Guest post courtesy of Lisa Kothari.

It’s autumn and Halloween is right around the corner and Thanksgiving is a mere 4 weeks later.  What is wonderful about these holidays is they fall within the autumn season and use the same color scheme.  As a result, many of the things you purchase for one can be used for the other.  This reduces the amount of money you need to spend on the kids’ fun during this season.

Here are some examples:

Cookie Cutters: The simple pumpkin cookie cutter you chose to create marvelous pumpkin invitations and decorations for your spooky Halloween party can be used at Thanksgiving time to make pumpkin sugar cookies, pumpkin bread, brownies, etc.  Pumpkins are as festive at Halloween as they are at Thanksgiving.

Tablecloth: Use an orange tablecloth for your Halloween party table, and then trim it up using brown ribbon and scalloped scissors to create a formal tablecloth for Thanksgiving.

Purchase plain orange and white tableware, e.g. napkins, plates, cups, for Halloween.  Use the leftover supplies for Thanksgiving as well.  Provide your children with brown markers and draw turkeys on their cups and napkins to make them into festive Thanksgiving tableware.  You may use the good china for the Thanksgiving meal itself, but this will be great for snacks before the meal and to serve leftovers on.

The bales of hay and Indian corn you purchased to make your yard, front porch, door, and even serve as a table centerpiece during the Halloween season can all be used during Thanksgiving as well.  The items will keep fresh throughout the entire autumn season.  You can also use the cornhusks to create dolls and puppets for more Thanksgiving decorations or plain fun!

Mini pumpkins and gourds look as festive for Halloween as they will for Thanksgiving.  Have the kids draw faces on the small pumpkins and turkeys on to the gourds.

Any leftover orange balloons can be blown up for Thanksgiving and the kids can either draw with brown magic markers or use other craft materials to create turkey balloons.

Have the kids roll up large orange napkins that you may have used for your Halloween party and create napkin rings using white and black construction paper rings (the Pilgrim colors, of course!)

Did you bob for apples at your Halloween party?  Use apples to create Apple Candlestick Holders.  Core out the center of the apple to fit a candle snuggle.  Older children can carve out patterns on the skin of the apple, or just keep them plain red.

Have fun decorating for the two holidays in one fell swoop!

~ Lisa Kothari is the creator of Peppers and Pollywogs, a Party Expert and author of Dear Peppers and Pollywogs – What Parents Want To Know About Planning Their Kids’ Parties.

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It’s summer and that means plenty of people will be vacationing at the beach this summer.  It’s a perfect time to plan a birthday party on the beach or throw together an impromptu beach party with your friends that adults and their kids can both enjoy together.  To keep the kids happy and occupied during your beach party, keep the following tips in mind.

1. Have plenty of sun tan lotion and visors on hand to keep sunburns from happening.  Make sure to slather it on throughout the party.

2. Organize a series of sand contests and activities.  These include: sandcastle building, burying parents in the sand, sand relay races, etc.

3. When the children are in the ocean, even if only wading, make sure there is an adult supervising the kids closely.

4. Create a Beach Scavenger Hunt.  Provide the children with a list of natural items to find on the beach and give them a set amount of time for the kids to find the items.  Make sure adults are designated to hunt with each team for supervision.

5. Pack beach picnic lunches in sand pails including sandwiches cut into castle shapes, mini carrot packages, granola bars, gold fish crackers, and juice boxes to make serving easy and thematic.

It doesn’t take much to organize beach games, snacks, and fun while at the beach.  The main tip is to have plenty of supervision on hand.

~ Lisa Kothari is the creator of Peppers and Pollywogs, a Party Expert and author of Dear Peppers and Pollywogs – What Parents Want To Know About Planning Their Kids’ Parties.

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A great summertime dessert that the kids are bound to love at your beach party is a Beach Pail—and it is easy to make too! This is also a treat you could send in to school with your child to celebrate the end of the year and beginning of summer.

Take a clear cup and fill it with banana pudding, vanilla pudding mixed with bananas, and wafer cookies. Top it off with some crushed Wafer cookies (for sand), gummy sea life, and a paper umbrella.

Enjoy this simple and yummy treat – at your birthday parties and beyond!

~ Lisa Kothari is the creator of Peppers and Pollywogs, a Party Expert and author of Dear Peppers and Pollywogs – What Parents Want To Know About Planning Their Kids’ Parties.

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“Some Pig,” “Terrific,” “Radiant,” “Humble”: all words Charlotte spun in her special web to describe dear little Wilbur, the runty pig a little girl stood up for and cared for. This sweet and classic childhood story takes Wilbur through an entire year, as he is born a “spring pig” and wants to see the snow and not the smoke house! It recently came to life beautifully at the movies and is sure to be a favorite story to base a special kids party on.

For the Invitation:

Send out a red barn invitation with flaps that open, and provide the party details inside. If you are hand delivering your invitations, purchase chocolate carrots and attach them to the cards for added festivity.

For the Decorations:

When decorating, make up a barnyard scene. Put some bales of hay on the path leading to your front door, and cut out large farm animals from poster board, such as geese, cows, sheep, pigs, and don’t forget the rat!

Post signs stating “Somerset County” and “Welcome to Zuckerman Farm!” Make sure to hang spider webs throughout the party area.

Charlotte’s Web uses lots of different colors. The storybook has mainly pastel colors, such as blues, greens, pinks, and creams. If you are celebrating a first birthday, this may be the color scheme you choose. Wilbur is also taken off to the Somerset County Fair where carnival colors pop. Bright blues, greens, yellows, and reds would be very appropriate if you build a Charlotte’s Web party around the county fair scene.

For the Games and Activities:

When the children enter the party, have a large piece of butcher paper spread across a table. Have them draw a barnyard scene of their own. Provide crayons, finger paints, glitter glue, etc. When the paper dries, hang it up as an additional decoration.

Provide each kid with their own “netting” for a spider web, and give them different words, such as “pretty,” “happy,” “unique,” etc. Have the kids try to make their webs reflect these words. Discuss how hard it must have been for Charlotte to embed words into her web! The children can take these webs home at the end of the party.

Play Hot Wilbur just like Hot Potato with a small stuffed pig.

Play Wilbur Says as you’d play Simon Says. Have Wilbur ask the kids to act like pigs, grunting, rolling in the mud, eating their food quickly, etc.

Enjoy a barnyard obstacle course, and help Wilbur get out of his barn. Set up a maze either in your basement or backyard, and have the kids run through while holding a little stuffed pig. Each child can take a turn walking around chairs, climbing through tables, jumping over footstools, etc. Whatever is fun!

Play Charades. Have the kids act out different barnyard animals.

For the Party Menu

• Make “pig slop” by cutting up vegetables and fruits and serving them with Ranch or caramel dip.

• Use piggy cookie cutters to cut out little sandwiches.

• Make a batch of piggy sugar cookies, and decorate them with pink frosting for an added treat

For the Party Favors:

Make each guest a T-shirt with an iron-on from the official movie site and send them home with their handmade webs too.

~ Lisa Kothari is the creator of Peppers and Pollywogs, a Party Expert and author of Dear Peppers and Pollywogs – What Parents Want To Know About Planning Their Kids’ Parties.

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Robin Hood Party Invitation:

Create a small wooden crossbow and using moss green heavy card stock, cut the paper out in the shape of an arrow and write all of your party details on the arrow.  Place the invitation card on the crossbow using a small piece of tape on both ends.  On the invitation, request that the guests bring their wooden crossbows with them to the party.

Robin Hood Party Decorations:

This is a great party to have in the springtime when the action can take place outdoors either in your backyard, a woodsy area or a park. Use colors like green, brown, and rustic yellows for balloons, streamers, and tableware. Place banners around the party area and make up a “family crest” to place at the front entrance to the party. Spread chocolate coins around the party table as festive confetti.

Robin Hood Party Games/Activities:

When the kids arrive, have them make swords out of cardboard and tin foil. You can also hand out simple felt hats with a feather sewn in. Green smocks would also be added fun. Other options include: face painting and moustaches for the guests.

Play Tug o’ War.

Have a “helper” dress up as a “gypsy” and tell the kids’ their fortunes.

Enjoy Tax Collecting. Divide the kids into two teams, one group is soldiers and the other group includes Robin Hood and his gang. Hide coins all over the party area that are ready for collecting. Robin Hood’s gang tries to find them before the soldiers. Have the hunt and see who collects the most taxes!

Tagged by the Sheriff of Nottingham. Designate one kid to be the Sheriff. When he tags someone, he becomes one of the Sheriff’s men and seeks to tag others as well. Play the game until everyone has joined the Sheriff!

Robin Hood Party Menu:

For the party menu, serve medieval chicken, chicken wings with ranch sauce and celery, jewel salad made with dried fruits and greens, mini loaves of bread, chunks of cheese, and dried fruits.

Robin Hood Party Favor:

Send the guests home with green felt loot bags filled with chocolate gold coins tied off with brown twine.  Additionally, the kids could take home their hats, smocks, and homemade swords.

~ Lisa Kothari is the creator of Peppers and Pollywogs, a Party Expert and author of  Dear Peppers and Pollywogs – What Parents Want To Know About Planning Their Kids’ Parties.

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Francois Duhamel/Marvel Entertainment

This weekend Iron Man 2 opens in movie theaters across the nation – another action-packed Marvel comic movie that is bound to be a hit.  As with many super hero comic book characters that take to the screen, you may find your kids asking for an Iron Man party soon enough.

Tony Stark is Iron Man who creates a powerful iron suit full of technological advances to combat crime and do good.  When the kids arrive to your party, invite them to make an iron mask and armor using cardboard and tin foil for them to wear through the activities of the party.  The kids can put on iron man temporary tattoos for added fun!

Once the kids have their masks and armor on, organize a series of relay races around Iron Man Stunts.  Iron Man flies through the air with speed.  Organize a relay race where the kids must race from one end of the yard to the other and back as fast as they can.

Hide an item that you have designated as dangerous and time the kids to find it as quickly as possible to secure the scene.  First child to find the item wins!

Use red beanbags to represent lava.  The kids must pass these bags to each other using something other than hands – otherwise they will get burned!  First team finished wins – watch them get creative!

Have a Disc Throwing Contest.  Using a Frisbee, see who can throw it the furthest!

Play Flashlight Tag.

Make a batch of cupcakes and frost them with red icing.

The kids can take home their masks and armor, along with a small Frisbee as party goodies.

Enjoy watching Iron Man 2 and celebrating the theme with your children.

~ Lisa Kothari is the creator of Peppers and Pollywogs, a Party Expert and author of  Dear Peppers and Pollywogs – What Parents Want To Know About Planning Their Kids’ Parties.

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Guest Post by Lisa Kothari, Peppers and Pollywogs – All About Kids Parties

Laser Tag is one of the most popular birthday party ideas for school age and tween boys.  It’s also popular with the parents in that usually this party is held at an outside venue that provides all of the equipment, entertainment, and fun for the duration of the party.

Keep these top tips in mind when planning a Laser Tag Birthday Party:

1. There is often a minimum age for a laser tag party. Due to safety concerns this minimum age will range from 7 to 10 years-old.

2. When signing up for your laser tag party package, make sure to inquire what is and is not included. Decorations may not be so important, but hydration is during this game.  Make sure that either the facility provides drinks or you have them on hand.

3. Assure guests’ parents of safety precautions. In your party invitation you may want to note that lasers are actually beams of light like in a TV remote, and not actual lasers. Also, you may want to include a brochure of the venue that outlines their other safety measures.

4. Request a dress code for your guests. Most places will request that the kids are dressed in long pants and sensible shoes.

5. Hand out T-shirts and assign code names to the laser tag teams. This is a team sport party and two ways to distinguish the teams is with T-shirts (which can also serve as the party favor) and team code names.

Finally, for a menu, pizza and drinks will do along with a birthday cake to top it off.

Have a great Laser Tag Birthday Party.

Side note from Julie

In addition to Lisa’s great tips, I’d suggest asking the laser tag facility if they offer a birthday club or perhaps if you book a party there, is the birthday boy or girl free or do they offer a discount to them.

For example, QZAR Laser Tag in Atlanta, Georgia offers the Birthday Child a one year Birthday Club Membership good for Buy 1 Get 1 Free Laser Tag Games for a year and if you book the birthday party on a Friday, the kids can play an additional game for free.

To find local businesses offering birthday discounts & freebies visit: Free Birthday Treats.

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Guest Post by Lisa Kothari, Peppers and Pollywogs – All About Kids Parties

Getting ready to celebrate your child’s very first party?  If this is the first time you are planning a child’s birthday party, it’s helpful to keep a few tips in mind to plan the perfect first birthday party.

1. This party is about you. Actually the first birthday party is for your child, but she will never remember it and so it’s a party for you and your spouse to celebrate your child’s first year of life.  Plan the party that you want to have.

2. Schedule it around the birthday child’s nap time. Take in consideration your child’s schedule and plan around when she will feel her best.  It will make it so much easier to have a happy, rested birthday child during the first party.

3. Plan an activity that relates directly to the birthday child. One of the best ideas is to create a Time Capsule. It’s all about the child and a memory holder for a birthday many years later is perfect.

4. Smash Cake is a must. The most important part of the first birthday party is that picture with your child and her first birthday cake.  This precious memory is the highlight of a first birthday party.  Make sure the camera is charged and that someone is there to capture that picture.

5. Plan activities and favors for older kids who are attending. This party is often one where other families and their kids attend the party.  Yes, you must feed the adults, but don’t forget to plan some activities and party favors for the older kids who will be attending.  It is a birthday party and it’s important to keep them entertained too.

Happy First Birthday Party Planning!

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By the time your child turns 3-years-old, he will already be in the business of thinking about his birthday party and letting you know what theme he would like for his special day.  When planning toddler birthday parties, keep these 5 tips in mind to make it the best party for your child, his guests, and you too.

1. Listen to your child.  By the age of three, children have a sense of what their birthday is, characters that they love, and an idea about how they would like to celebrate.  Make them a part of the decision-making process as to theme if they express interest and ideas to you.

2. 90 minutes is plenty – even 60 minutes will do.  Toddlers have a short attention span so keep this in mind when planning a party and keep the time allotment appropriate for the age.

3. Simple games often work best.  Themes help pull together decor, menu, and party favors, but if you are unsure what to do for the party activities, often classic, simple games work best and are easiest for you to plan too.

4. Expect the parents to stay, but don’t expect help from them, unless you line it up with them beforehand.

5. The golden rule of inviting the number of children your child is turning plus one more really will keep the party within budget and easy to manage. Often it is difficult to invite such a small number of guests, but it works very well for managing toddler birthday parties.

Keep these tips in mind when planning your toddler birthday parties for and enjoyable time for all.

By Lisa Kothari, Peppers and Pollywogs

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Easter will be here in a blink! If you are looking to do an Easter or birthday party but would like something a bit more unique, you can certainly take inspiration from Beatrix Potter’s books and their wonderful cast of characters. This is a perfect theme for kids age 3 to 7 and for a first birthday too, especially if some older kids will be attending. You can base your activities and games on the happenings within Potter’s books.

Here are some ideas to help you inspire your party:

Have the kids make their own Easter hats. Provide them with straw hats and silk ribbons and flowers to decorate with.

Have a vegetable race like Peter Rabbit. Hide plastic or real vegetables in your backyard, and supply each kid with a basket. Designate an adult as Mr. MacGregor, and have the kids race into the yard and try take the veggies without being caught. If they are tagged by Mr. MacGregor, they must drop their veggie, run back out, and start again. The kid with the most veggies in his basket wins!

Help Jemima Puddle Duck find and keep her eggs! Have an Easter egg hunt! Make it color-coordinated. If the kid has a pink egg in his basket, he must only find pink eggs during the hunt.

Read The Tailor of Gloucester aloud to the kids. Just like in the story, have items laid out—some from the story (such as a mouse, red thread, a coat, a teacup, etc.) and some not. Have the kids use their memories to determine which items were involved in the story.

From The Tale of the Pie and the Patty Pan, have an Easter tea with sandwiches cut into little animal shapes, scones with jam, mini pastries, and chocolate eggs. Assign the kids to sit at the table as one of the characters from the books. They can either decide who they want to be, or you can decide and place them at the table accordingly.

A great idea for a favor is to purchase small Beatrix Potter books to send home with each of the party guests. Everyone appreciates these books: they are classic!

By Lisa Kothari, Peppers and Pollywogs

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