Here are some fun activities from our Dinosaur Party. We love this party and we hope you did too. To see more you can purchase this party in our shop. The cute white fabric garland in the background of the top picture is by Hank + Hunt. Have a great weekend!
Photos by Nicole Hill Gerulat.
Having a Circus Party but you’re not a professional face painter? Try our easy trick for flawless results. Use a rubber stamp and some non-toxic ink to stamp a picture onto the face or arm of party guests. Then it’s just like paint-by-numbers–paint in the picture using face paints. So easy and you’ll look like a face painting star!
7. Snack time: After they’ve finished all of the fun and games, pass out a sweet treat (pink rice krispie treats) for the students to snack on. And don’t forget to serve a little love potion. We recommend water or juice, but you can use whatever you’d like.
8. Pass out valentines: It’s time for the finale. If your class has planned for this ahead of time and all of the students have brought valentines to share, let the kids take turns passing out their valentine cards to each other as they eat their treat. If you need some valentines, check out our printable valentines. Happy Valentine’s Day!
Photos by Nicole Hill Gerulat.
5. Heart Attack: Valentine’s Day isn’t just for your sweetheart. Do something nice for the teacher or principal at school. Pass out one paper heart per student. Ask them to write a nice note on the heart for the teacher or principal, thanking them for all they do. Collect all of the hearts and stick them to the teacher’s or principal’s desk or door with tape. Or have the students stick them as they finish their note. It’s a heart attack!
6. Queen of Hearts: Divide the students into two groups, boys in one and girls in the other. Using the supplies they are given, have them dress up one person from each team–the girl as the queen of hearts and the boy as cupid. Give each group 10 minutes to create their masterpiece. Once they are finished have them model their creation for the class.
Recommended supplies for the girls (queen of hearts): crepe paper streamers, tissue paper, doily hearts, a crown, a skewer for her scepter
Recommended supplies for the boys (cupid): two hangers for wings, a roll of toilet paper, clear packing tape, doily hearts, a dowel or stick plus a string for the bow, a skewer for an arrow
Photos by Nicole Hill Gerulat.
3. Find Your Heart Mate: This is a great activity to get kids out of their seats and moving around the classroom–and they can practice their math facts at the same time. Pass out one half of an equation to each child and let them walk around the room finding their heart mate. Once they’ve made the correct match they can sit back in their seat. Click on the picture above to download the blank hearts. You can fill in math equations on whatever level the students are at.
4. Guesstimation: Pass three jars full of candy around the classroom and give the children a chance to guess how many pieces are in each jar. The winner gets to keep the jar of candy. If you’d like to use our guesstimation sheet, just click on the picture below.
Photos by Nicole Hill Gerulat. Graphics by Sara Westbrook.
There are so many fun things you can do at a pajama party. At our Pajama Glam Party we served breakfast for dinner and let the girls get dressed up to sing and dance the night away. For all of the party info and to find out about the other party activities you can purchase our diy party plan. This party is now available for purchase in our shop.
Photo by Nicole Hill Gerulat. Party held at Dear Lizzie’s in Highland, UT.
Day #2: decorating gingerbread houses. The main activity at a gingerbread house decorating party is decorating houses! Here are a few of our tips and tricks to help you out. Gingerbread would of course be ideal for this activity. But if you need a quick and easy solution that will go a long way for a crowd of party goers, then you can’t beat graham crackers.
Cutting the crackers: Cut a pattern for the house peak from a 3 x 5 index card or other sturdy paper. To cut the graham cracker into a peak without breaking it, get a paper towel damp through (but not soaking), wrap it around the graham cracker, and microwave for 15 seconds. This will soften the cracker enough to cut it. Using a serrated knife, cut the cracker into a point following the pattern on the card. Don’t worry, the graham crackers will re-harden.
Base: Mounting your house onto a piece of cardboard makes it easy for guests to transport their creations home and it also adds an extra bit of cuteness. These houses are on a 6″ cardboard cake round (found in the wedding cake supplies aisle) with scrapbooking paper glued to the top. Using spray adhesive, spray the glue on the cardboard cake round, then stick the cardboard to your paper. Trim the paper around the circle. We used the Martha Stewart Christmas scrapbook paper.
Royal Icing: Ingredients– 3 Tablespoons meringue powder, 1 pound powdered sugar, 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar, and 1/4 cup warm water. With a hand mixer beat all ingredients together until the icing holds a stiff peak, about 5 minutes. Add a tiny bit more water if too firm and more powdered sugar if too runny. Keep icing covered with a damp towel to prevent it from drying out.
House frames: If you’ve made gingerbread houses before, you know that it can be difficult to keep the house together with only frosting. This quick fix is the most amazing trick brought to our attention by one of our readers. Thank you Addie! Over low heat, melt brown sugar in a sauce pan until it liquifies. This makes the perfect edible glue! *Warning: the melted sugar is very hot, so we advise you do this part ahead of time. This way, your guests can get to work decorating as soon as they arrive and no one will have the bother of their house falling over.
Woodland House: Cinnamon Toast Crunch roof; mini red M&M’s for Christmas lights; mini Kit Kats for the logs; plastic deer; powdered sugar sprinkled on top for the snow; Wreath: We used a mint Lifesaver for the wreath. Break a green circle sprinkle in half. Using frosting as glue, attach sprinkles and a nonpareil for the holly berry.
Traditional House: mini green M&M’s on the roof line; red, green, and white sprinkles for the roof; white nonpareils for lights; Candy Cane Door: The door is made from two mini candy canes. Break the cane part off of one candy cane. Match up the straight part with the other whole mini candy cane. Attach the two ends with frosting and cover the seam with a red hot or mini M&M. Trees: Using an unwrapped round peppermint candy as the base, attach a mini Reese’s Peanut Butter cup wrapped in green and a Hershey’s Kiss wrapped in green with frosting.
Cottage: roof covered in frosting and then sprinkled with crushed peppermint; half a peppermint round for chimney; Cadbury chocolate candy for snowballs; Neccos for pathway; sprinkles for lights and window accents; plastic tree.
Houses and photos by Sara Westbrook.
As party guests start to arrive, put them to work embellishing their very own chef’s hat. Have each girl put her name on a hat with sticker letters to avoid any confusion and to help everyone get to know each other. Party guests will create special flowers made out of coffee filters and cupcake liners to adorn their hats. Each one will end up being as unique as the party guest. Detailed instructions are provided in our downloadable pdf, available in our shop.
It’s our last day of posting this Baking Party. We hope you have loved it as much as we have.
Photo by Nicole Gerulat.
At this Baking Party the guests rotate through 7 different activity stations. Some of our favorite activities were making chocolate dipped strawberries, mixed berry tarts and strawberry jam. With a little food prep and some station organization you can pull off this party like a star. To see all of the Baking Party activities and get the full details, purchase this party as a pdf.
Photos by Nicole Gerulat.
Day #4: Need some games to play on Thanksgiving Day (or at a school classroom party)? It can get pretty boring for the little ones while the adults are cleaning up dinner or watching football. Here are two games to entertain your kiddos.
Thanksgiving Boat Races
Just like Columbus and his crew crossed the ocean in search of the new world, so can your kids with these little boats made from milk cartons and powered by balloons.
You will need: one small milk carton or whipped cream carton to make 2 boats, exacto knife, hole punch or scissors, brown spray paint, one 12″ white balloon per child or boat, sticker letters, blue paper like wrapping paper or butcher paper, a marker for drawing a map
Directions: Take an empty milk carton and cut it in half lengthwise with an exacto knife. Make sure you cut it through the pinched together part at the top, not the other direction. Wash and dry each half really well. This will make two boats but you might want to make three boats like we did, to represent the Nina, the Pinta and the Santa Maria. In this case you’ll have to have more milk cartons–but you can make as many boats as you’d like. Using a hole punch or scissors, make a hole at the flat end of the boat (look at the picture for reference). Punch more holes around the first or use the scissors to enlarge the hole to the size of a dime. Spray paint each boat brown and let dry. Meanwhile, take your blue wrapping or butcher paper and draw a map of the new world with a black marker for the boats to sail to. Once your boats are dry you can add sticker letters to the sides to name your boats.
When the kids are ready for the boat race, set up your map on a table. Have the kids tuck their balloon through the hole in their boat and blow up the balloon. Starting on one side of the map, have them set down their boats. Everyone releases their balloons at the same time. You never know what each fantastic voyage will bring. Some boats sail straight ahead, some boats go in circles, and some fall off the side of the table (the world is flat after all, right?). They can race and race over and over again, as often as they want to keep blowing up their balloon. Bon voyage!
Thanksgiving Pumpkin Roll
This game is fast moving and so much fun. Kids can compete against each other around an impromptu obstacle course in the back yard or divide into teams and have a relay race.
You will need: 2 smallish 4-6″ in diameter pumpkins and 2 brooms
Directions: Push the broom like you’re sweeping to get your pumpkin to roll. Small pumpkins should roll really well on their side. Have fun racing your opponent to this finish line.
Photos by Sara Westbrook.
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