The invitations went out over a month ago.
Then HFMD occurred and we had to postpone the party. There were a few tears but for the most part our little man understood. The day of his initial party past and the weather was gorgeous. Thus, we included the following in our evening prayers…that it wouldn’t rain on the postponed date of his party and that his friends would stay healthy and be able to attend.
Sure enough our prayers were answered all but one child was able to attend the party (the one was not due to illness but travels, thank GOD) and while it threatened rain it never actually rained. So, let the Splash Party Commence….
Given the fact that we had two extra weeks beyond the initial party date I found that I was adding things to the party. More time equals more stuff, right!?! Like our trip to Boyd’s Candy Store, the intricacy of the Happy Birthday banner I made, and the number of Chocolate Power Ranger suckers I made. Now that I think about it I might have been experiencing mommy guilt due to the fact that the party was postponed. Oh well, mommy guilt or not the kiddos seemed to have fun.
We started off the party with a game of Sink or Float…..
Each kiddo received a bag with 8 items in it and two signs, one stated Sink, and the other Float. They then each had a turn of deciding which item we would test.
Next we did gifts……
Any mother who has thrown a birthday party or has attended a young child’s birthday party can vouch for the fact that one of the main issues with opening birthday gifts is the crowding around the birthday child. They’re all so eager to see what the birthday child will open and of course the anticipation and excited is intensified when the birthday child is opening their gift.
So in an attempt to minimize the crowding, as to not resemble a mosh pit with the gifts surfing across the crowd of kiddos, we encouraged a circle formation with the birthday boy in the middle. We then had him stand with his eyes closed and arm extended while I spun him twice around the circle and whichever child his arm extended towards when he stopped was the child whose gift he would open next. He then opened that child’s gift and in return gave that child their goody bag. It seemed to work nicely.
Time to sing Happy Birthday….and raid the food table. Again, this is another area where crowding can be anticipated. So instead of allowing all the kiddos to get food at once we had them take turns two at a time. Those two kiddos at a time were determined by the first initial of their names. Again, it seemed to work nicely. I am not sure if it was the technique or the fact that the kiddos he invited exhibit such wonderful manners, I think it might be the latter. Next, outdoor activities….
The kiddos really seemed to enjoy this activity. One of the moms reminded me that the children are old enough for us to incorporate the science behind this activity. Well, they might not be ready for, NaHCO3 + CH3COOH –> CO2 + H2O + CH3COONa. But what they can comprehend is, mixing an acid and base equals a chemical reaction and a whole lot of fun!
Next….Water balloons…
The kiddos paired up and played catch with the water balloons. They all seemed to enjoy the water balloons except for one poor little kiddo whose water balloon was impaled by the corner of their glasses and the water slashed in their face. I felt so horrible. But they recovered quickly once we moved onto the next and final activity, water slide!
It was unfortunate that the kiddos contracted HFMD and in a way I guess that was the lemons we were dealt. As the saying goes, “When life gives you lemons… make lemonade”. And that is precisely what we did…..
Off to help our little man with his thank you notes. What is your rule when it comes to thank you notes? Do you enforce a hand written thank you note? Do you, as the parent send an email with a thank you enclosed? Do you not send thank you notes? Is it a dying practice? What is your thought on the thank you note?
Mom on the go in Holy Toledo 
I think Thank You notes are a great way to teach your children to appreciate what they were given. Unfortuately, they are a dying practice!
Good point, thank you notes are a great way to teach your kiddos about gratitude. I think you are right, hand written thank you notes are a thing of the past which is so sad. Maybe our kiddos will stand out more since they do write thank you notes? Here’s hoping! Thanks for sharing Alison
I agree that it is a nice thing to teach kids to be appreciative, and I know the kids love receiving mail.
That is so true, whenever I get the mail our kiddos come running asking if they received anything. I ultimately say yes, and hand them some advertisement, but of course that isn’t nearly as exciting as when they receive actual mail like an invitation to a party or a thank you note. It is so encouraging to read that other moms still feel that an expression of gratitude in the form of a thank you note is an important skill to teach their children. Maybe there is hope for the younger generations after all! Thank you for sharing Inga, hope you and your family has a fabulous weekend, Kat
So glad to see the pictures! In terms of thank you notes – I have even my smallest kids do thank you notes… if they are old enough to hold a crayon – they are old enough to color (or scribble) a picture of thanks. I hope that it is teaching them gratitude! For preschoolers – their little hands get so tired of writing so I try to make it easier…. I get those blank cards in bulk from Michaels, have them color a picture on the front and write their name in the card. Then I write or type the note and have them paste it inside. They get to make a card, their friends get mail, and I have hopefully taught them the importance of saying thank you 😉
Your little one was such a joy and delight, we were so glad she was able to make it.
You bring up a good point; it can be tricky for younger children since they cannot write yet. But helping them sign their name and having them draw a picture is the perfect way to involve them in the process. I will have to remember that motto…”If you are old enough to hold a crayon you are old enough to express your thanks” love that! I alos love the idea of the blank cards and having the preschooler draw a picture on the front, there is nothing more genuine than a handmade thank you card. Thank you for sharing Julie…and the thank you note will be in the mail soon…you weren’t kidding when you stated they get tired, our little man has to take a break after writing his name twice, lol!