Category Archives: Children’s Parties

Batman Party

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by Sarah Dye, Bear Haven Mama Contributor

Invitations: I found some great FREE printable Batman invitations here. There are even templates for matching envelopes!

Decorations: By now you probably can tell that when researching party ideas I don’t like to write about the common commercial products out there, even though they’re perfectly fine for a party, they’re simple enough that you could ask any Party City employee and you would be shown Batman plates and banners. I’m guessing that you’re all busy moms or dads or grandparents and if you’re taking the time to read this, you want something that requires a little more thought. So when I started thinking about Batman decorations, one of the first things that came to mind was…
Bats: hang bats from the ceiling and on the walls attach them to the ends of string and hang them from the doorway of your house or the entryway to the party room.
Make the room look like Gotham City. Cut out silhouettes of skyscrapers from black construction paper and glue yellow construction paper over it to look like windows.
Add black, grey, and blue crepe paper to hang from the ceiling for a dark cloudy effect.
Make sure to add a huge white or yellow balloon in the corner for the moon.
Place a large sign in the front yard that says, ‘Welcome to Gotham’
Cut out bat shapes to use as placemats and use your child’s batman toys as a centerpiece
Enlarge batman comics to use as tablecloths

Activities

Batbear Costume!

  • Batman Mask- The first thing to have the children do when they enter Gotham is to make their own batman masks. Print out this printable on black paper and have the children decorate it with Batman stickers and sticker phrases such as ‘pow!’ and ‘kabam!’
  • Batman Obstacle Course- Buy one of our inexpensive Batman Capes from Bear Haven Boutique (coming soon) and have each child put it on so they can be Batman. This cape can also double as a party favor. Then set up an obstacle course for the children making sure to walk them through it before hand, telling them where to jump, run, crawl, etc.
  • Pin the bat on Batman- have the children try to put the bat on Batman’s face. The one that gets the closest wins!
  • Stomp the Villains- Place a few pieces of candy in balloons and blow them up putting a picture of a Villain on each balloon. Have the children race to stomp on the Villains as quickly as possible. They get to keep the candy afterward.
  • Superhero Senses Test- First pre-record different everyday sounds such as a teapot, a car passing by, a doorbell. Then take pictures of everyday objects and have the images enlarged and reduced. Have the children sit in a circle and first let them hear the sounds. They then have to guess what each sound is to test their senses and make sure they’re working properly. Then show them the pictures and have them guess again. Next is the taste test. Blindfold each child and pass around one bowl at a time of different foods such as spaghetti, crackers, or fruit and have them taste each food and see if they guess correctly.

 

These are some fun ideas to get you started? Have you tried a Batman party? Feel free to add your thoughts in the comments section below!

Lego Party

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by Sarah Dye Bear Haven Mama Contributor. Sarah is our newest contributor. She is currently studying Early Childhood Education

Lego Parties are starting to gain popularity, and here is how you can create one for your child from start to finish.

Invitations:

One cute idea for an invitation that your child can hand out is to write your information on actual Legos. See following picture from Junk Mail Gems . You can use a hot glue gun to glue the Legos together so that your invitation won’t fall apart. Or you can send the guests the pieces and then they’ll have to put it together to read the invitation.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Or you can find a great printable one here if you are feeling crafty!

However, if you want something simple, you could always purchase invites like this one from Birthday Express.

 

Cake:

The next big thing to think about is the cake. Make a Lego cake very simply by making the cake of your child’s choice in a rectangle and make two cupcakes to put on top to make the whole cake look like a Lego.

 

Games:

After you have the cake down the next thing to think about is what you’re going to do at this party to keep the children occupied!

Lego race- see who can build the highest Lego tower in one minute

Lego Jar- fill a small jar with Legos and have the children guess how many are in there. The child who guesses closest gets the jar.

Lego Car Race- have the children build their own Lego car (they can keep the car later) and have them race their cars

Lego Scavenger Hunt- Hide Legos in an area and have the children search for them. For older children each color can be worth a certain number of points. Hide less of the higher pointed colors and make them harder to find for a more challenging game.

Lego Story- Have the children sit in a circle with a pile of Legos in the middle. Have a child put four Legos together, each child adding four more Legos to the structure. After you’ve gone around the circle a couple times, have the children make up a story for the object they just created.

Lego Chopsticks- make chopsticks out of the Lego rods by tying the ends together with a rubber band. Have two sets of chopsticks. Get two bowls of random small objects, putting 5-10 small Legos in the mix. Have the children form two teams. They have to sort through the objects with the chopsticks and pick up a Lego, putting it in a second bowl on the side. After the child finds one Lego he must go tag the next person on his team. The first team to get all of the Lego pieces wins a small Lego prize

Piñata- find a simple rectangle piñata and glue construction paper circles on to make it look like a Lego. Or you can buy one from Amazon.

 

Decorations:

The first decoration is little Legos that can that you can hang from your ceiling. Cut out rectangles out of card stock or construction paper, and then cut out circles that are small enough so that you can fit 2 on the rectangle. Then tape them to the rectangle to make your Lego. Make a bunch of these in different colors and hang them from your ceiling to give the room that party atmosphere.

The next decoration is signs to hang around the room. Use small Lego boards and use Legos to write your message such as ‘Happy Birthday’ or the age of your child.
Every good party needs balloons. For your special Lego balloons, buy regular helium balloons and use big white stickers to make them polka-dotted. You can also use letter stickers to write words on them such as ‘Lego’ or your child’s name.

Table cloths can be polka-dotted as well to fit in with the Lego theme.

You can also spread Lego garland around the room by getting clear tubing from your local hardware store and filling it with mini Legos.

 

Party Favors:

The last thing to worry about is the party favors. For the bags you can use yellow bags and then use black paint to paint on the face of the Lego man. Fill the bag with any goodies desired nestled in a pile of Legos of all different shapes and sizes.

 

Have you done a Lego Party? Do you have any other ideas? If so, please share! We love hearing from you!

 

For additional information on how to do a Lego Party, please check out the following sites:

 

http://yvonnebyattsfamilyfun.blogspot.com/2010/10/lego-party.html

 

http://www.andersruff.com/custom-printable-parties/birthday-parties/jeffreys-modern-lego-party-full-detail-feature/


 

 

 

 

 

Princess Party Fun Part 2

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In my last Princess Party post, I gave some examples of what kinds of games and activities you can do for a party. In this post, I will cover the rest of the details, so that you can create a fabulous party for your little princess!

Invitations:

  For invitations, you make some neat princess party invitations that look like scrolls, use pretty handwriting or a cursive font, and then seal them with a princess sticker and a ribbon.

Decorations:

Purple, pink, and white streamers are a good start. If you are very crafty, perhaps you could construct a throne for your Royal Highness. Balloon chandeliers are a nice touch as well. Add pinks and purples for the table linens and tableware. Check the local party supply places for colorful plastic goblets as well.

  Another fun decoration is this wonderful Cupcake Liner Pomander I found through Kara’s Party Ideas! Not only are they easy to make, but they make great centerpieces as well! Plus, you can use ribbon and hang some of them as well instead of balloons. The key is to be creative and elegant.

Food:

Finger foods are nice for this kind of party, just nothing real messy if the guests will be dressed up. You could try a fruit buffet in lieu of a candy buffet. Line up some nice glass bowls with colorful  already cut fruit for the guests. Veggie trays are nice as well. Pink lemonade makes a nice thirst quencher for this party.

As for the princess birthday cake, I found an awesome tutorial. Just click on the picture below:

Party Favors:

If you went with the Stuffable Animal Kits from Bear Haven Boutique as one of your party activities, then you already have your party favors. However, you can always add pretty hair clips, little rings, stickers, bracelets, and other little trinkets as well.

I hope you found this party guide to be helpful! If you have planned a princess party, what has worked for you? I would love to hear any suggestions.

Train Party

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By Stefanie Slater, Bear Haven Mama Contributor

Train Party Kit

Train Party Kit

My son’s number one thing he wanted for Christmas was train tracks. There were other items on his list, but he kept saying over and over he needed more train tracks. When he says train tracks of course he means the trains as well. He has a train table in the basement that flips into a Lego table as well. Being that those are two hobbies he really enjoys, we thought that table would suit him. However, lately he has been seeing larger train tables and has been staring at them in awe.

Even though his birthday is in March, I already think I may have an idea of what type of party to throw for him. Unless his interests change within a few months, I’m loving the idea of a train party! Now, this could end up being a party on a budget or a very expensive party.

There are always train rides you can rent out to have a birthday party. Depending on how many kids and other adults you are inviting, than this may be doable. On the other hand, you could ask all of the kids who are invited to dress as a train conductor! Then find a train Engineer Party with crafts like Bear Haven Boutique has in stock. Sometimes it is a lot more fun for you to find kits like this that can create the ultimate party for your son or daughter and friends.

Princess Party Fun Part 1

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This week, we will be showing you how to have a fun Princess Party! Don’t forget to check out Bear Haven Boutique for some great Princess Party Kits!

Today, we will be covering Princess Party Games! Here are some fun games and activities that work for most ages:

1. Find the Glass Slipper: Using different shoes, you hide them all over the place. The guests must find the shoes and bring them to Cinderella (The Birthday Child or Guest of honor). Whoever finds the shoe that fits Cinderella is the winner.

2. Hot Slipper: It is just like Hot Potato, but you use a slipper instead.

3. Princess Dress-up Fashion Show: If your guests did not come already dressed up (or even if they did), you can play this game by using costume wear and old dress up clothes. Give the ladies a time limit to put their princess look together and then have them walk the runway. You can have a panel of judges (such as other parents) judge the show.

4. Kiss the Frog: It is just like Pin the Tail on the Donkey, only you use a Frog instead, like the one below:

Then you cut out kisses like the one below and put tape on the back. Play the game just like you would play Pin the Tail on the Donkey.

lips for pin the kiss

5. Gem Hunt: Fill a shallow plastic tub or shoe box with sand and add some plastic gems (can be found at most craft stores). Let each guest sift through the sand and find some gems.

6. Princess Crown Craft: If your princesses need tiaras, Nick Jr. has an easy and cute Princess Tiara template. All you need is some cardstock, stapler(or use glue or tape), and some glitter. Click here for the template!

7. Princess Crafts:  Bear Haven Boutique has some cute Princess Crafts from Melissa and Doug!

8. Stuffable Unicorn or other Stuffable Animal activity: For this one, I love the unicorns, but there are other choices as well. You can order them by piece or by a kit, and there are easy instructions as well! Plus, they makes great party favors as well!

So there are some ideas to get you started. Have you tried a princess party before? If so, what other games or activities do you suggest?

Winter Wonderland Party Part 3

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By Stefanie Slater, Bear Haven Mama Contributor

When it comes to a Winter Wonderland Party we now know that the décor and the games are pretty easy to do. This is definitely a DIY party that can be done on a budget. In our last post, we did start exploring the options for food, and revealed our love for snicker doodle cookies. There are really so many endless possibilities when decorating those! After doing even more research though, I came across Elf cupcakes that Babble.com posted on their site.

These cupcakes are very easy to make. You can also create them using your own flavors and icing preferences, but for a December party how can you not use candy canes and flaky white icing? I think it is a must!

Now depending if you are a DIY cake person or like to buy a cake, you can really design the cake to match the cookie ideas. When it comes to a birthday party, this is a time for a kid to have loads of fun! That is why I like pairing the cookies, cupcakes and cake! Hope your guests come hungry! It is December, the time to eat and be merry! Santa did not get his jolly round belly by eating carrots like his reindeer.
I think this cake made by CakesbySam.com is adorable! Since you did save money on decorating and the games, then you could splurge a bit on the cake. This cake is just perfect!

One final thought: don’t forget that we also carry stuffable plush animals that make great party favors as well as a fun activity for your party! Our 8″ Penguin is sure to be a huge crowd pleaser!

Winter Wonderland Party Part 2

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By Stefanie Slater, Bear Haven Mama Contributor

Our Winter Wonderland Party continues! What I LOVE the most about throwing a Winter Wonderland Party in December is that it is very budget-friendly. The month of December is usually a time that you do tend to spend more money. Whether you are out shopping to get all the gifts to put under the tree, or you are throwing holiday parties, December is a time to spend. So why should you have to spend a fortune on a birthday party?

The same goes for the treats. Instead of sending home store bought candy and buying large bags of candy to split up into the goodie bags, you can make your own! Disney Family Fun as great recipes for making cookies and more that we think would be great to include for a Winter Wonderland Party. Wrap them up with a few special gifts, and you have special treats for all of the kids!

There are so many ideas! We really love the Elves Snicker doodles from Disney Family Fun. The picture above is from Disney Family Fun. They are eye-catching, and are very easy to make! You can always find recipes for snicker doodles online. Simply roll them up into a ball before you place them on the cookie sheet. Decorate and use food coloring to give each cookie their color. Even better, the kids can help with the decorating. Your birthday boy or girl will be thrilled to be the creator of the their party.

Winter Wonderland Party, part 1

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by Stefanie Slater for Bear Haven Mama’s Tales

December birthday? Are you throwing a birthday bash for your little one and always nervous because you really would like to throw a fabulous party that will stand out for your child? Well during the month of December we usually do expect the snow to start falling. Whether it is a fine snow that falls to the ground slowly or the large fluffy snowflakes that you can grab as they fall…..every little one loves snow! Bring the snow indoors and make it a Winter Wonderland!

Let’s start with the decorations. This is a party that you could really do on a budget. You can visit your local crafts store and really go to town with all of the felt and paper that has sparkles and glitter on it. The holidays bring beautiful products to the stores that sparkle. First craft for your Winter Wonderland party, start creating snowflakes. There are always free patterns online. Marcel’s Kids Crafts has a pattern that is great to use. You can choose the paper or other type of material to create your snowflakes. I really love the white products that you can find with a silver glow to it. To make it even more special you can change-up the snowflake designs.

What does a child like to do in the snow? They love to make snow angels! Go out and buy the fake snow in bulk and set up an area in your home to lay a ton of it. The kids could really have a fun time just playing in the snow. Your snow decorations can also lead into a lot of fun games.  You could hide a few things in the snow and the child who finds the most wins a prize!

On the other hand, if you are in an area that already has snow…..well then let the kids play outside! When you create the invitation just say R.S.V.P. and don’t forget your mittens! Either way, if the party is inside or outside, the kids can enjoy themselves with playing in the real or the fake snow.

Arts and Crafts Birthday Party

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Invitations:

If you are going to have an Art Themed Birthday Party, why not start out the experience by making invitations? If you have some stamp sets, use cardstock and make some cute invites. If you don’t have a stamp set, you could also decorate the invitations with stencils and stickers. Make sure you note on the invitation for the children to bring an old t-shirt or smock to wear, so that they do not ruin clothing with the art projects you do.

Decorations:

If you have any children’s easels, set them up. Also take some of your child’s recent artwork and hang it around the room like a gallery. Use Art Paper rolls to decorate the table with paint brushes and paints in the middle so that the kids can color the their seating area. If you have young children or do not wish to use paint, you could also put markers and crayons in the center as well. If you have enough room, you will want to set up stations for your various art projects to keep the chaos under control.

Activities:

Spin Art Fun

Here are some suggested activities for your stations. You probably want between two and four crafts depending on age and attention span. Also save a station area for your food. I will explain that part in a bit.

  • Coloring pages: You can print these for free from Crayola.com
  • Play-doh Station: Let the kids create using modeling dough by making your own and getting some fun tools or save yourself some time and get a kit like a Clay Play kit from Melissa and Doug.
  • Decorate Your Own Door Hanger: It is fun and also doubles as a party favor
  • Spin Art: The kids get to spin their own design onto cards.
  • Beading: Again, another fun idea that is also a great party favor.
  • Sand Art: If you don’t mind the potential mess, this is an activity kids always enjoy
  • Paper Plate Crafts: The DLTK’s website has a lot of fun ideas for paper plate crafts from masks to puppets.
  • Paper Bag Puppets: Using these templates from DLTK, the kids can make fun puppets to take home.

Paper Bag Puppets from DLTK (posted from their site)

Food:

This is where that extra station will come in handy. The food served is edible art in the form of Decorate Your Own Cupcakes and Sundae Bar

Cupcakes: For this, you need plain cupcakes and whipped topping (like Cool Whip).

Ice Cream: Pick One or two flavors for the kids to use and colorful bowls if available.

Using small cups (think paint cups) to hold the toppings, include fun things like sprinkles, colored sugar, gummy bears, crushed graham crackers, Skittles, crushed candy bars, and M and M’s.

The kids will have a blast creating and eating their “art!”

Treat Bags:

You can use the artwork the kids made as the treats or fill treat bags with things like play-doh,mini stamp sets, crayons, coloring books, and notepads.

I hope you found this tutorial helpful. If you have tried this party, I would love to hear about it!

Lion King Birthday Party

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The Lion King is now in theaters and soon to be released on Blu-ray! I have been so excited about taking my kids to see the movie, and I have already pre-ordered my copy. I LOVE this movie!!! So I thought it would be a fun project to come up with ideas for a Lion King Children’s Birthday Party or a fun Lion King Movie Party to celebrate the movie coming back to video.

Invitations:

DisneyFamily.Com has some awesome free printable  Lion King invitations like the ones below:

Image from DisneyFamily.com

Decorations:

If you want to keep it simple, try using green and brown steamers for decorating. For Balloons, use green, yellow, and orange. You could also check the dollar stores and party outlets for Jungle Themed Decorations. For centerpieces, I really like the Simba and Nala Papercrafts that are found on DisneyFamily.Com.

Activities:

One activity you can try is always fun and can double as a party favor! That, of course would be Stuffable Lion Kits from Bear Haven Boutique.

Another crafty project to try is the Easy Paper Plate Lion found on DLTK’s website.

If your children are a little older, you can also try the Simba and Nala papercrafts that I listed in the decorations section.

There are also a lot of fun games you can play as well like:

  • Pin the Tail on The Lion
  • Sleeping Lions game.  All the children, except one or two, lie on the floor and pretend to be sleeping. The one or two standing are the “hunters” (or in the case the hyenas for a Lion King spin on it). The hunters are not allowed to touch the sleeping lions, but they try to make the lions move by telling jokes or doing something silly to make them laugh. Once a “sleeping lion” moves, he/she must join the hunters.
  • Jungle Charades
  • Monkey May I (a Jungle Spin on Mother May I)

Food:

  • Peanut Butter and Banana Sandwiches
  • Animal Crackers
  • Fruit Punch
  • Gummy Worms (you know, in honor of Timon and Pumbaa)

…And of course cake! I love the Lion King Cupcakes from Baa Baa, Cupcake but you could order a cake or have plain old cupcakes too!

Party Favors:

If you chose to use the Stuff a Plush Lion kits from Bear Haven Boutique, then you already have a Lion King party favor. You could also add/use boxes of animal crackers, animal shaped cookie cutters, plastic jungle animal figures, and jungle themed coloring books.

I am thinking of using some of these ideas for a Lion King Premier Party for my children. If you try this party, please let me know what you think! I would love to hear your thoughts.