sure that you and your family will be willing to eat them if left untouched.

Check for Allergies

When sending out the invites, it might be suitable to request any dietary information from parents that will help you create a spread that can be enjoyed by all. Parents of children with severe allergies or special dietary requirements may already know they need to contact families prior to attending birthday parties to avoid issues on the day, but some will assume that they will be catered for or forget to mention it.

By asking families to provide details of special diets, you can include (or not include) certain dishes that means no one at the party goes hungry.

Presentation isn’t necessarily everything

Do try not to add unnecessary stress or pressure on yourself. Most parents are on the quest to create the perfect children’s birthday celebration and therefore may think that presentation of their party food is essential. Of course it’s fun to make things look nice and show some thought. Although presentation and display of party food may be important to adults, do remember it’s not necessarily noticed by the children and it is a kid’s party after all.

If you have the natural creative flare and want to put on a great spread of fantastic looking kids party food, then why not!! But if it’s going to stress you out then do remember that with all the excitement that is created from entertainers, party games, and celebrating with friends, when it comes to picking from a selection of party food, children won’t be too fussed about any delicate arrangement, but more about taste and variety and you could have gone to all that trouble only to find it not being appreciated afterwards.

Of course if you’re making party food together with your children, before the party, then your kids will love this as it gets them involved in their party even more and it’s a great activity to do with your kids.

Easy Fancy Dress

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Having a children’s party in fancy dress is unbelievable amounts of fun!! Nowadays we’re spoilt for choice with online party costume shops. You could go and buy some costumes, but then why do that when you could have the fun of making them? It’s great fun and a great activity to do with your kids and gets them even more excited about the big day!

Find Materials

There are lots of cheap materials you can find around the house to make some great costumes. The greatest of all is cardboard! You can make anything out of cardboard when you’re armed with lots of masking tape, a pair of scissors and some string. It’s very easy to pick up some free cardboard boxes if you go and ask around at some shops. Supermarkets in particular get through a lot of boxes and should have some spare banana boxes that they’ll be happy to give you. Otherwise cereal boxes are a good alternative and can be easier to manipulate for things like a quick rolled wizards hat!

Oversized Glasses

No children’s science party would be complete without a few nutty professors and all you need is one of Dad’s old white shirts and then make an oversized pair of glasses and a funny bow tie!

For the glasses all you need is cardboard, masking tape and a pair of scissors or craft knife. Just draw the shape for the front and sides of the glasses in one line, just like the old paper 3D glasses, and make sure you have the curve to fit over the nose and the curly bits to go round your ears. A responsible adult needs to cut around the outline, taking extra care when cutting out the middle of the frames. Do this by making a hole in the middle so you can poke the scissors through and cut.

Then paint your glasses. Black is traditional, but you could always get the glitter out and make some Elton John style glasses! After you’ve finished your jazzy painting just fold the sides to a form a right angle with the front and complete your glasses shape. To reinforce the fold and to make the nutty professor look all the more convincing, you can wrap the masking tape around the corners to give a broken glasses look.

Big Funny Bow Tie

The bow tie is a similar process. Just draw out a big bow tie shape, cut it out and paint it any colour you like. Now make two sets of two holes either side of the knot in the centre of the bow tie. Then take a long piece of string and thread it up and down the holes, so that you don’t have to make a knot on the painted side of the bow tie. Then put on the bow tie and tie a double knot.

Pretty Fairy Wings

Every little girl feels special in set of fairy wings and they’ll enjoy them even more if they made them themselves! The easiest way to make them is to cut out the two wings as one shape, so that the two wings join together with a strip of cardboard at least 10 cm long. This should make it easier for them to stay upright. When you’ve cut them out it’s time to get painting. You could draw out some pattern to paint with lots of swirly lines and stars and then whilst the paint is still wet, sprinkle on some glitter!

Cut four holes in the centre of the wings by poking your scissors through with blue tack the other side to lean on. You can use elastic to finish the wings, or if you don’t have any elastic just use string. Just thread the elastic up and down through the left set of holes and take another piece for the right set. Then tie a knot to make a circle for the fairy’s arm to fit through. It is easier to do this if you tie them directly onto the fairy and then she’s all set to flutter away!

Exploring Bristol with older kids

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There’s plenty to keep young kids occupied in Bristol, from At-Bristol to SS Great Britain, but what did we do with a teen and a tween in tow?

Cabot tower

Built in the 1890s to commemorate the journey of John Cabot from Bristol to Canada the tower is free to visit. There’s a 360 degree panoramic view from the top although getting there may involve a squeeze. The spiral stairs are pretty narrow and things get interesting when you meet someone coming the opposite direction!

Giant’s cave, Clifton Observatory

Clifton Observatory is home to two attractions, a Camera Obscura and Giant’s Cave.  There is a touch of make believe about the tale, the steps lead out onto a platform with an impressive view of the gorge and bridge. 

 

Clifton Suspension Bridge, Bristol

On the far side there’s a small visitor centre. Kids can play with a weighing machine that tells you how many of yourself can stand on the bridge without it collapsing. Quite a few fortunately!

 

Banksy art, Bristol

But there’s a lot more to Bristol than Banksy. Starting from City Hall and going through the city centre to Stokes Croft you can learn about the techniques used, artist backgrounds and the meaning behind some of the pieces.

 

Bristol street art

Depending on your point of view, our final destination, Stokes Croft, is either full of drug dens and brothels, bohemian and edgy or gentrified and expensive to live in. Whatever your thoughts there’s definitely lots of street art to see.

St Nicholas Market

Leaving street art tour head back to the city centre via the indoor St Nicholas Market. The market has the usual clothing and knick-knack stalls but what sets it apart are the food outlets. With options from all over the world it wouldn’t look out of place in Borough Market. 

 

History of Hopscotch

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It is believed that the Hopscotch was first recorded back in 1677. However, there are many theories to how the popular playground game came about. Some say the Romans invented the game in order to train their army, whilst others claim that it was the Chinese who first played it.

Today, hopscotch is recognised in UK kids playgrounds as a simple game that can be enjoyed solo or in a group. A stone is thrown into one of the square number spaces for the child to go and pick it up by hopping through the boxes. This physical game allows children to practice balance and improve their motor skills.

However, hopscotch is played around the world in many variations. The French version, Escargot (also meaning ‘snail’) is a spiral design with no ‘end’ – just like a snail shell.
New Yorkers have a similar version to ours, but is known as Potsie and is drawn out using preformed cracks in sidewalks.

In India, hopscotch is known as Stapu or Kith-Kith and is played similar to in England. However, it may also be recognised as Ekhat-Dukhat, but only features two squares.

Germany, Switzerland and Austria know the game as Himmel und Hölle (Heaven and Hell). The space before the first number is called Erde (Earth) whilst Hell is the second to last square as the last square is heaven with the aim of the game is to not land on hell.

Hopscotch is still a popular children’s party game and they are a popular design element for schoolyards and look great on either black or coloured cork surfacing.

Some old cinema classics

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Looking for some new ways to entertain the children? How about introducing the kids to some old classics….

The Goonies

This is a film loved in equal measure by us adults, the teen and the little ones. If you have not seen it before, it is about a group of childhood friends who discover an old Spanish map that leads them on an adventure to unearth the long-lost fortune of One-Eyed Willy, a legendary 17th-century pirate.

During the entire adventure, they are chased by a family of criminals, who also want the treasure for themselves, whilst holding the scary (but ultimately friendly) giant called Sloth captive. Be aware: this film does contain some mild swearing.

The Wizard of Oz

“We’re off to see the wizard, the wonderful wizard of Oz”

Dorothy is stuck on a farm in dreary, sepia-toned Kansas dreams of a more exciting life somewhere over the proverbial rainbow; she gets her wish and then some when a tornado deposits the Midwesterner and her little dog, Toto, too, into a Technicolor wonderland.

Not only are the tunes catchy and the characters loveable (mostly), the story has the fantastic message that you can go out and see the world, have adventures, make new pals and experience life at its most grand, but in the end, there’s no place like home, and no one quite like your family and friends!

Matilda

Based on Roald Dahl’s book of the same name, it is the fabulous story of Matilda Wormwood, a wonderful little girl, who happens to be a genius, and her wonderful teacher, Miss Honey, vs. her exceptionally horrible and ignorant parents and the most sadistic school principal imaginable The Trunchbull.

It is a real feel-good film which sees Matilda become a tough, smart cookie who kicks butt through it all, eventually outsmarting all of those bad eggs — a true tale of triumph your kids will totally adore and may even encourage the kids that “sometimes you have to be a little bit naughty” (only in a good way, of course!)

The Lion King

The Lion King tells the story of Simba, a young lion who is to succeed his father, Mufasa, as King of the Pride Lands; however, after Simba’s uncle Scar (Mufasa’s jealous younger brother), murders Mufasa, Simba is manipulated into thinking he was responsible and flees into exile. Upon maturation living with Timon (a meerkat) and Pumbaa (the slightly smelly Warthog), Simba is given some valuable perspective from his childhood friend, Nala, and his shaman, Rafiki, before returning to challenge Scar to end his tyranny and take his place in the Circle of Life as the rightful King.

Trolls

Want a film that literally makes you want to get up and dance? Trolls is the one for you and possibly our favourite recent kids’ film.

The Trolls are small creatures who live in an almost perpetual state of happiness, singing, dancing and hugging all day long until the Bergens invade Troll Village. Poppy, the happiest Troll ever born, and her friend, grumpy and pessimistic Branch set off on a journey to rescue their friends, partnered by an incredible music score that has you singing and dancing along.

Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory

The film tells the story of Charlie Bucket who finds a Golden Ticket in a bar of Wonka’s Whipple-Scrumptious Fudgemallow Delight and gets to visit Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory with four other children from around the world. They get to meet the weird and wonderful Oompa Loompas who sing their catchy song whenever a ticket holder disobeys Wonka and gets into a spot of trouble. A fun film with a great moral to the story.

Night at the Museum

Based around a Night watchman who starts work at a museum of natural history. He makes a startling discovery, that thanks to the unleashing of an ancient Egyptian curse, the museum’s animals, birds, bugs and other exhibits spring to life after the building closes.

The film is packed full of laugh-out-loud moments and actually makes visiting a museum seem cool to the kids. The two sequels; Battle of the Smithsonian and Secret of the Tomb are well worth watching

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang tells the story of two children, Jeremy and Jemima Potts. They live with their widowed father, inventor Caractacus Potts. Using a few odds and ends, plus a great deal of hard work and imagination, Potts buys and converts an old wrecked car into a shiny new contraption which is affectionately named Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. While on a seaside picnic with the children and the object of his affections, Truly Scrumptious, Potts weaves a story about the magical powers of the car and they get whisked off on a magical adventure to Vulgaria.

It is here where the children are captured by the terrifying Child Catcher. Aided by the village toymaker and all the children who have escaped capture by hiding in an underground cave, Potts and Truly masquerade as life-sized puppets and gain entry to the Baron’s birthday party to rescue them. They all live happily ever after, of course!

Mrs Doubtfire

When a finalized divorce leaves funny-guy Daniel Hillard without custody of his kids, he devises a quirky plan to spend time with them anyway – disguised as their nanny! My family loved following the story of Mrs. Doubtfire, a “Scottish Nanny” as he/she bonds with his kids, fools his ex-wife and terrorizes her new boyfriend.

The Railway Children

The story concerns a family who move from London to “The Three Chimneys”, a house near the railway in Yorkshire, after the father, who works at the Foreign Office, is imprisoned after being falsely accused of spying. The kids are soon drawn to the railway at the bottom of the garden, and all kinds of adventures.

Making the most of family weekends

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If you are at work all week, the main problem with weekends is that you use them to catch up on all your household chores, life ends up getting in the way and that 48-hour window just passes by in a blur of washing and cleaning.

But, with a bit of planning, you can take back control of your weekends for some good old family fun.

Doing at least one fun activity together as a family can bring you closer, whether it be playing a board game indoors on a rainy day, jumping in the biggest, muddiest puddle you can find or taking a walk through the forest or along the beach.

Round the kids up and get them helping out with the chores, with the promise of some outdoor fun when you have finished. Give the kids a duster and the vacuum cleaner and make them enjoy your least favourite job – pairing socks!!

Once you have finished it is time to get out and have some fun…

So get out and have a fun family outdoor adventure and if it’s Autumn there’s nothing more better than crunching through fallen leaves and hunting for conkers that have fallen from a giant  tree.

If it’s that time of year give the kids a plastic tub and get picking, promising them the chance to make and eat a scrummy blackberry and apple crumble with lashings of custard as a reward when you get home.

Why not marvel at the spectacle of green leaves turning rich reds and yellows, making it the perfect time to be out and about with a camera. Let the kids get behind the lens or take some fun videos of them throwing leaves into the air or rolling down a really big hill.

The gardens and colours at National Trust sites are at their best in the autumn season and they also run activities to keep the kids interested. Autumn is also the perfect time to visit the beach, which we avoid like the plague in the summer as it is far too busy, but often get lovely warm weather in September and are always surprised by how quiet the beaches are.  If there is a nip in the air, take your bike or scooter for a ride along the promenade instead.

Minecraft party

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Minecraft has swept into the hearts and devices around the world, and you’re tasked with creating a Minecraft world in your own home for a party. But have no fear! Minecraft is a great children’s party theme, with tons of opportunities to make your Minecraft party shine. With such a blocky style, it’s easy to build your party area into a one of a kind world for your birthday gamer.

Personalise your party to show off the special day you are celebrating. Customize messages on invites, labels, activity mats, bag tags and more.

Minecraft is a world made of coloured blocks so your decor will mostly contain square-shapes. In the game, there are many different worlds you can create and explore, so getting an idea of which worlds you’d like to include in your party will help you tackle the decor aspect much easier. Whether it’s snow, desert, water, grass, or sand, you’ll find some great tips to throwing a one-of-a-kind Minecraft party in your home or outside.

  • You can coordinate solid blue, green, and black tableware and decorations with Minecraft brand elements to pull the whole look together.
  • Make a Minecraft party backdrop by taking square shaped paper plates and sticking them to the wall with sticky tack or non-damaging tape.
  • Use our stone wall backdrop to set the scene.
  • Take or make cubed cardboard boxes and cover with duct tape, construction paper, or tissue paper grass. Poke two small holes in the top and hang them from the ceiling with fishing line.

Party favours are a part of the party fun, and with a Minecraft themed party, you’ve got lots of options to choose from. You can even make it a personalised gift, with either a themed name tag or another individual character. Carry your theme through your party favours to make it feel complete.

  • Use coloured paper bags or boxes and glue or draw Creeper, Golem, or Ghast faces on them.
  • Fill smartie tubes with red, green, and blue bubblegum labelled as “TNT,” “Diamonds,” or “Slimeballs.”
  • Small blind bags of Minecraft collectables also make great favours.
  • Make your own Minecraft boxes to fill with small favour items with this simple template.
  • For older children party poppers labelled TNT make a great party favour as well!
  • Paint or tape Creeper faces on lime green buckets so your attendees can take a character from Minecraft home!

Minecraft is all about building a world, so why not include some building creativity during the party? Having the kids (and family) create a make-and-take craft is a great  way to keep the kids entertained and add one more keepsake to the pile of party favours.

  • Tape bracelets are a fun craft that’s quick and easy!
  • Pick up some inexpensive blank T-shirts and have the party attendees make their own Minecraft shirts use heat transfer vinyl or fabric paint.
  • With a little pre-planning, you can make some fantastic Minecraft creatures from simple items such as toilet paper rolls and small boxes.

Enjoy the festive cheer

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Here are some traditional ways to enjoy the festive holidays!

  1. In Japan, “Santa Kurohsu” has eyes in the back of his head, so that he can watch out for naughty kids. There we were thinking it was just us Mums with eyes in the back of our heads!
  1. On December 5th, German children leave a shoe outside their bedroom door before they go to sleep. If they have been good, they will wake up to a tree branch with sweets on but if they have been naughty they will only find a branch!
  1. Norwegians hide brooms before they go to sleep on Christmas Eve as they believe that witches and evil spirits will arrive.
  1. In the capital of Venezuela, Caracas, people travel to Christmas church services on roller skates – how cool is that!
  1. In Portugal, ahead of their Christmas feast, families sometimes set extra places at the dinner table for deceased relatives, as they believe it will bring good fortune.
  1. Christmas cuisine in Greenland is raw whale skin with blubber on…pass me the sprouts!
  1. Japanese Christmas cake is made using sponge, strawberries and whipped cream – can we have this version too please?
  1. As well as the standard decoration, Ukrainian Christmas trees also have a spider and web on their trees as it’s believed to bring good luck! Eek!
  1. A witch called La Befana gives out Christmas presents in Italy!
  1. And finally, a tradition here in Britain is to go for a Christmas swim…in freezing water! Brave Londoners jump into the Serpentine, and many of us head to beaches such as Bournemouth and Brighton on Christmas morning to raise money for charity.