Traditional Sleepover Party Extravaganza There's nothing girls ages 8-18 love to do more than to throw a sleepover for their closest galpals! At my last overnight bash, I used these simple but effective ideas I retrieved from the depths of my imagination. Invite 5-9 of your closest friends who you think will get along with each other, and review the list with your parents. A small group makes it easier to pay attention to all your guests and makes it easier on family members. It may sound silly, but make sure the girls are capable of staying away from home, find out about their allergies for preparing food, and be considerate of their disabilities or special needs. Be creative with your actual invitations, but make sure they clearly state party date, time, location, and things to bring along. Computer print-out invitations let you go many places with themes and other fun, and they're inexpensive. Or use craft materials to handmake cards. Distribute invites 2 weeks in advance preferably, and don't hand out in class to avoid hurt feelings if all schoolmates aren't invited.   There are a few preparations you must make. One of them is to decide on a simple cheap menu. Try the usual take-out pizza if you're short on time and aren't much of a cook. But guests always love to watch dad fire up the grill and barbecue them some chicken wings in the thick of the party, with some of mom's lemonade to match. Or just heat up some pasta for a vegetarian dinner, and offer several marinara sauces (if non-veg's are present too, console them with meatballs!). Corn-on-the-cob, trail mix, s'mores, popcorn, fruit, chips, and various sandwiches are good slumber party eats too. And one of the guests favorite activities was making soft pretzels! I made the dough the day before and let it rise. then it was distributed among the guests, and they worked with their hands on a clean table creating marvelous shapes to bake and eat. the imaginative ideas were astounding, a great way to release creative power. the pretzels were soft, hot, white, and delicious with cinnamon sugar! Games and prizes are of course necessary! get prizes like scrunches, nail polish, lip gloss, nail decals, stickers, anklets, bracelets, charms, necklaces, combs, inflatable pillows, bath and body stuff, or cool posters. these things are often available under a $1.10 each! Keep leftover prizes for favors. do traditional sleepover stuff like bridge tag, card-playing tournaments, boardgames, truth or dare, limbo or flashlight limbo (using the beam of a flashlight), karaoke singing contests, dancing contests, hula hooping contests, hot potato, pass the parcel, hide-and-go-seek, soda pop, mother may I, and your variation of the pin the tail on the donkey. Favorite: hilarious handkerchief= throw a kerchief into the air. the girls have to laugh while it's floating, but when it hits the ground, they must be silent. it's almost impossible to keep from giggling! Summertime Favorite: drip drip splash= get into your swimsuits, get into a circle, and fill a cup with water. "it" walks around the circle with the cup, pouring one drop of water onto everybody's head. she says "drip drip..." until she comes to one person which she pours the whole cup of water onto saying "splash!' they chase, and "it" tries to grab a sitting spot. tons of fun for cooling off on a warm day! Offer varied prizes for different games, and be flexible. a game may be repeated or postponed according to the party mood. Sometimes, the best thing to do is sit around, mellow out to music, and girl-gab while munching something! MISCELLANEOUS TIPS: Be polite to everyone. if there's a conflict, take it easy and figure it out. Make sure your guests are well taken care of (not neglected or in danger or hurt). make sure the girls stay out of the places they're supposed to, don't say or do mean or harmful things, or get into fights with each other. Have a lights-out time to ensure freshness next morning, and determine the girls have had dinner and breakfast. keep emergency gear, backup games and toys, and guest's stuff in a designated area. Have guests know emergency phone numbers before they arrive. get to know guests parents beforehand. no tag-alongs or siblings coming with the girls. get siblings out of the house for the night. HAVE A BLAST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!