Party Guide - Birthday Party Survival Guide
Provided by Korporate
Klowns (www.korporateklowns.co.nz)
Party Time
- Do you need to have a party?
- Invitations -
Schedule
Food, Glorious Food
- Entertainment - Final
Hints and Tips
Party
Time
The biggest event in kids
lives is usually their Birthday.
Often months before the actual event they start reminding everyone that it is on
and they will also want a party.
For parents this is often a major problem.
"What do we do with a bunch of kids all afternoon, what do we feed them,
should we actually have a party?"
This purpose of this page is to give you some advice from THE PROFESSIONALS!!
We do parties for a living. When a pipe breaks you call a plumber, when your kid
wants a party you call entertainers.
Therefore we have included answers to the most frequently asked questions that
we face.
Do
we need to have a Party?
This is a serious question.
We believe that you do not have to have a party every Birthday.
We recommend when they turn 5 and 10 and a couple in between.
When you are not having an actual party we suggest that your child has a couple
of friends for tea one night and maybe to stay over.
But when you have a party make it one that they will never forget.
Plan about a month ahead to take out the stress, and to get things organized.
You can also take the time to save at the supermarket on specials.
Invitations
One of the keys to a successful party are
invitations.
With an RSVP attached and posted to the person invited it will make things a lot
easier.
You will know who is coming (don’t forget Great-uncle Homer) and numbers,
(very useful for catering), the parents know all the details, and with some
creativity you can make your kids party very important and one that people will
want to go to.
Make the invites, (better still the Birthday child makes them), and the
envelopes bright and colorful, add pictures and if the person invited is a
child, address it to the child. Kids love getting mail.
If you are having 'Clowns 4 Hire' check with them before you send your invites.
They can let you know when they are available time wise.
Make sure that you are specific about time.
Someone will always be late but more importantly make sure that the guests are
picked up on time.
You do not want to have to wait for another hour to send the kids home.
Suggested
Party Schedule
The perfect party will consist of an arrival
activity, entertainment and games, food, opening the presents and a final
activity. The arrival activity should be about 15 minutes while you wait for
those who will be late. For the next 30 minutes to an hour have the main
entertainment before afternoon tea. Have the food after the main entertainment
section unless of course you want the food on your carpet, in your video and all
over the dog. The highlight for the child is the opening of their presents so
have it just before the guests leave. This will also avoid people disappearing
to try out the new present and not just the Birthday child! Lastly finish off
with another game while the parents arrive to pick up their child. Finish the
event by waiting until everyone has left, delegate the cleaning up to someone
else and have a coffee while lying on the couch!! Then promise your self
"Never again" !
Food,
glorious food
What do you feed a horde of hungry screaming
kids. There is no need for a four course meal with all the trimmings and coffee
in the lounge afterwards. Our advice is keep it simple. Most kids are happy with
chips, soft drink, cocktail sausages, hundreds & thousands sandwiches, sweets,
chocolate biscuits and of course the Birthday Cake. We suggest that for the
Birthday Cake you shop around as professional caters often will make extra
special cakes such as Barney or Bananas in Pajamas etc. A Winnie the Pooh cake
is very popular. Have your birthday around afternoon tea time so that you are
not expected to provide a full meal
With a bunch of excited hungry children almost any cake can be a delight. If
time and money are a factor, this simple cake will fit the bill nicely.
| Birthday Cake Recipe
|
| Ingredients:
|
- 1/2 cup shortening
- 1 1/3 cups of cold water
- 1 3/4 cups of sugar
- 1 teaspoons of salt
|
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla
- 2 1/2 cups of cocoa
(regular type-dry)
- 3 eggs
- 1 1/2 teaspoons of sugar
|
- Cream shortening and 1 cup of sugar
till light.
- Add vanilla and eggs, one at a time,
beating well after each egg.
- Sift together dry ingredients; add to
creamed mixture alternately with cold water, beating after
each addition.
- Gradually add 3/4 cup do sugar, beating
till stiff peaks form.
- Bake in greased and lightly floured
baking pan at 180°C (350°F) for 30-35 minutes.
|
| Butter Frosting
|
- 6 tablespoons of butter
- 1 1/2 teaspoons of vanilla
|
- 4 3/4 cups of icing sugar
- 1/4 cup of light cream
|
- Cream butter; gradually add about half
the sugar blending well.
- Beat in 2 teaspoons cream and vanilla.
- Gradually blend in remaining sugar.
- Add enough cream to make spreading
consistency.
- Spread over cake and leave to set.
|
|
The
Entertainment
The toughest part of the party is
entertaining the guests. You can do it yourself by organizing games. These could
be the ordinary party games like Pass the Parcel or they could be new and
different games. Another option is to organize a trip somewhere like the movies
etc but we do not recommend this due to the cost.
Lastly and in our opinion get professionals -
call 'Clowns 4 Hire'. For 45 minutes to an hour 'Clowns 4 Hire' will provide
their unique entertainment with their special form or High Velocity Lunacy. See
magic that will amaze you, juggling, funny jokes, storytelling, balloon animals
all done in such a way that your children and their friends (and you) will never
forget.
The guest of honor is made to feel special as
they are invited to take part by helping to create the magic and become a part
of the show. They may also receive a certificate of participation and a
balloon animal. If you wish this could be extended to include everyone, this
eliminates the need for a bag of party favors for the guests to take home.
Extra things that 'Clowns 4 Hire' offer
includes preparing and posting the invites. You provide the list and if you wish
a photo of your child and all the guests will receive an invitation with a
scanned picture of your child.
Tell 'Clowns 4 Hire' what you want and they
will do their best to provide it.
'CLOWNS 4 HIRE' HAS A NO WAR TOYS POLICY
Finals
Hints & Tips
-
Invite and involve older brothers &
sisters in preparing the party
-
Don’t go longer than two and half
hours
-
Enjoy the party. If you have invited 'Clowns 4 Hire'
sit back and enjoy their show
-
Stay calm. If you have a major problem
with a kid, one warning, then ring their parents
-
'Clowns 4 Hire' provide a no-cost, no
obligation free advice service so give us a ring and find out how we can
help.
-
Remember: Don’t stress out and have
fun.
-
Attach balloons to your letterbox so
everyone especially 'Clowns 4 Hire' can find the right house.
© Clowns 4 Hire, 2002.
