lovinmomma Posted December 4, 2012 Share Posted December 4, 2012 I'm trying to plan a birthday party for my (will be) 7 year old boy. He's wanting to do something crazy and expensive that I can't do. So, I still wanted to make it a blast for him. I know there are moms (or dads) out there that throw great birthday parties for super cheap (or just the cost of the cake). Any ideas? Also, our house is SUPER small so I'm trying to think through that. My daughter has a birthday shortly after. Why did I not space these birthdays out better??? And NOT right next to Christmas??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KRG Posted December 4, 2012 Share Posted December 4, 2012 What is it that he wants to do? Maybe we can help you come up with something comparable. Easy and inexpensive is a park, but I don't know where you live and what the weather is like. I'm in TX and the a/c just kicked on... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovinmomma Posted December 4, 2012 Author Share Posted December 4, 2012 It was 70 degrees here yesterday but this weekend it's supposed to be 40. I'm thinking that it would be best to do the party at the beginning of Jan so that the parents are settled down some from the holidays? He's wanting to go to a place that's sorta like Chuck e cheese but on steroids. lol That's way out of my price range. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Acorn Posted December 4, 2012 Share Posted December 4, 2012 We just had a lego ninjago theme but could also be ninjas or spies. Games: We made origami throwing stars and hung a hula hoop up. The kids had to throw their stars through the hoop. I have seen a hallway turned into a laser bean course to crawl through, either by taping crepe paper across the walls or yarn. The kids had to get down the hallway. We had obstacle course stuff in the yard, traffic cones, walk down a 2 x 4 board, hurdle short DIY pvc pipe hurdles, frisbee tag. I made bean bags and cut out pictures that were taped to water bottles. The kids had to knock them over with a bean bag. Another time, we had a scavenger hunt through the house with clues. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovinmomma Posted December 4, 2012 Author Share Posted December 4, 2012 I would, however, send "save the date" cards before then. I was thinking I could print those out from the computer since I don't have the $ to buy any. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joshin Posted December 4, 2012 Share Posted December 4, 2012 I can throw out some ideas. What was his dream birthday? $25 is our usual birthday budget. A few random ideas: A pinata. You can do a simple paper mache and balloon one, or tape thin boxes together (like cereal boxes) and cover it with paper to decorate. Pinatas are a huge hit around here. Pick a theme and plan activities to go with it. You can find plenty of DIY ideas online for almost any theme. For example, for a space party we had "Pin Earth on the solar system," we made toothpick and marshmallow space crafts and had space shuttle races (Paper shuttles and balloons taped to a straw. Straw place on a string taped to a wall. Blow up balloon and let it go. The shuttle races forward.) I always make the cake. My decorating skills are so-so but my kids aren't picky. We go with simple party food -- homemade pizza, hot dogs and sliced fruit, finger sandwiches. Nothing complicated. I give a few options and my son picks which one he wants for the party. A place for random play. I never script the whole thing. We've set up a Lego station in the living room before. Once we emptied out my office and filled it with blown up balloons and just let the kids go wild. Outdoor nerf wars are a hit with my older son. If you absolutely can't have it at home because of space and you can't minimize the guest list, here's some ideas. Depending on your winter weather, a park may work. Libraries, community centers and churches sometimes have rooms you can rent cheaply. When I lived in a larger city, some apartments have party rooms the tenants can reserve. If you know anyone in an apartment, you could ask them to reserve it for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
k2bdeutmeyer Posted December 4, 2012 Share Posted December 4, 2012 I saw a friend do a "Wipeout" (the TV show) birthday theme for her son. They set up obstacle courses using stuff from around the house. I bet you could find ideas online. I know you said your house is small, but maybe you could find some space, or have it go from room to room? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lara in Colo Posted December 4, 2012 Share Posted December 4, 2012 My son attended a party at Home Depot. They give you the room and a couple of hours and they have the children make a fun project out of wood. Ds came home with a Home Depot racing car. It was free to the parents. Parents provided the cake and goodies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Belacqua Posted December 4, 2012 Share Posted December 4, 2012 This one hinges on your tolerance for mess: We had an archaeology party one year, and the big hit was the rice and lentil dig. Two huge bins, one filled with rice, the other lentils (got them on the cheap at Costco). We buried a bunch of cheapie toys, candies, and other little treasures, then turned out the lights, handed the kids plastic shovels and flashlights, and told them to have at it. A bunch of kids who surely would have thought themselves too old to play in a sandbox had more fun than I ever anticipated. They were telling us months later how much they loved digging in the lentils. Downside: I was vacuuming rice from my carpet 9 months later. Really. Nine months. The lentils didn't prove such a problem. So I feel your pain on the winterborn kids thing; this would have been much less trouble had we been able to take it outside (perhaps not as much rebellious fun, though?). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kewb Posted December 4, 2012 Share Posted December 4, 2012 This one hinges on your tolerance for mess: We had an archaeology party one year, and the big hit was the rice and lentil dig. Two huge bins, one filled with rice, the other lentils (got them on the cheap at Costco). We buried a bunch of cheapie toys, candies, and other little treasures, then turned out the lights, handed the kids plastic shovels and flashlights, and told them to have at it. A bunch of kids who surely would have thought themselves too old to play in a sandbox had more fun than I ever anticipated. They were telling us months later how much they loved digging in the lentils. Downside: I was vacuuming rice from my carpet 9 months later. Really. Nine months. The lentils didn't prove such a problem. So I feel your pain on the winterborn kids thing; this would have been much less trouble had we been able to take it outside (perhaps not as much rebellious fun, though?). I have done the archeaology dig-and it is a huge hit. Other games my kids have enjoyed: Pass the orange-you need enough kids to form 2 teams and player one holds the orange under his/her chin and player 2 has to grab it with their chin. Stomp on the balloon- everyone ties a balloon to their ankle and the kids stomp on them. Last one with an unpopped balloon wins. Whip Cream eating contest-Put an m & m in the bottom of a mini pie tin. Fill with whip cream. Hands behind backs. First kid to find the m & m wins. Fear Factor Taste Test Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OrdinaryTime Posted December 4, 2012 Share Posted December 4, 2012 I would look around for local events going on. Last year my son really wanted o have an animal/reptile theme party. I looked into one of the party services that bring large reptiles and animals to your home, and it was ridiculously expensive . I found a local Reptile Expo going on the weekend after my son's birthday. The free admittance Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OrdinaryTime Posted December 4, 2012 Share Posted December 4, 2012 I would look around for local events going on. Last year my son really wanted o have an animal/reptile theme party. I looked into one of the party services that bring large reptiles and animals to your home, and it was ridiculously expensive . I found a local Reptile Expo going on the weekend after my son's birthday. The admission was free and there were hundreds of different types of reptiles and amphibians to see. Most of the vendors even let the boys hold the animals. I fed the boys pizza and cake after the reptile expo. I still hase kids mentioning that party to me a year later and it cost me almost nothing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovinmomma Posted December 4, 2012 Author Share Posted December 4, 2012 How cold is too cold to do a bonfire/smores type thing? I called the Home Depot here and they don't do those things here. :( bummer because that would have been perfect. There is a home depot right across the street from us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovinmomma Posted December 4, 2012 Author Share Posted December 4, 2012 I wonder how many kids I could let him invite with as small as my house is? I guess I should ask him who he's wanting to invite. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest inoubliable Posted December 4, 2012 Share Posted December 4, 2012 Is it too cold to do an outdoor party? My middle kiddo will turn 8 in February - right about the time we start seeing a decent chance of snow around here. We also have a super tiny house, so we're planning on a Nerf War. We'll be keeping an eye out for small Nerf guns that go on sale/clearance after the holidays and pick up a few so that each kid gets a small Nerf gun to take home and they'll have something to do OUTSIDE and out of my hair. Smores sounds like a good idea, too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovinmomma Posted December 4, 2012 Author Share Posted December 4, 2012 The nerf thing was an idea I had, too, or maybe star wars with "light sabers" made out of pool noodles. I just worry that it will be too cold. I couldn't buy nerf guns for all of them, but I may be able to borrow nerf guns. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovinmomma Posted December 4, 2012 Author Share Posted December 4, 2012 A piñata would be a great idea, too. And the archaeology dig. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OrdinaryTime Posted December 4, 2012 Share Posted December 4, 2012 I''ve hosted outdoor parties in pretty cold weather, though not snow. We usually do scavenger type hunts in a nature preserve at the end of our black, followed by fire with smores and hot dogs. We made the pool noodle lightsabers for one of those parties, and they were huge hit. Usually, I just mention in the invitation that the boys are free to bring any "weaponry" to the party, and they enjoy bring their own. For our last outdoor party a few weeks ago, we had everyone bring a flashlight and they played capture the flag with flashlights in the dark woods. It was a very big hit! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovinmomma Posted December 4, 2012 Author Share Posted December 4, 2012 http://ashleyannphotography.com/blog/2011/05/31/mud-run-birthday-party/ That would be awesome if it was warmer. Why didn't I have my children in the summer again? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovinmomma Posted December 4, 2012 Author Share Posted December 4, 2012 Flashlights are a great idea! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovinmomma Posted December 4, 2012 Author Share Posted December 4, 2012 All of the boys would probably love the whipped cream eating contest! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovinmomma Posted December 4, 2012 Author Share Posted December 4, 2012 I found these: http://myhomespunthreads.blogspot.com/2011/05/day-5-marble-racetrack-with-serving.html#disqus_thread Any experience with these? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.