It’s an odd feeling to look up to your young child.  Now, I can see that she isn’t so little anymore.

At least, she doesn’t look so little.  She still thinks like a kid most of the time - living in the present, excited by every little thing - but with astounding flashes of maturity.

Gradually, I’ve discovered that I’m no longer leading her.  Quite often, she is leading me.

She is surpassing me in many athletic pursuits - skiing, running, biking, kayaking, even, possibly, hiking.  For the most part; fortunately, I can still keep up.

And, I’m grateful, that for now, this means that I have an equal partner as we we explore the outdoors.

Maybe I’m just an optimist, but I’m hoping that she’ll still drag out her old mom for outdoor adventures, even when she does reach the turbulent teen years.

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What do you get when you have two Teen-Level Girl Scouts planning a birthday party?

You get a totally girl-led event. 

Over the years, Girl Scouts Kayla and Sara have been planning all kinds of events for younger Girl Scouts or in their community.  So, when these new friends found themselves sharing a birthday in their first year at middle school, they were ready to rock an awesome party!

12 Year Old Birthday - A Girl-Led Roller Skating Party

Girl Scouts know that successful leaders: Discover, Connect, and Take Action.

In her first year at a small middle school, Kayla Discovered that her April birthday landed within a week of her new friend Sara.  Both wanted to share a birthday party, and in a small school setting, it’s only fair to include the whole class.  However, this mom had already made it clear that a big party at home was not an option this year.

Kayla Connected with Sara to brainstorm a solution to this problem.  They considered different venues for their party: laser tag at Zero Gravity, the indoor water park at the Ciccotti Center, or roller skating at Guptill’s Arena.  

The girls Took Action.  After finding out that Guptill’s offered the best rates and availability, they presented their birthday party request to their families.

Upon approval, they reserved the venue and ordered refreshments.  Kayla wanted to make a birthday cake, until she discovered that Sara’s mom is an incredible baker.  She was happy to delegate this to the expert, especially since she got to choose her favorite Argyle pattern for the frosting.

With the location and refreshments covered, it was time to go public.

The girls went online to create birthday cards, but they needed to do a little research first.  They knew they wanted to give guests the option to donate money to a worthy organization, instead of presents.  However, they didn’t know where to suggest.

After some discussion, Kayla and Sara realized that they both shared a desire to help animals.  So, they selected The Guilderland Animal Shelter, put it on their birthday flyer, and snail-mailed this to all their 6th Grade classmates, some of their older buddies, and a few old friends. 

Feeling great knowing that they were helping local pets (this event raised $200.00 for the Animal Shelter,) they were ready to celebrate.

At the the party, the girls roller skated on the “world’s largest indoor roller skating arena,” but they also enjoyed…

…mixing old friends and new friends…

…winning prizes at the claw machine in the arcade…

…and dancing in the Secrets Night Club.

Some of the guests took their dancing very seriously…

…and some were head-over-heals with joy.

When it was time to leave, the partygoers waited on benches for their designated drivers…

…many were sad to go but not the parents of the near teens.

We knew we still had a few, precious years before they could drive off on their own…

More Birthday Party Articles:

Learn more about our party traditions on Birthday Celebrations.

Baby Parties: Baby To Preschool.

4th Birthday: Ariel’s Caribbean Luau and our  Piñata Tradition.

5th Birthday: A Mad Hatter’s Tea Party.

6th Birthday: The Art Party.

7th Birthday: A Pokémon Party.

8th Birthday: A Harry Potter Party.

9th Birthday: Tween Spa Party.

10th Birthday: Chocolate Dreams Slumber Party.

11th Birthday: The Last Dance Tween Disco Party.

12th Birthday:  A Girl-Led Tween Roller Skating Party.

If you would like to receive free articles from On Living By Learning by email, click this link.  You can also click here to receive updates on a RSS Feed Reader.

It was supposed to be the last big birthday party.  At eleven years of age, a girl should be too old for traditional birthday parties, right?

I always thought that the 10th Birthday Party should be the last big blast until the Sweet Sixteen Party.  However, my daughter begged and pleaded, reminding me that this was her final year in elementary school.  She convinced me that this would be her last chance to gather her friends before they moved on in middle school.

Well, since this was to be the last big party, I gave Kayla a lot of slack in planning the party.  Twelve girls, overnight, OK, no problem.  A Disco Dance Theme, alright, sounds like fun.

What I didn’t take into account is that fifth grade girls can be at varying stages of emotional development, and mostly, they aren’t so sweet and innocent anymore.

Not that these weren’t a good group of girls - they were - but in such large numbers, they egg each other on and the drama is probably inevitable.

Before blowing out the candles on her birthday cake, Kayla managed to catch the tablecloth on fire.  This bit of pyrotechnics was minor in comparison to the emotional fireworks at the party.

Looking on, I didn’t really know what the private discussions were about, but for the girls involved they were intense.  And, it seemed that over the course of the slumber party, there were several high-drama situations.

Overall, this was my least favorite birthday party.  I prefer the fun, high-octane parties without the emotional roller-coaster.

In retrospect, the party would have been fine if we eliminated the overnight element. 

11 Year Old Birthday - A Disco Dance Party

Before the party, we cleared out a room and turned it into a Disco Dance Club with a Mirrored Ball and foil streamers hanging from the ceiling.

We also set the stage for making music videos: an old camcorder; a pile of neon accessories (from Oriental Trading); and a Karaoke Machine for the sound tracks.  That was a popular activity throughout the party.

The girls also loved creating their own, stylish T-shirt designs.  I picked up a bunch of bright pink T-shirts at Michaels and a copy of Generation T: 108 ways to tranform a T-shirt.  They cut and embellished their shirts until I’m not sure if you could even call them T-shirts anymore.

I had hoped that with all the dancing, singing, and a relaxing hot tub soak, that the girls would actually sleep.  I even stayed with them until I thought they were all asleep.  Most were.  Some weren’t.  In the morning, several woke up with magic marker writing on their faces. 

Yeah, it turns out, that tweens like to pull pranks at slumber parties.  Go figure!  They’re not sweet, innocent, little girls anymore.

Book Resource:

Generation T: 108 Ways to Transform a T-Shirt: Megan Nicolay: BooksISBN: 0761137858 ISBN-13: 9780761137856

More Birthday Party Articles:

Learn more about our party traditions on Birthday Celebrations.

Baby Parties: Baby To Preschool.

4th Birthday: Ariel’s Caribbean Luau and our  Piñata Tradition.

5th Birthday: A Mad Hatter’s Tea Party.

6th Birthday: The Art Party.

7th Birthday: A Pokémon Party.

8th Birthday: A Harry Potter Party.

9th Birthday: Tween Spa Party.

10th Birthday: Chocolate Dreams Slumber Party.

11th Birthday: The Last Dance Tween Disco Party.

12th Birthday:  A Girl-Led Tween Roller Skating Party.

If you would like to receive free articles from On Living By Learning by email, click this link.  You can also click here to receive updates on a RSS Feed Reader.

“Piñatas are for little kids,” said the daughter who would have been horrified by a piñata-less birthday party the previous year.

At the august age of 10, piñatas were out, but chocolate was in.

10 Year Old Birthday - A Chocolate Dreams Slumber Party

Ingredients:

Pizza and Soda for Dinner

1-2 Videos, Video Game Console, Video Games including the DDR (Dance, Dance Revolution)

Chocolate Fondue Fountain with an assortment of fruits, pretzels, and marshmallows for dipping.

Bundt Cake Filled with Strawberries and Whipped Cream

Mommy-enforced Bedtime

Grandma’s Palachinke filled with jam and whipped cream for breakfast.

IMPORTANT - High tolerance for high-pitched sounds and sugar-fueled non-stop motion.

 

More Birthday Party Articles:

Learn more about our party traditions on Birthday Celebrations.

Baby Parties: Baby To Preschool.

4th Birthday: Ariel’s Caribbean Luau and our  Piñata Tradition.

5th Birthday: A Mad Hatter’s Tea Party.

6th Birthday: The Art Party.

7th Birthday: A Pokémon Party.

8th Birthday: A Harry Potter Party.

9th Birthday: Tween Spa Party.

10th Birthday: Chocolate Dreams Slumber Party.

11th Birthday: The Last Dance Tween Disco Party.

12th Birthday:  A Girl-Led Tween Roller Skating Party.

If you would like to receive free articles from On Living By Learning by email, click this link.  You can also click here to receive updates on a RSS Feed Reader.

Tweens are oh so mature one moment, and playful little kids the next.

9 Year Old Birthday - A Spa Party

The first activity at this party appealed to the little girls in them.  They each made a cake doll using materials that a friend, who is also a professional baker, provided.  (For professional results, take a look at Cake Fun.)

After finishing the hard work of cake decorating, they were ready for some pampering: facial, manicure, and a hot tub soak.  (Cosmetics, Headbands, and other “musts” were from The Dollar Store.)

 

With tweens, it’s sophisticated styling one moment, and the “George Washington” aquatic hairstyle move the next.  Even the ultra-serious tango gets a playful edge.

More Birthday Party Articles:

Learn more about our party traditions on Birthday Celebrations.

Baby Parties: Baby To Preschool.

4th Birthday: Ariel’s Caribbean Luau and our  Piñata Tradition.

5th Birthday: A Mad Hatter’s Tea Party.

6th Birthday: The Art Party.

7th Birthday: A Pokémon Party.

8th Birthday: A Harry Potter Party.

9th Birthday: Tween Spa Party.

10th Birthday: Chocolate Dreams Slumber Party.

11th Birthday: The Last Dance Tween Disco Party.

12th Birthday:  A Girl-Led Tween Roller Skating Party.

If you would like to receive free articles from On Living By Learning by email, click this link.  You can also click here to receive updates on a RSS Feed Reader.

The first time that Kayla read a “big” book - all by herself! - she was so excited by her accomplishment, that there was no question about the theme of her 8th birthday party.

It had to be a Harry Potter party.

Unfortunately, finding party ideas for a large crowd wasn’t easy. 

I had to improvise, so I just tweaked the previous year’s Pokémon party plans.

Instead of a Pokémon Trainer’s Challenge, partygoers were invited to attend our own Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

8 Year Old Birthday - A Harry Potter Party

Wizard Prep:

Prospective students received hand-delivered invitations - parchment paper scrolls tied with black ribbon.  Kayla, carrying a large, plush snowy owl, delivered these personally.

Wands - Every wizard needs a wand.  So, upon arrival, the “students” made magical wands.  They decorated sticks (previously gathered in our backyard) with hot glue, yarn, chenille, and glitter.)

Sorting Hat - After leaving their wands to “cure”, our wizards-in-training sought out the Sorting Hat.  Blindfolded, they pulled out their house selection - displayed on a pin-on badge (made like the Pokémon badges.)

When the prospective students of magic completed the sorting process, we separated them into four groups who rotated through wizard classes that were staffed by our staff of professors (adult and teen volunteers.)

Wizard Subjects:

Herbology - Students had to transplant a “mandrake root” (pansies) into pots, while ignoring the deafening screams (of happy kids) around them. 

Potions: Using a wide selection of Kool-Aid, the students created exotic drink concoctions.  They were supposed to tell us the potion’s purpose, but they were having too much fun sampling the drinks.

Care of Magical Creatures - Students produced dragon eggs by whipping up a batch of flubber that they put into plastic Easter eggs. 

Defense Against The Dark Arts - A game of Simon Says was an excellent tool for learning to listen well to avoid enchantment.

After mastering these subjects, the wizards were ready for the challenges.  The House Team with the most points was the winner, but everyone received prizes (goody bags with Giant Pixie Stix bought in bulk at Sam’s Club and other treasures from Oriental Trading Company.)

Wizard Challenges:

Jelly Bean Identification - This was a gruesome challenge, much like Fear Factor’s eating stunt.  The kids had to sample a Harry Potter Bertie Bott’s jelly bean and identify the flavor.  Some of the flavors were stomach-churning: Earwax, Booger, Sausage, Black Pepper, Vomit, Dirt, Soap, Rotten Egg, Pickle and Earthworm.

Quidditch -  I had no idea how to play the game, so I pulled out all of our balls, brooms, plastic bats, lacrosse sticks, hockey sticks, and pop-up goals   - pretty much the entire garage - and I let our panel of tween “experts” figure it out.   They had a blast!  Basically, they played it much like Leah Spivey’s land-bound interpretation of the game.

Spells Challenge - Using their magical wands, the wizards took turns issuing elaborate spells.  A panel of teen experts judged these based on creative presentation.

I can’t remember which House Team was declared the official winner.  It didn’t really matter since everyone won the coveted Wizard Title and Certificate (follow link for wording suggestion.)

Piñata Time:

As always, this party concluded with the piñata - a dragon one, this time.

Since we had over 40 kids, we set up the piñata outside on the basketball hoop.  And the children formed a large semi-circle far from the line of fire.  I also held a reserve bag of candy that I used to spread the joy once the piñata was decimated.

 

More Birthday Party Articles:

Learn more about our party traditions on Birthday Celebrations.

Baby Parties: Baby To Preschool.

4th Birthday: Ariel’s Caribbean Luau and our  Piñata Tradition.

5th Birthday: A Mad Hatter’s Tea Party.

6th Birthday: The Art Party.

7th Birthday: A Pokémon Party.

8th Birthday: A Harry Potter Party.

9th Birthday: Tween Spa Party.

10th Birthday: Chocolate Dreams Slumber Party.

11th Birthday: The Last Dance Tween Disco Party.

12th Birthday:  A Girl-Led Tween Roller Skating Party.

If you would like to receive free articles from On Living By Learning by email, click this link.  You can also click here to receive updates on a RSS Feed Reader.

In 1st Grade, Kayla was obsessed with Pokémon, those loveable pocket monsters that are at the center of a video game empire.

Naturally, she decided to have a Pokémon theme for  her 7th birthday. 

We turned her party into a Pokémon Challenge where each child was a “trainer” who went on a journey to earn badges.

7 Year Old Birthday - Pokémon Party

It’s a popular theme, so I found lots of ideas for activities and decorations online.

Before The Party:

We set up Badge Challenge Activity Centers throughout the house.

At the entrance, each child picked up a collection bag (paper lunch bag) and selected a companion Pokémon (sticker.)  They also received a Poké Ball.  Nowadays, you can pick these up at toy stores, but I made ours by painting a white foam ball.

Since I hadn’t heard about the Pokémon Badge Master, we made our own badges.  We downloaded clip art images onto white cardstock, cut it to size, and inserted it into pin-on badge holders.

Badge Challenges:

I wanted to keep the party non-competitive, so each child earned a badge just by completing an activity.  This put the focus on having fun, not on winning.

Boulder Badge - I filled a clear, plastic jar with gravel and asked the kids to guess how many “boulders” were in there.  Some of the children came up with complicated formulas for guessing the number, and I never revealed the fact that we didn’t really know the answer.

Cascade Badge - Kids earned this badge by pinning the tail on Marill, a water-type Pokémon with a black lightning bolt tail.  We drew Marill on poster board and cut out tails from construction paper.

Thunder Badge - Kids were asked to name as many Pokémon as they could.

Rainbow Badge - We set up our rainbow school parachute outside, and let the kids play catch with the matching balls.

Volcano Badge - We used a squeeze bottle filled with red food colored water to play a game where kids had to freeze when the “volcano” erupted.  Of course, I was the “volcano” since I couldn’t trust anyone else not to splatter the clothes.

Earth Badge - The kids sat in a circle holding the presents and listening to the Pokémon CD.  When the music stopped, Kayla opened the present in her hands.  All the kids (and parents)enjoyed this twist on the usual gift opening frenzy.

Piñata:

As always, our birthday party concluded with cracking open the piñata. 

This was a little more traumatic than usual since the piñata was an adorable Pikachu. 

After they dislodged the treats, Kayla insisted on reassembling her beloved Pokémon.

More Birthday Party Articles:

Learn more about our party traditions on Birthday Celebrations.

Baby Parties: Baby To Preschool.

4th Birthday: Ariel’s Caribbean Luau and our  Piñata Tradition.

5th Birthday: A Mad Hatter’s Tea Party.

6th Birthday: The Art Party.

7th Birthday: A Pokémon Party.

8th Birthday: A Harry Potter Party.

9th Birthday: Tween Spa Party.

10th Birthday: Chocolate Dreams Slumber Party.

11th Birthday: The Last Dance Tween Disco Party.

12th Birthday:  A Girl-Led Tween Roller Skating Party.

If you would like to receive free articles from On Living By Learning by email, click this link.  You can also click here to receive updates on a RSS Feed Reader.

By Kayla’s 6th Birthday, we were party professionals. 

Over time, I had learned to keep the kids moving and crafts to a minimum. 

However, Kayla was passionate about art, and she really, really wanted an art party.

My solution was an active art party with lots of crafts, and lots of time for outdoor play.

6 Year Old Birthday - Art Party

Inspired by the art party theme, and an old Family Fun template, I hand-crafted art palette invitations.  Otherwise, this party was low on labor, and high on fun.

Before the party, we set up several arts & crafts stations so that the kids could move through the stations at their own pace.

When each child arrived, they received a mini-bucket of markers and a white poster board with a face-space cut out.  After drawing in the body, they posed for Polaroid pictures.  Later, these pictures were inserted into collage frames they decorated at another station.  They also decorated a tote bag to carry home their goodies.

Meanwhile, the kids took turns building a 3-D string sculpture by weaving in yarn throughout one-half of the basement, and trying to tunnel through.

Light refreshments, Cake, Outdoor Play, and a Smiling Sun Piñata completed this easy party.

 

Resource List - Oriental Trading: bright pails; piñata.   Lakeshore Learning: bulk markers, collage frames, tote bags. Dollar Store: Poster Board.

More Birthday Party Articles:

Learn more about our party traditions on Birthday Celebrations.

Baby Parties: Baby To Preschool.

4th Birthday: Ariel’s Caribbean Luau and our  Piñata Tradition.

5th Birthday: A Mad Hatter’s Tea Party.

6th Birthday: The Art Party.

7th Birthday: A Pokémon Party.

8th Birthday: A Harry Potter Party.

9th Birthday: Tween Spa Party.

10th Birthday: Chocolate Dreams Slumber Party.

11th Birthday: The Last Dance Tween Disco Party.

12th Birthday:  A Girl-Led Tween Roller Skating Party.

If you would like to receive free articles from On Living By Learning by email, click this link.  You can also click here to receive updates on a RSS Feed Reader.

I have fond memories of Kayla’s 5th Birthday Mad Hatter’s Tea Party.  It looked elegant - at least to the kids - but it was cheap and simple to prepare.

Five Year Old Birthday - A Mad Hatter’s Tea Party

Per our Two Month Rule, Kayla had to keep all her suggestions bottled up.  Otherwise, the party theme would’ve changed at least ten times.  When I was ready to listen, Kayla’s favorite video was Disney’s Alice in Wonderland, making the tea party an obvious choice.

Since it was a Spring birthday party, it was easy to find nearly everything we needed at the Dollar Store:

Decorations - We picked up lace table cloths to cover the purple plastic liners and silk flowers for the centerpieces, and to decorate the stairway rail in the foyer.  With the addition of pink tulle, this created an attractive backdrop for the butterfly piñata.

Party Favors - Each child received a small, straw bag (filled with seasonal items from Oriental Trading Company) and a straw hat (that they decorated during the party.)  They also got to keep their own ceramic tea pot (used to pour strawberry or chocolate milk at the tea party.)

The party itself was a breeze:

1. As they arrived, the kids went to the craft table to decorated their hat.  The craft table was set up in the basement, next to the play area, so they could enjoy the toys while waiting for others.

2. When all the hats were finished, everyone went to the tea room for a spot of “tea”, finger foods, and flower-topped cupcakes.

3. After a big dose of sugar, the kids were ready to run around outside.  Our backyard woods and the creek provided plenty of entertainment, but the kids could also pull out the bubble-makers and mini-Frisbee in their favor bags. 

4. Then, they gathered for a hat parade before the traditional party closer: whacking the piñata.

 

Keep It Simple

This was the first birthday party where I was able to relax and enjoy the occasion.  Partly, this was because I had a lot of assistance.  Lauren, our babysitter, came in before the party to help with the decorations and to assemble the party favors.  Dave was the photographer.  And all the parents stayed and helped.

Mostly, it was a stress-free party because I kept the work to a minimum.  We didn’t serve any prepared foods - except for a fruit salad.  And, we didn’t have to supervise activities since there were hardly any.

Creative, happy children entertain themselves!

More Birthday Party Articles:

Learn more about our party traditions on Birthday Celebrations.

Baby Parties: Baby To Preschool.

4th Birthday: Ariel’s Caribbean Luau and our  Piñata Tradition.

5th Birthday: A Mad Hatter’s Tea Party.

6th Birthday: The Art Party.

7th Birthday: A Pokémon Party.

8th Birthday: A Harry Potter Party.

9th Birthday: Tween Spa Party.

10th Birthday: Chocolate Dreams Slumber Party.

11th Birthday: The Last Dance Tween Disco Party.

12th Birthday:  A Girl-Led Tween Roller Skating Party.

If you would like to receive free articles from On Living By Learning by email, click this link.  You can also click here to receive updates on a RSS Feed Reader.

By the time we were planning her fourth birthday party, Kayla had strong opinions about everything.  Since her forthcoming birthday requests started as soon as one party was over, I had to institute the Two Month Rule: no birthday party talk until two months before a the next birthday.

Four Year Old Birthday Party - Ariel’s Caribbean Luau

As of this party, Kayla selected the themes, but she still let me plan activities.  Since I was no longer a free agent - baby Alex was a permanent barnacle - I had to cut out some of the time-consuming creative elements. 

Older and wiser, I knew that little kids don’t eat cake, and they are perfectly happy with a colorful Price Chopper cake. 

Also, bags and small toys from Oriental Trading Company  make popular (and easy) party favors.  Occasionally, I’ve also picked up party supplies at the Dollar store and the party supply store, but Oriental Trading is usually the easiest, and cheapest, resource.

The activities were kept to a minimum so that the kids could have lots of time to just run around.  Mostly, they enjoyed playing with the pretend toys, and the ever-popular puppet theatre.  We also filled a large bucket with sand and hidden treasures - gold coins and costume jewelry.  They had each received a small sand bucket and shovel as a party favor that they used for digging out treasures.

After lots of free play, the party closed with the piñata.

Over the years, we’ve developed our piñata rules: kids line up by height, each child gets two whacks, everyone has to make sure that all kids get some of the loot.  I’ve also found that it’s just easier if I fill it with candy.  I used to try to reduce the sugar-intake by putting in small toys, but they don’t fill in well and often break.

The piñata is now the one party element that the kids count on.  As Kayla’s friend Abby observed, “It isn’t a birthday party if there isn’t a piñata.

 

More Birthday Party Articles:

Learn more about our party traditions on Birthday Celebrations.

Baby Parties: Baby To Preschool.

4th Birthday: Ariel’s Caribbean Luau and our  Piñata Tradition.

5th Birthday: A Mad Hatter’s Tea Party.

6th Birthday: The Art Party.

7th Birthday: A Pokémon Party.

8th Birthday: A Harry Potter Party.

9th Birthday: Tween Spa Party.

10th Birthday: Chocolate Dreams Slumber Party.

11th Birthday: The Last Dance Tween Disco Party.

12th Birthday:  A Girl-Led Tween Roller Skating Party.

If you would like to receive free articles from On Living By Learning by email, click this link.  You can also click here to receive updates on a RSS Feed Reader.