Juggling the entertainment for a successful kids party

As a face painter I go to many parties every year. I’m not always the only entertainer there and I’ve learned what works and how to balance the entertainment so everything runs smoothly;

• Introduce your child to the entertainer, then they’ll feel both comfortable and special – it helps the entertainer include your child in the fun
• If you have a face painter, encourage the children if they’re reluctant at first, once the first child is painted, they’ll all want to join in; your face painter will  be better paced if they start early rather than having to rush to fit everyone in at the end
• During the entertainment bouncy castles should be allowed to deflate. Children will hear the show better without the noise and they won’t be distracted or feel torn between the two (although face painters usually paint right through a two hour party)
• Make sure there are parents present at all times – an entertainer is paid to entertain and can’t do balloon modelling/magic/face painting and make sure every child is safe at all times
• Most good entertainers can handle a cheeky or exuberant child but if a child is being naughty or disruptive it can spoil the entertainment for the others; it is helpful if a parent steps in to calm the situation, it isn’t the clown’s job to discipline
• If you have an entertainer providing a show and a face painter it helps if an adult can call each child for their turn meaning everyone gets their face painted and that no-one misses the show
• Spend a few minutes planning; please don’t sit your face painter/nail artist etc right next to a loud speaker or outside in the sun without shelter – two hours on a sunny afternoon is easily enough time to burn (remember to provide sun cream for the little ones too as lots of parents forget)

Helter Skelter

If you’re a parent in Broadstairs you’re hardly likely to have missed the opening of Helter Skelter in November last year – you’ll already know about the great food and yummy cakes, their Adult Exercise classes, Tuesday Evening Supper Club, Mother and toddler groups, the fabulous, clean play facilities and the leather sofas for grown ups! If you’ve already visited you’ll know that their service is second to none – which means you’ll enjoy your visit there as much as your children will. However, you might not know that if you book your children’s party at Helter Skelter you can also hire a face painter (yours truly!) to help make the day really special! You can make your booking through me 07789 727898 or through Helter Skelter 01843 600140.

http://www.helterskelterplaycentres.com/

Neon Nights

Neon is cool – under black light when you’re clubbing, neon glows brightly – you’re planning on wearing a pink tutu, why not take it a step further: wear neon face paint. Yes, they’re all doing it in the clubs – swirls and tribals, rainbows and butterflies.

Children’s Parties on a Budget

Save some money this year; have a party but don’t break the bank.

Email the invitiations – you can design them yourself or use pre-designed ones available onseveral packages – do a search for “invitation templates” – this method is free and you can be sure the parents get to keep a copy.

Have a party at home instead of in an expensive venue - put a gazebo up in the garden and decorate it to provide a theme: Princesses like pink curtains (especially voille) and cushions to sit on – add a throne for the birthday girl – use a chair and tie a throw around it (Red, gold or purple) tied with ribbons. Use false tea lights to add mystery and serve juice in plastic goblets. Aliens/Spacemen like kitchen foil silver with wire ariels and tubes made to mimic spacecraft. Faries have tea surrounded by flowers – make large ones from crepe paper and stick them all around the house and garden! Pirates need a trunk and a treasure map – you can hide something for them to find in the garden too.

Forego the entertainer and run party games yourself — there are plenty of party games ideas on this website. If the idea of 20 bored kids really terrifies you then hiring games may be a cheaper option and kids won’t have played some of these old fashioned garden games before.

Make your own decorations – this might help keep the children busy while you get on with other tasks.

Get the children to make something as part of the party entertainment – this can become their present to take home – save a fortune on party bags! One idea is to make some plaster of paris objects to paint and decorate – you’ll only need to buy a couple of latex moulds and the plaster – though admittedly it needs some planning – you’ll need plenty of time in advance to make them.

Let all the children loose with some face paints – they can paint each other, their arms, legs or the dog… or perhaps not!!

Checklist for Village Hall Parties

  When you’ve got to dress an excited birthday child, pack the sandwiches in the car and balance an elaborate birthday cake on the front seat it’s easy to forget all the other things you’ll be needing at the village hall party. Here’s a handy checklist that you can use to make sure you’ve got it all ready. Download your Party Check List here.

Fondant Icing that tastes nice!

Personally, after I’ve slaved for hours in the kitchen making the detailed features of my child’s latest birthday whim I find it soul destroying to see the little darlings picking the icing off the cake because it tastes horrible – it seems all the shop bought fondants are pretty grim in terms of taste. To make it yourself though seems like soooo much hassle, we Mums simply don’t have the time! However, I’ve found the answer:

 Marshmallow Fondant Icing

1. 3 cups mini marshmallows
2. 2 teaspoons water
3. cup icing sugar
4. Food colouring paste – if required

Put the marshmallows and water in a microwavable bowl and microwave together for a few seconds (the original recipe suggested 20 seconds but it takes up to 40 in my mircrowave) You’ll know when it’s ready as the whole bowlful will melt and inflate to around twice its original size – watch it!

Spoon this into a food processor and add the cup of icing sugar. Whizz with a double blade. The mixture will turn into tiny balls before becoming one large ball of fondant wich can easily be rolled as a cake covering or moulded into any shape your child can think of! You can use food colouring paste to colour batches of your mixture or paint it on afterwards. If you want to paint it on, mix it with vodka or similar rather then water as using water will make the icing sticky. Drink the rest of the vodka yourself to help you get through the party afterwards!

Spooky Halloween

The living dead come out at Halloween – be sure to be one of them!

Halloween decorations

It wouldn’t be Halloween without some spooky decorations:

To make these quick and easy 3D bats you will need some A4 black paper and a white or silver pen and some thread and tape for hanging. Print or copy the template onto your black paper and fold down the centre of the page. Cut along the solid lines to make the shape of four bats. Fold the head down on each one and draw on a face with pointy fangs. Selotape thread onto the back of each one and suspend from the ceiling. Each piece of paper makes 4 bats and you can cut through two sheets at once so you’ll soon have a room full of scary bats!

Download a Bat Template in Word format

Sweet Pumpkin Pie Recipe

What better way to sneak vegetables into your children than under the guise of a pudding! My 3 year old is particularly partial to this! Below is James Martin’s recipe taken from his brilliant “Desserts” book – clicking the picture below will take you to Amazon where you can buy a copy.

For the pastry, sift the flour, icing sugar and salt into a large bowl. Add the butter and, using your fingertips, gently rub it itno the flour. When the mixture is crumbly, add the chopped nuts, then sprinkle in 1-2 tsps water and the egg yolk. Bring the pastry together (you may need more water) to make a smooth dough that will leave the bowl clean. Rest in the ridge for 30 minutes.

Cook the pumpkin in a steamer for 15-20 minutes, or until tender. Transfer to a blender and roughly puree.

Pre-heat the oven to180C/350F/Gas mark 4. Lightly grease a23cm, 4cm deep, loose bottomed, fluted tart tin.

Remove the pastry from the fridge androll out on a floured surface. Transfer it, rolling it over the pin to the tin. Press lightly all over the base and sides of the tin, easing any overlapping pastry backdown the sides. Trim, leaving 5mm above the rim of the tin.

Prick the base all over with a forkand brush the pastry with the reserved egg white. Bake on a baking tray for 20-25 minutes until crisp and golden. (Check after 10 minutes – if the pastry has risen in the centre, prick it a few times and press it down again.)

For the filling, lightly whisk the eggs and extra yolk together in a large bowl. Place the molasses into a saucepan and heat gently. Add the sugar, spices and cream, then bring it up to simmering point, giving it a whisk to bring everything together. Pout it over the eggs and whisk again briefly. Add the pumpkin puree, still whisking to combne, then pour the filling into a jug.

When the pastry case is ready, remove it from the oven. Pour half the filling in, then return the tart to the oven and, with the shelf half out, pour in the rest of the filling. Slide the shelf back in. Bak the pie for 35-40 minutes, or until puffed up round the edges but still slightly wobbly in the centre. Place the tin on a wire coolingrack. Serve chilled with creme fraiche.

Party Games for Tots

Little people don’t really understand proper games – some of the usual party games will entertain them but they don’t really understand winning… and certainly don’t like losing!! Here are a couple of games that will keep them entertained and happy:

Tight Rope Walker (ages 2-8)

Put a long piece of string or tape on the floor and have the children pretend to tightrop walk along it – show them how first then let them have a go – make it funnier by adding instructions and or silly props – give them an umbrella, a bunch of flowers or tell them to hop and jump!

Leaping Frogs (age 18m+)

Cut out several Lily leaves from green paper, fabric or even newspaper, lay them on the floor and have the children hop about like frogs in between. When the music stops, each child must find a lily pad. There is no need with very young children to take away a pad each time but older children find the competition fun if you do. For younger children there need not be a winner though they enjoy it if you tell them who made it to the lily pad first each time. ( You can theme this if you like – your children can be monsters stomping to their rocks, butterflies landing on flowers, fairies flitting to toadstools etc etc)

Magic Wands (ages 2-6)

Wave a magic wand at the children and tell them “Abracadabra, you’re all lions!” - each child then acts the part – you can have all the children be the same animal together or pick them individual ones until you’re surrounded by a whole farmyard of noises! Be careful not to upset anyone by giving them horrid animals that they won’t like (…you know your little guests best!!). Make your boys into mucky pigs rolling in the mud and your girls into pretty kittens.

 Follow the leader (age 18m+)

Start marching and get the children to copy your every move. Do silly walking, jumps and dances around the room. Sit down, sneeze, do star jumps – guaranteed to get them laughing.

Blowing up a balloon (ages 2-7)

The children hold hands in a tight circle. Everyone blows and the circle gets bigger like a balloon. When the leader says pop, all the children sit down. You can make this last longer by letting some air out and making the circle smaller again. if you have enough children, make long thin balloons too – this means they’ll start off closely facing a friend increasing the giggle factor.

Zoo Animals

An animal version of Charades – the children sit in a circle to make a cage. Each child stands in the cage in turn and acts out an animal while the others guess what they’re trying to be. You can decide whether they should be allowed to make noises or not depending on your guests ages – perhaps older children must be quiet – younger children can make noise.

Find the balloon

Draw a face on a balloon and hide it while all the children close their eyes. Have them all try to find it. Any object can be substitued; things like ticking clocks might make seeking easier – though the children will have to be quiet to find it!

Snowball Fight! (age 3+)

With much animation, tell the children that it is snowing (inside!!) and act out making and throwing snowballs. They’ll take it up immediately – remember how cold and wet it feels down the back of your neck and mimic this. Make sound effects when you hit or miss and act as if you get hit – sometimes from behind! (my little boy plays this in the supermarket, much to the amusement of other shoppers, grabbing imaginary snow from the shelves as he goes by in the trolley.)