Princess/Knight party--4 year old girl
Believe it or not, people in our town typically spend $700-$1000 on routine, pre-packaged parties ending with $10 designer goody bags. My mission for both of my kids is always to spend less than $200 for 25 children (if it wasn't winter and I didn't have to rent a big room, it'd be $100)and provide an old-fashioned hoot of a party. Spend the months up to the party collecting the mounds and pounds of miniature toys, stickers, goodies, wrapped candy and (excuse me, crap) that your children receive and haven't yet used from parties, school, arcades and holidays. These will be your prizes for each game. Supplement, if necessary, with Dollar Store stuff. Also, spend the months prior to the party talking with your child about the party, particularly when she has a bad day, is having a meltdown, etc. It's the perfect distracter and you actually come up with loads of incredible ideas over time. Get miniature plastic "glass slippers" (40 cents each on Ebay or wedding section), let your daughter put a stick-on earring as a gem on each toe, roll up a mini scroll with birthday info and tape into shoe. Finish off with a little pink ribbon tied around the whole thing and mail in a little padded envelope. Almost better than the party itself! Start off the party with medium or large white gift bags and have the kids decorate them with markers and stickers, while waiting for everyone to arrive. They will carry these "goody bags" and fill them up with the above "prizes" after each activity (every kid gets prizes after each activity--the more the better). Make sure Princess music is playing in the background, naturally. Introduce your dressed-up "royal family" including royal babysitters, grandparents and so on, culminating in your beautifully dressed and coiffed daughter. Husband is the mean king--"No-o-o-o parties!", but if the kids behave and please him, he'll reconsider and then knight them at the end and let them have a party. (Don't underestimate your husbands--mine was very reluctant and turned out to be the hit of the party--the worse an actor yours is, the better!) Games include: Go Get Him Taxes to Build a New Million Dollar Castle (Penny Hunt), Pin the Tail on the Dragon, Dive for Pearls (uncooked pasta with pearls cut from cheap pearl necklaces in a punch bowl), Cannonball Fight (ALWAYS the favorite: two teams--give 3-5 minutes for each team to make a pile of balls out of newspaper, say go and--throw! Each kid gets brown bag to clean up/recycle at end), Guess the Treasure in the Jar (they all guess--then divide up the prizes in the jar, giving winner a bit more), Slay the Mean Dragon and Spill His Guts Out (piņata with yet more of your recycled stuff inside), etc. It's a good idea to alternate active and calm games. Ultimately the king is pleased and in a hushed and very serious ceremony, knights each child with his sword and carefully lays a gold medal around his/her neck (they are all in awe and have never been quieter). Get medals at USToy.com. Now it's time to party... Next: Princess Punch. Scoop pink sherbet into a punch bowl and let each kid take turns dumping some Sprite in and watch it fizz. Castle cake is idiot-proof and I'm a dunce in the kitchen: go to familyfun.com and type in Castle Cake to search for recipe. Use Christmas lights as decorations. Take photos of each kid dressed up and send as thank you postcards. My sweet daughter had the time of her little life at this one! And you'll remember it forever, too.
