Help Me Plan Bday Party at a Local Park (Food quantities, games, etc.)

[umsami]

Planning a bday party for a 9 year old at our local park.  It's one of those places where you rent a covered area with picnic tables and such.  The park is a great kid friendly park--with two fabulous playgrounds, trees for climbing, splash pad, etc.  We have the only pavilion (area) reserved for that day.  Best part is, it only costs $10 to reserve it.

This kid is in school, so we have to invite the entire class--and this seemed like the easiest way to do so.

My older kids usually had parties at places like Chuck E Cheese or trampoline parks--where the standard food is two slices of pizza plus a drink.

As it's a giant park, and we'll have plenty of space, I'm fine with siblings and such attending--in that, they can participate in games and have cake and such.  I'm not sure I can afford to feed everybody, if

people bring their entire families. (20 kids + 1-3 siblings each=a lot more food).   Is it fine to say I'll have cake for siblings and they're welcome to any leftovers?

How do I plan the amount of food for kids in the 9-10 age?  It's sort of Muslim culture to always have way too much food. 😄' I was going to do a plate of subs from Publix (local grocery store known for good subs), maybe a plate of their chicken tenders as well, chips, fruit salad, normal salad, etc.  May have some Uncrustables as well.

 

Gamewise, I'm thinking traditional bday games...so three legged race, sack race, egg on a spoon, etc.  Most parties we attend do not have games and such, they are usually at the aforementioned type places.  

Craftwise...make a light saber/sword from foam noodles....so perhaps we can figure out a game to do with those. 

 

Edited February 9, 2020 by umsami

[Chris in VA]

That sounds like a great place for a party! I am sure it will be a fun time. Just a couple of thoughts....

Do you have a rain plan? 

TBH, I would not do those games. 8/9 yos tend to not be terribly coordinated and 3 legged races are hard. Same with sack race--you risk a lot of falling with both. Relays are fun but honestly, kids can get ugly when someone less able makes the team lose. 

I could see simply playing on the playground, provided the weather is great, and maybe having something fun like slime in a kiddie pool (expect it to be thrown tho), or an egg toss (but again, you have to pair kids up and that's not good). A pinata is usually a hit (no pun i tended) up to about 3rd grade. 

If you have to do games, maybe fun kinds of tag or some minute to win it would be fun, but I would allow the option to just play on the playground. A treasure hunt or scavenger hunt is fun, too, and if you have an adult for each team it can be a "no one left out" kind of fun thing. With 20 kids teams of 6/7 would work. Corn hole is also easy to set up, if you can get a set. 

The craft sounds fun.

Do kids there generally like subs? That seems more like for teens. Chicken fingers and chips are a good idea. Pizza is easy, too, and you can have one gluten and dairy free. 

Hope you have a blast!

 

 

 

Edited February 9, 2020 by Chris in VA

[Pen]

38 minutes ago, umsami said:

Planning a bday party for a 9 year old at our local park.  It's one of those places where you rent a covered area with picnic tables and such.  The park is a great kid friendly park--with two fabulous playgrounds, trees for climbing, splash pad, etc.  We have the only pavilion (area) reserved for that day.  Best part is, it only costs $10 to reserve it.

This kid is in school, so we have to invite the entire class--and this seemed like the easiest way to do so.

My older kids usually had parties at places like Chuck E Cheese or trampoline parks--where the standard food is two slices of pizza plus a drink.

As it's a giant park, and we'll have plenty of space, I'm fine with siblings and such attending--in that, they can participate in games and have cake and such.  I'm not sure I can afford to feed everybody, if

people bring their entire families. (20 kids + 1-3 siblings each=a lot more food).   Is it fine to say I'll have cake for siblings and they're welcome to any leftovers?

How do I plan the amount of food for kids in the 9-10 age?  It's sort of Muslim culture to always have way too much food. 😄' I was going to do a plate of subs from Publix (local grocery store known for good subs), maybe a plate of their chicken tenders as well, chips, fruit salad, normal salad, etc.  May have some Uncrustables as well.

 

Gamewise, I'm thinking traditional bday games...so three legged race, sack race, egg on a spoon, etc.  Most parties we attend do not have games and such, they are usually at the aforementioned type places.  

Craftwise...make a light saber/sword from foam noodles....so perhaps we can figure out a game to do with those. 

 

 

I think you would need to say something like you will definitely have enough cake/food for the invited classmates (and then bring double or triple the cake you expect to need or a tray of something that will freeze well like brownies squares and take out what seems needed as you see size of group) plus maybe lots of extras of something like carrot and celery sticks that you can make a stew of any extra.

Then I think okay to say That siblings are welcome, but parents please bring food for siblings and others not classmates.

I don’t think there’s any way to be certain to be able to feed an unknown number of people 

[Pen]

For amount for the classmates, take amount your own kids around that age can eat, add a bit in case yours aren’t big eaters, multiply by number of classmates—20–?  Then add some extra stuff filling out total amount to be at least double —like vegetables sticks and fruits—may not be popular like pizza but means there will be extra for bigger eaters, siblings whose parents didn’t prepare anything.  Maybe add a loaf or 2 of bread, and jar or 2 of acceptable spread (like peanut butter would be but for allergy risk), hummus maybe? 

You do division of basic food onto the 20 basic plates so everyone invited can have at least some of whatever is special bday foods.  Otherwise someone may grab all the chicken fingers...

[vmsurbat1]

Your venue sounds ideal for a group of kids.  If it was me, I'd just let them play and call it good.  However, for organized activities, I second the idea of scavenger hunt though I wouldn't dismiss the idea of all the traditional games either.  Aren't those done at Park Events for all ages?  

Another idea, played way back when I was a kid and you had every kid in the neighborhood over was to blow-up balloons (the smallish oval kind), and each person tied one balloon to only one ankle and gathered in a premarked area (chalk/cornstarch on the ground?).  At the signal, we would all try to stomp on someone else's balloon.   Last person with a ballon won.  It was wild and noisy and great fun while it lasted! 🙂  (The reason for the premarked area was to keep us contained.  No running all over the backyard).

Another one:  Set up something like an old-fashioned milk bottle (narrow opening, but not TOO narrow) and put a chair with its back next to it.  Each child kneels on chair, looks over the back, and has 3-5 clothespins to try to get into the opening.  Since our events were family events, the littles (3-5) were allowed to stretch their arm down the back before letting go of their pins while us big kids had to keep our hand at the height of the chair back.....

[Storygirl]

My thought is not about the food, but whether you have enough help? Will it just be you handling the food, games, supervision, cake, etc? I think if you suggest that siblings are welcome, somehow you need to indicate that their parents need to be staying with them to supervise. Even if it is just the 20+ classmates with no siblings, I think you need one or two other adult helpers.