Can Shelter in place and Kid's Party Mix?

All over the United States, and I'm sure in other nations too, kids are continuing to grow, develop and look forward to their birthday celebration. The problem has become how to maintain this form of normalcy when covid must be considered? So I started thinking about how to make a shelter-in-place birthday party still take place and do it safely? 

How do you successfully remove the social aspect from the idea of a birthday party when the very word "party" screams social contact? Due to the seriousness of covid, many usual social gathering places for kids, like daycare and schools, are either restricted access or changed from the classroom to online learning, with kid's parents, lucky enough to have a job, being asked to work at home. 

Normally party planning concerns are limited to choosing a nice location, if not at home, putting together a guest list, and planning some social activities to keep everyone smiling while your little superhero or princess enjoys their special day. For me, covid has changed all of that. With all the uncertainty in most family's economic situation, in a lot of cases mixed with the stress of many family members confined in close quarters, it could be awful tricky to pull off a birthday party under the current covid living conditions at home or a separate location.

The good news is that under the CDC guidelines, a party/celebration can still be enjoyed if you follow the CDC guidelines. So if at home or a separate location for a party is no problem start by reducing your party group to as few people as possible, something that might be impossible in my family given all of the multi-age range family members. The CDC does say that provided the weather is on your side, planning your party for the outdoors offers a much lower risk of spreading coronavirus or even the common cold, especially when wearing a mask is insisted upon.

If the weather is not on your side, and you end up partying inside, make sure there is a window open, have your guest wear a mask, and make it easy for them to wash their hands frequently. Encourage some social distancing six-feet apart would be great, yoga pads or spaces marked on the floor or kid's chairs set apart from each other will work for kids. Keep in mind that under covid circumstances it would be okay to suggest your guest bring their own food and drink and whether they provide their own snacks, or even if you do, make plans to keep all common surfaces clean even with the party in progress.

If you can buy everyone a laptop computer you can do a Zoom party---just kidding! Zoom would be an excellent way to social-distance-gather but only if it's practical for you, and with Zoom, masks would be optional. The idea is to keep your little superhero's special-day special and in spite of these depressing covid times, a day to remember so that their future self will look back and say I survived the covid times with memories of a really great birthday party.

There's one more way you can add to your child's special day, there is nothing a little superhero love more than hearing from their favorite superhero on their special day so don't be afraid to contact the Avengers or maybe someone with your child's favorite superhero or princess costume. Have them give your child a video call for a little superhero to superhero bonding. Covid may get in the way of a birthday celebration, but thanks to the CDC and with a little careful planning on your part the virus doesn't get to stop the birthday celebration.

Keep in mind also that my party suggestions are usually based on a healthy person and a healthy situation. If your little superhero suffers from any underlying health problems or doctor's limitations covid concerns could, and actually should indeed win when it comes to your party planning. A medical degree is not part of my writer's kit so whatever your party celebrating plan, do it safely.

Kid's Dinosaur Birthday Party Theme

 

My kids grew up attracted to a purple dinosaur that had its own PBS television show. So dinosaurs were a big part of my household's early birthday party planning. Thank goodness we didn't have to contend with a pandemic, like today. Still with many children unable to attend school, and missing their classroom friends with precautions like smaller party groups and masks as part of the wardrobe this one family and social activity, the birthday party, can still be celebrated. 

Anyway! From Barnie the dinosaur the trend continues today with the current day dinosaurs made popular in the movie Jurassic Park. Even though in my opinion dinosaurs have grown a lot scarier Kids still love dinosaurs, a fact that I believe can be scientifically proven, especially if you include my children when they were younger.

I'm sure children at the age where their imagination has not yet been clouded with the fact that dinosaurs no longer exist still find the thought of dinosaurs as interesting as any of the other creatures we currently share the planet with. 

So when it comes to planning a dinosaur-themed birthday party there are plenty of party favors, supplies, and decorations that will lend themselves to your child's dinosaur-themed birthday celebration. It doesn't seem to matter whether the dinosaur available to you are the scary Jurassic Park type, or the cute Barnie type dinosaurs kids still seem to enjoy the excitement of a dinosaur-themed birthday party.

If a dinosaur-themed party is in your future the following are some good resources for dinosaur-related decorations and ideas. I think one of the nice things about a dinosaur themed birthday party is that there are so many fun dinosaur-related activities, decorations, and activities that can add to the excitement dinosaurs generate in kids. Like uncovering dinosaur bones or dinosaur eggs. There are also Kids excavation kits all designed to keep little hands and imaginations busy while helping your child celebrate their very important day.

Jurassic Cards 
by GK Designs

On my Giftkone Children's Party Ideas page you will find a lot of creative inspiration to put together your child's dinosaur themed party. How about a dinosaur birthday cake? There are dinosaur invitations and greeting cards that can also help set the party theme mood, and many of the dinosaur greeting card choices even some that you can decorate yourself. Customize your child's extra special day with an extra special personalized birthday greeting.

Use these ideas and suggestions for a little creative inspiration for your child’s dinosaur-themed birthday party with ideas for everything you'll need, from DIY projects to decorations you can have delivered to your doorstep.  

 

 

Your Party Invitation

In most cases, the invitation to your party is the first glimpse into your celebration for your guests.  For this reason, your invitations should match the occasion in both style and theme.  Your invitation is meant to invite and inform your guests about your event by giving them a small glimpse into what is to come, at your party.

  

You will want to send out your invitations at least four weeks before a smaller party, and exactly eight weeks prior to a larger celebration event like a wedding.  You will also want to make sure that your party or event is not held over a holiday weekend where many of your friends and family may already have other plans, or who may not want to deal with holiday travel.

  

The wording that you put on your invitation should be done in a very standard way.  What I mean by this is your invitation should include the following:

* All phrasing should always be in the third person style

* Punctuation is never used at the ends of lines on an invitation, only on names and addresses which require them

* Try not to use any abbreviations on your invitations.  Spell out names, addresses, etc… fully.  The one exception to this is the use of Mr. And Mrs.  Both of these abbreviations are appropriate for an invitation.

  

* Days, dates, and times should all be spelled out completely.

  

* If you have a husband and wife who you will be inviting who happen to both be doctors, you can simply address your invitation to “The Doctors “Last Name” and it will be correct

* It is always socially unacceptable to write “no children” or refer to gifts, or even no gifts, on any invitations.

  

Each invitation should have the following information contained on it:

* The name of the host or hosts

* The purpose of the event

* The name of the guest of honor

* The day, date and time of the event

* The location of the event

* The address of the event with the street address only, never the zip code as this is considered tacky

When you feel your invitation is completed, then it is time to get a friend to read over what you have written for you, and let you know if you have any mistakes in your text.  This is very important because the last thing you want to do is send out all of your invitations with the wrong date or time on them.  It is so much easier to catch and fix mistakes before the invitations are ever sent out.

When it comes to your budget you might be surprised to learn that these days invitations can be printed at a very reasonable cost online.  In addition, if you have a good graphics program and a printer, you can do them yourself.  For a small event, it is perfectly acceptable to purchase a package of the hand-written invitations from your local store and simply write in the information on them.  

If you will be having a very informal party, you can have some fun and informal invitations.  If you are planning a much more formal party or event such as a wedding, then you are best to stick to professionally printed invitations.

Preparation for hosting a party at your home

When it's time to host a party at your house, you will find that it always seems like no matter how much you clean, or how much you organize; there is always more which you could do.  The key to effectively preparing your home to host a party is the cleaning and de-cluttering some very vital areas.  You should understand that as long as those areas are clean and clutter-free, your guests will feel comfortable and welcome in your home.  

Before I get to that though let me say that planning a party in your home can be lots of fun. Just keep in mind that even the most seasoned hostess can be intimidated by trying to prepare their home for guests.  So, for that reason, here are some tips from professional cleaners and organizers on how you can best prepare your home to host your party:

1 – Do a quick sweep, take a look around your home and decide what you need to do.  Take along a pen and paper and make notes for each room of your home.  You will want a closet for your guests to hang their coats in and a place to store personal belongings like a women’s purses.  While you are doing your home walk-through decide where these two locations will be and write them down.  

2 – The first place you will want to start tidying up and cleaning is the entry area of your home, and then work from there cleaning the living room, bathroom, and kitchen areas.  In addition, if there are other areas in your home where your guests will be, perhaps a game room or similar, that area will need a good cleaning and de-cluttering as well.  

3 -  While everyone has some clutter which they treasure; understand that clutter can give an even spotless home the appearance of being messy and unclean.  You want your guests to be able to move freely in your home and not be knocking things off of tables or shelves.  When you are cleaning for a party be brutal and get rid of as much clutter as you can bear – even if you just simply box it and place it in the garage for the night.  

4 –  If you have a spouse and family, now is the time to enlist them to help you with cleaning and de-cluttering your home.  You can easily assign a room to each person and have them be responsible for cleaning and removing anything in the room that does not absolutely need to be there for the party.  

5 -  If you have children with messy rooms, but are having an all-adult party, it is fine to simply close your children’s bedroom doors and not make a big deal about them cleaning their rooms for the party.  This can help relieve some of your pre-party stress.  In essence, stick to cleaning rooms which you absolutely must clean because guests will be in them.  

6 -  If your party is informal, consider using casual serving dishes and casual eatery as well.  You may even want to purchase some good quality paper plates for the event if it will be a pot-luck or BBQ type event, rather than a sit-down meal.  

7 -  It is important for you to know that where there are people with food and drinks, there will be spills and stains.  The easiest way to deal with these issues is to be completely prepared to deal with them before they ever happen.  Have a small box with cleaning supplies that you can use to clean up any messes that might occur during the party.  

8 – Once your home is clean and clutter-free, go around your home and add back some small, personal touches you feel will make your home feel more inviting for your guests.  Flowers, photographs of your family, candles, or anything you feel will add that welcoming touch.  To deal with any musty odors your home may have, you can burn candles, or simmer some cinnamon and cloves on the stove. If only there was a candle that smelled like fresh-baked bread, or even better fresh-baked cookies! 

9 – Once your home has been prepared and you have a back-up plan to deal with any unforeseen stains or spills, and what you need to deal with any unpleasant odors, if any, then it's time for you as the hostess to sit back and enjoy the smiles on the faces of the party guest at the party that you planned.  

 

A Guide to Children's Parties

Party Planner’s Guide to Children’s Parties

Planning a birthday party for children is always fun; children have such an amazing sense of fun and imagination that they are both fun and easy to plan a party for.  If you are the one in charge of planning a birthday party for your child, take the opportunity to have some fun with party ideas, and plan the best fun-filled party experience you can.  You can bet that your child, and all of their friends, will love you for making the extra effort.

The number one consideration for any child’s birthday party is to understand that the goal of the entire day, and the event itself, is to make your child feel like they are king or queen for the day.  On that day it's all about them feeling special and nothing more.  The most successful child’s party is one where the child is happy, their friends and family are happy, and no one ends up crying.

The second consideration for a child’s birthday party is what the child wants to have as a theme.  If you sit down with your child and ask them you might be pleasantly surprised at the simple wishes they give you.  A lot of children want only very basic things such as a particular color or special food choice.  Take your queues from your child and try to develop a party around their wishes which fits into your ability and budget.

If the party you are planning includes little guest that are very young, you will need more adults present to help you.  You cannot be everyplace at once, and by having other people at the party things will go much smoother and with much less stress.  If the parents ask if they can stay for the party you want to invite them to do just that.  You will need the extra help and you might even make some new friends in the process!

If you will be inviting the children your child goes to school with, you need to either invite the entire class or plan on distributing your invitations outside of school.  This rule is meant to keep from hurting children’s feelings and is generally in effect at most schools.

Before the party discuss manners with your child and explain to them about duplicate or unwanted gifts. Tell them to just say thank you if they receive more than one particular gift. If the gift is accompanied by a recipe it can be returned for something your child likes. Instruct them on the need at other times when it is appropriate to use good manners. Also, insist, gently, that guests use their best manners as well while they are in your home.  This will make the day a lot better for everyone.

Planning crafts or games for a young child’s party is essential.  There is nothing worse than ten young kids with nothing to do.  By keeping their active imaginations and party time excitement channeled/occupied everyone will have a much better time.  However, it is always good to plan extra activities just in case something doesn’t as planned.  This way, you can switch to doing something else without too much hassle or complaint.

It is also important to remember that a child’s birthday party doesn’t have to last all afternoon.  A simple party that lasts a couple of hours or so is plenty long enough so that by the time the little guests are likely to be getting cranky and restless, you can send them on their way home. 

Special Considerations Party Planning

Entertaining the Disabled

Whether you are a veteran of the Galactic Empire or an everyday earthling like myself there are people who are disabled, in one way or the other, in just about everyone’s circle of friends and acquaintances. In my own immediate family, I have one person who must use a wheelchair and another who is allergically challenged when it comes to peanuts.

Whenever I entertain with a party that involves either of those relatives, I know I must consider both of their special needs, and I’m okay with that.  I realize that for many people, this is a very daunting proposition which they usually answer by simply not inviting their disabled friends and relatives, or simply by choosing not entertaining with a party at all.  How completely sad is that?

It is very important to remember, in my opinion, that as you move through your daily life you understand the fact that disabled people are just like you and me when it comes to social gatherings and parties.  While they have additional challenges in their lives, they still enjoy many of the same things you and I do, and a good party is no exception!  I think it's important when you plan your party not to forget about those who are either temporarily disabled wearing a cast or forced to move around with crutches, or permanently disabled. You might be surprised at the smile generating power a party invitation can have on someone often overlooked by so many others because of a disability.

The first thing you can do when you're planning a party is to plan on inviting your disabled friends and family to the party.  Don’t let their differences scare you away from having them to your home or event.   However, you should also not be shy about asking these friends and relatives if there is anything you can do to help them navigate your chosen party venue, or if there are any dietary restrictions they have which you can plan ahead for.  Simply asking these two questions, will make disabled friends and family feel appreciated and included in your plan.  In addition, they will have respect for the fact that you asked the questions that many in their alliances don’t bother to.

The next thing you can do is to take a moment to view your home or other party location as other people will who attend your party.  Try sitting down in a chair, or sitting on the floor, and have a good look around.  Look at obstacles like clutter and see if it would be necessary for you to move some things out of the way for the party time.  This is especially important in tighter spaces such as bathrooms and hallways.  Look for tripping hazards like stairs and see if you can highlight them better to make sure that even your visually impaired granny can see them and be able to navigate them without falling.

If you would like to invite someone to your party with a more physical disability, ask them if there is someone they would like to bring along as their caregiver?  Most people would be happy that you were considerate of the fact that they may need someone available to help them.  Some people need help in places like the restroom and would prefer to have someone there they can feel more comfortable with.

If your invitee has never been to your home before, you can simply ask if they would like to come over before the event and the two of you can work on any accessibility issues together.  This can be a great help and make both you and your guests feel as comfortable as possible.

One of the best things you can ever do when entertaining is to invite those around you with disabilities.  Especially during the holiday season, people can be very lonely, and it only takes a nice gesture such as an invitation to a party to start to feel better about yourself and the world around you.  If you feel uncomfortable about the person’s disability, then try talking to them about what challenges they face and what things you can do to make their stay nicer at your home.  Through some simple communication, both you and your disabled friends and relatives can have some great party memories to share.

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Little Princess Party

If you would like your little girl to feel like a princess for a day, why not throw her a princess party?  This party is excellent for little girls aged pre-school through about fourth grade, depending upon the maturity of your child and their friends who will be in attendance.

A princess party is a perfect time where your child can enjoy being treated like royalty and for you to indulge her in her every wish, within reason of course.  A princess party is one she is sure to treasure and remember for the rest of her life.
The first thing you will want to do before the party is to decide on the decorations, activities, and food that will compliment your princess party theme.

Take out a pen and a sheet of paper and start taking brainstorming ideas, go over your notes to decide which of your little princess party ideas meet your own home and specific needs.  This will help you to create a shopping list for your party and a timeline to get everything accomplished.

As for décor, just about anything goes to decorate your castle, also known as your home.  Using lots of pink and purple is always a good choice for a princess party.  You can use pastel pink and purple streamers and balloons along with a matching tablecloth and napkins.

For a nice added touch you can use complementary colored plates and cups, and also tie your napkins with a nice fancy ribbon which is only fit for a princess and her castle.  If you have pink or purple fabric on hand, you might want to cover your party room chairs with it and tie it into big bows at the back.  If you do not have any fabric, check your local thrift stores for a sheet in the right color which you can cut up and use for the day.

For your princess party invitations, you will want to ask your guests to come dressed in their best outfits and ready to be pampered for the party.  Or, simply let them come in their everyday clothing and add to their outfit when they arrive.  You can purchase inexpensive feather boas which the girls can wear around their shoulders for the party and then take home afterward.  Also, readily available are simple tulle skirts that can transform their outfit into one fit for a princess.  A good idea is to have each guest in pink while the guest of honor is in purple or vice versa.

Once your guests arrive you can have them decorate their own princess cone party hats with such items as gems, confetti, and feathers which you have purchased from the local dollar or discount store for that purpose.  Once their hats are decorated, then you can staple on streamers or ribbons to the top of the hat so that they flow out when the party guest move or twirl.

A fun game to play is “Princess May I?” which is a version of the old traditional game “Mother May I?”  Have the guest of honor be the princess and allow her to play the role of the mother in the more traditional game. Once your craft project and game are done, then it is time to seat your princess on her own thrown to enjoy a nice tea party.  The best foods to serve are sandwiches cut into hearts or stars with cookie cutters.

The beverage of choice could be a pink lemonade served in either fancy plastic glasses or in teacups.  Your cake design can be either a princess, or a castle, both options are fairly easy to make, or they can be purchased. If your local stores carry piñatas, you can fill one with candy such as gold chocolate coins, ring lollypops, and candy necklaces to help round out the party theme and give the girls something fun to do.  They can take home the candy from the piñata in their very own princess goodie bags.


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