Name: Abby (5)
Location: Seattle, WA
We did an ice cream party for Abby's fifth birthday party. We loved the idea of serving up all sorts of options for their ice cream treats.
Guests could have their ice cream scooped up in our homemade chocolate dipped cones. They could make a root beer float or an ice cream sundae with all the toppings. The other option was a scoop of ice cream in their fabulous take home ice cream bowls.
Doing an ice cream bean bag toss and pin the cherry on the ice cream was a lot of fun. I was able to make the backdrop out of sheets I bought from the dollar store. The polka dot streamers added another cute touch. We also made ice cream cone party hats and had the ice cream cone print outs with a balloon to decorate the center of the table.
Thanks Jodi! Readers, visit Jodi at Meaningful Mama.
(Images: Jodi)
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Awesome!!! I'm 26 and thinking I'll do this for my birthday this month!! :D Really! Thanks for sharing, looks yummy :)
I'm with @dogshouse! I'm 26 as well and would totally throw a party like this for my own birthday or just because!
Really cute! I'd love to think about doing something like this for my daughter next year. Looks like you did a great job with the decor, homemade treats and fun food choices, and awesome kiddie games. The pictures are lovely, and your daughter looks so happy and sweet!
Just a general question, though--was this a "kids only" party, or were the parents and siblings of the guest children also invited to stay? I'm wondering when people generally start doing the kids only thing. My daughter's 4th birthday is coming up, and we intended to have a small party, just 4-5 of her friends, but when parents and younger siblings are included, our guest list is 25+ people! That's great, because these families are also mostly our friends and we look forward to seeing them, but it does make me feel compelled to offer more "grown-up" food choices, activities, etc., so it's more of a regular party than the simple kiddie party my 4 year old would be totally satisfied/overjoyed with (princess crowns, a pinata, a tea party picnic, and maybe a craft project), iykwim. I think it would be fun and freeing to do a kids only party sometime soon!
I did this in a park last summer. Potluck toppings, and I brought the ice cream. I'm fussy and a hoarder/collector, so I supplied all the fancy glass soda fountain sundae dishes. Next time we'll definitely do cones. Brilliant! I'm a huge proponent of park parties - no preclean, no huge post-clean, no stress!
In my experience as a parent, kids-only parties started around first grade, but even my 5th grader has had parties where parents have hung out/participated. It totally depends on the family. We work from a "the more the merrier" perspective when we plan parties. Even when we don't know the other parents, it's a great time to get to know them, gauge our own comfort with the other families, so we can judge whether we are comfortable with our kids playing unaccompanied at their house.
Very cute idea, and more simple than many I see. I like it! But I can't help but feel a little turned off by the big trend surrounding children's birthday parties these days.
I started commenting, but instead shared my free-spirited birthday planning thoughts here:
http://ourfunwithfive.blogspot.com/2012/08/some-thoughts-on-kids-birthday-parties.html
My kid's parties are well thought out, I spend time putting them together, and kids are free to explore through several planned activities. All because we enjoy it. I love celebrating the day each year. It is like our family's own national holiday. And I enjoy this post's ideas for an ice cream social. Life is too short not to celebrate life they way you want. There are many lessons to learn to event planning if you want to get technical. ;)
Certainly there are lessons to be learned from event planning. But for four year olds?
I think my point was missed.
Some birthday parties I have seen (not this one - as I said, I like the ice cream party idea!) are more elaborately decorated & done up than my own wedding was.
I do a lot of wedding photography. I know how brides (and mothers of the brides) can get about event planning.
My kids parties are well thought out, too. They help choose the guest list & they decide the menu, what flavor icecream, what color balloons. I have fulfilled a wide variety of funky cake requests over the years. We make the day special the way they want it.
We've never looked at it as event planning, though.
I'm in total agreement with you on celebrating.
We all have different styles. Just throwing in a little representation from the "less is more" end of the spectrum. Simple can be very meaningful & memorable & fun.
Great idea with the ice cream. Last weekend I was at a kids <A HREF="http://www.reptileparty.com.au">reptile party</A> and the birthday cake was made of ice cream and in the shape of a snake. Kids love creativity and it gives the parents a chance to bond with the children.
All the best