So enjoy playing these games
IN THE MOOD
Decorations help to set the mood for a celebration, and children enjoy making them too. Balloons are great to hang as you can also use them for party games and give them out as parting gifts. Children at my club have made a reusable party banner with fluorescent paint, which looks great when we turn the lights down for a disco. (For banner-making methods see 'On the March', Out of School, May 2003). Coloured light bulbs also create ambiance easily and effectively.
Consider making your own attractive, disposable tablecloths by cutting lengths of plain paper from a large reel, and allowing children to decorate them with bold felt-tips. A coloured-on border looks particularly striking, and once the tablecloths are in place children can simply write on name-places if they like! Sparkling table confetti is fashionable to sprinkle over a cloth, but if you have novelty hole-punches, collect the punched sections for a couple of weeks prior to the celebration to create your own unique club confetti.
GAME ON
Children still enjoy traditional party games, and now that it's fairly commonplace for birthday parties to be visited by professional entertainers or take place in fast-food outlets, some children may even find them a novelty. Think back to your own childhood - pass the parcel, musical statues and pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey are all worth reviving.
Or how about planning a disco? You can simply play music, or add small disco lights which can be bought for around 15. Bigger lights can be hired, as can karaoke machines if you don't have them. (Check you're insured before hiring or borrowing, and that equipment is in good condition. Don't use strobe lights which can induce seizures.) DJ-ing is very cool at the moment and likely to be popular with older children, while TV programmes such as 'Pop Idol' inspire many a budding karaoke star. Electronic dance mats are available from toy shops from about 20 - they are placed on the floor with one end plugged into a television. Music plays, and the screen indicates the dance steps to perform by telling children where to place their feet within the grid featured on the mat. Children can increase the level of difficulty as they get the hang of it - a great way to exercise and to have fun.
HOW REFRESHING
You may want to go down the route of traditional party fare, but you could try a healthy-eating party. Consider offering brightly coloured fruits, vegetables and other healthy foods, and involve the children in the menu and the preparation. Why not challenge the children to be creative with the food and have them design interesting ways to present it? Perhaps they could serve yoghurt in hollowed-out orange halves for example.
When it comes to drinks, the children at my clubs enjoy using an electric juicer to create fruit smoothies, which they like to pour over crushed ice.
Even ordinary squash drinks suddenly become special enough for a celebration when you add novelty straws or ice cubes. (See 'Cold play', Out of School, October 2003 for icy activities ideal for celebrations.) PARTY PINATAS
Pinatas are party pieces that originated in Mexico. These papier-mache shapes, often made to resemble animals, are filled with sweets and toys.
They are hung up in a clear space (outside and from a tree traditionally), and children take turns trying to hit the pinata with a stick, hard enough to make it spill its contents for the group to share. There is only one catch - the child is blindfolded and starts off a few steps away from the pinata. Everyone else stands well back!
To make one, blow up a balloon and cover it in papier-mache (strips of newspaper that have been soaked in a mixture of PVA glue and water), building up five layers in total. Allow the balloon to dry out, which may take a couple of days. Burst the balloon by sticking a pin through the papier-mache, then cut the remaining shape in half. Fill one half with your chosen treats, then reassemble the shape, trapping a loop of string in between the two pieces for hanging. Use masking tape to join the halves, then cover the joint with further layers of papier-mache. Once dry, children can paint the pinata, ready for the fun!
NICE AND TIDY
For easy tidying up, split children into teams each equipped with a bucket.
The team that has collected the most rubbish after five minutes wins! A favourite with the grown-ups, especially if the children have had streamers!
