Conference moira::parenting

    Do you have a yard?
    
    Have a barbeque.....
    
    What they ages of the children?  
    
    If they are all small, then get a small pool and some water guns (i prefer 
    them in the shape of animals and crazy characters).
    
    Scavenger Hunts can be set up.  
    
    Whiffle ball
    
    Kickball -- I was at a bbq two weeks ago where we played kickball, the
    age range was 5 - 45.  We had a blast!
    
    Older kids enjoy volleyball, horseshoes.
    
        

    With young kids, try games like Simon Says, Follow the Leader, Musical
    Chairs, Red Rover, etc.  You may want some sort of prizes for the
    winners.  One idea there is to tally points and give prizes based on
    the overall winner for the day.
    
    If it's a hot day, everyone can enjoy a water battle also!
    
    Irene

    Go to a discount store and buy water soluable paints, brushes, and paper.
    
    Let the kids paint out doors with some of your/your wife's/your kids
    old shirts on over their clothes.  Let them paint the concrete/asphalt,
    side of the barn, brick wall, dog, tractor, etc.  Then clean it off with 
    a water hose. 
    
    Warning: Don't let them paint in the sun.  The sun will try the
    paint FAST.  
    
    The basic idea is let them do something the NEVER NEVER get to do.
    Something that is usually a no-no, makes great fun (within reason ;-))
    
      

    My neighbor bought white tee shirts, put them on wire hanger, and set
    up a rope line and hung the shirts. They had squirt bottles full of
    dye and the kids created their own designs on the shirts. This does
    require adult supervision, but it was fun. My sons still enjoy wearing
    their shirts.
    
    Another project was to by smooth rocks (50 cents a bag at the Christmas 
    Tree Shop) and mix them in the sand box. We bought plastic sifters and
    the kids sifted for treasure. The sifter and shiney rock they could
    take home.
    

    A little advice from my experience . . if the children are all around
    the age of three . . there should be prizes for all participants, not
    just the "winners" . . little ones don't always know the difference.
    
    One game that I saw the kids enjoy at a recent party was the game where
    you toss a few balloons in the air and the idea is for the kids to keep
    them in the air.

My advice is to keep it simple. My 5 year old has had several parties at home.
The kids enjoy the swings nad playing with her toys. 

I think 3 is too young for pinatas but kids like them if you can make it safe.
We've played pin the tale on the donkey. 

One year I got a big old box and cut windows in it so they could play
castle...they played on the swings...

We've been to parties where Dad leads the kids in song on guitar and/or reads a
story...the kind in which kids can participate a little. That has gone well.

    
    Last year one our family friends, at my daughter's birthday party, organized
    a relay race.    She formed two rows of adults facing each other at
    a distance of about 20-30 yards.  Each adult had a child.  When the
    race started,  the row of adults on one side picked up their child 
    and raced over to the opposit side,  tagging their partner, who in 
    turn picked up their child and ran back towards where their partner
    had just come from.  Depending on the number of children/adults you
    could actually have more children and/or adults in the que.
    
    Everyone enjoyed this and we had a few races that afternoon.
    
    /pjs
                                                                         

    I'm surprised that pin the tail on the donkey hasn't been mentioned.
    
    When my kids were small we used to change themes...
    
    Once I used a bunny and the kids taped cotton balls for the tails.
    
    Pumpkin with triangles for the nose (pin the nose on the pumpkin)
    
    Use your creative imagination...

    re: pin the tail...   this is always a good game to play and can
    be modified for just about any party theme.  My son is having a
    Fireman theme this year and we'll probably do "Pin the fireman on
    the firetruck"!   Another fun game is called scramble.  You make
    a circle of chairs with 1 less chair than there are kids.  First you
    count off with 3 colors, numbers, or whatever so that there is an
    even number of kids with the number 1, number 2, and number 3 (or
    color red, blue, yellow) Then all but 1 sit down and the remaining
    1 stands in the middle.  That kid calls out 2 of the 3 numbers
    (like 1 and 3) and all the kids with those numbers jump up and find
    another chair to sit in. the person in the middle also tries to find
    a chair to sit in.  the one left without a chair gets to pick the
    next 2 numbers. OR, they can yell SCRAMBLE and everyone gets up and
    finds another chair.  It can get really crazy but usually is alot of
    fun.  (I hope I explained it well enough!)  With kids as young as 3
    they might need help remebering what their number or color is - colors
    might be easier for them to remember.  In fact, I might try this game
    with my 3 year olds birthday next month. My 5 year old thought it was
    great!  Lila
    

    I am planning a party for my daughter's 7th birthday.  Please send me
    any info on a Magician in the Milford, Ma area.
    
    Thanks,
    Jennie

    Mys son, who will be 6, requested we have a silly string "event" at his 
    birthday party.  I seem to remember something controversial about it
    on the news recently but can't recall the details. It seems like it
    could be a fun outdoor event for them.
    
    				Mary

A couple of years ago, Albert "Dapper" O'Neill, a Boston Councilman who's
seldom taken seriously, tried to ban the sale of Silly String in Boston
after he was "attacked" with the stuff at a parade or something.

    Silly String is contained in an aerolsol can, and is therefore
    flammable.  I saw a Rescue-911 show where a child sprayed Silly
    String at the Birthday Boy just as he was blowing our the candles on
    his cake...his hair caught on fire!

Not all aerosol cans are flammable.

    Silly string used to be one fo the few things left that contained CFC's
    as a propellant.  Your ecological mileage may vary about using it, but
    I think the new rules have probably moved Silly String into the 21st
    century and carbon dioxide as a propellant.  In anycase, I would not
    use it neart the candles, take this part of the party outside, and have
    it be the last part of the party before distributing loot bags,
    balloons and sending the little darlings home.
    
    and no, I am not 100% green, we do things that are seriously
    environmentally incorrect on special occaisions.
    
    meg

    Thank you all for the input.  I'll check the label and see what kinds
    of warnings are on it.  We'll use it outside if at all.  Maybe he'll
    go for squirt guns or something.
    		
    				Mary