Birthday Party Strategy for Kids

Happy 6th Birthday, Sage!

My Birthday Party Strategy for Kids:

1.  Plan long birthday parties - 3 or 4 hours (I learned this from our German friends when we lived in Germany.)

2.  Invite the number of kids of the age of the Birthday Kid.  (Sage turned 6 so she invited 6 friends.)

3.  Realize that kids enjoy having free time at a birthday party.  (I learned this from Mrs. Updike, Noah and Danny's 7th-grade teacher.)

4.  Ask everyone in the family to choose one game/activity and be prepared to lead this game/activity at the party.  (I know, I know...this is very similar to our Holiday Strategy.)  

Joyce chose to paint fingernails and play "Penny, Penny."  

Painting Nails

Sage chose to play "Do You Love Your Neighbor?" and "Dude." 

I chose my favorite,  "Duck, Duck, Goose"

Danny chose to decorate the cake.

Mercy led kids in a game called "Challenge." 

Noah prepared a Treasure Hunt.

Treasure Hunt

Oak led the kids in an outdoor game of Hide-and-Seek.

The volleyball post was Home Base.

I feel that my kids' birthday parties have been very successful, but also very fun and low-stress for me.    

The boys didn't stick around for all of Sage's party, but they were happy to be involved in their part of it.  

We almost have too many people in our family for #4 part of my strategy.  For example, Sage's party was 3 hours long, and we didn't have any free time.  The girls would have loved an hour just to play together.  We had a great time playing games, though!  

The girls have even contributed games to teenage parties.  I remember Mercy choosing to play "Duck, Duck, Goose" at a party that Noah planned with his 16-year-olds friends, and it was actually a big hit.  

Sage loves dancing.

Holiday Strategy

Strategy:

1-each person picks one activity to be accomplished sometime during the 2-week holiday

2-go camping in Rotorua for 4 nights

Here are some of the fun things that happened:

Joyce's Pick-  the Zoo  

This is the Golden Tree in Pukekura Park, which we went to see after walking through the zoo.   

The Golden Tree 

Sage's Pick -  Swimming

Rotorua area is similar to the Yellowstone area, with lots of geothermal activity and natural hot springs.  We swam in the hot pools by our camp ground.  The campground and pools always had steam billowing in the back ground, and the gated-off areas had signs which read, "Caution:  Boiling Water."

Campground hot pools    

We also swam at Kerosene Creek, where the creek water is as warm as a hot tub. 

Kerosene Creek

Danny

Holly's Pick - Climbing

Sage is in pink pants, half-way up the wall

Mike's Pick - Watch Germany WIN THE WORLD CUP!!!!

We had to get everyone out of the tent by 6:30AM to make this happen.  We drove into town and found the game and a few other Germany fans in McDonald's.  Fond farewell to Miroslav Klose.    

Danny's Pick - Mountain biking

We did this IN STYLE, because Rotorua is one of the best places in all of New Zealand to go mountain biking.  We brought 3 bikes and rented 2 more.  The boys went off together, and Mike and I took turns taking Mercy out or watching the younger 2 girls in a beautiful redwood forest.  

Oak's Pick - Play in the Snow

We have to drive up the mountain to find snow.

Mercy's Pick - Make a Feast

Everyone picked one thing to make for the feast.  Oak's chicken enchiladas and Mercy's ambrosia were big hits.  

Noah's Pick- Volleyball

Not every family member was able to come to every activity, but there are enough of us that there's always enough for a party.

Other items of note-

We played a TON of Boggle, and Mike and I decided to that we would become a no-video-game family.

Boggle in the campground kitchen.

Pre-Ball Party

There are a lot of things about the high school system that I don't like, but here is one thing that I like a lot…. the traditional Pre-Ball Party.  Mikaela Christian asked Noah to the Girls' High Ball, and he accepted.  Mikaela and a small group of her friends, and all their dates, and all the parents of girls and boys met at one of the parents' homes a couple of hours before the ball for pictures and a light dinner.   This is called a Pre-Ball Party, and it was happening all over the city with different groups of kids and their dates and parents.

 Mercy and I went to a Chinese restaurant and then to see Phantom of the Opera with a small group of friends from church.

We hosted a farewell party for Michelle, an exchange student returning to Switzerland.  This is youth orchestra crowd.