5 Year Old Birthday Party

Got these ideas from one of the parent magazines:

Donut cake - depending where you go, a dozen donuts can run $3-6/dz. Stack them up like a pyramid, fill in a few spots w/donut holes, throw some sprinkles on them and stick the candle's on the top donut. No forks, knives or even plates required - the kids can just grab a donut after the candls are blown out.

Capri Suns - $2 for 10 pouches

Party rings - cut a hole out of a paper plate, take strips of streamers or cut up tissue paper and tape to the back of it and loop through the hole and you have a ring of streamers the kids can run around with.

You could have a karate party...look up some punching and kicking moves online, teach the kids each move. Then have them get up in front of the group one at a time and have them perform their moves by you calling them out and see how well they remember. Totally free!

Happy Birthday to your little one! I've done pizza and cupcakes with a few of her friends not forgetting the pinata and a few games.

I did a bowling ally party for our 5 year old. Bowling, shoes, pizza, drinks, balloons and gift bags were provided for $8 a kid. I thought that was really cheap compared to other places I called around to. In and out in 2 hours and no clean up. They also supplied a Bowling Pin that all the kids could sign for the birthday child and we got to take it home.

Cheapest is cake and ice cream (as the food items) served in your home. Many October birthdays have Halloween decorations, which is fun. If you were looking to host this at a venue, Bowling alleys are cheapest by far for an activity venue. Otherwise, go for renting a room included in an association, like apartment, condo or home owner's association for a good rate. GL!

Balloons, lots of balloons.

Is there a pumpkin patch nearby? You can take the kids to pick pumpkins (ask for a group rate or birthday discount - doesn't hurt to ask). Then they will have their Halloween pumpkins. Most places like that have picnic tables (or take a few blankets) - take a cake and some juice boxes. If you want another activity - take a lot of markers and have them draw faces on their pumpkins. For goody bags - give Halloween candy (there are a lot of coupons out for candy right now and a lot of sales) or skip them altogether since they will have their pumpkins. Another idea is apple picking if you have a place nearby - it's pretty cheap - all you pay for is the apples. You can have each kid pick their very best apple and just buy those.

My daughter's birthday is Oct 1st and we're having a Halloween themed party his year. Have the kids decorate masks out if paper plates and tie around head with a string or glue/tape a Popsicle stick to bottom. Set up water bottles or something similar and roll a pumpkin at them for pumpkin bowling. Get a cardboard box and paint it orange (pumpkin) or gray/black (coffin) and cut different size holes in it...bean bag toss. Go to dollar store and get eyeball pingpong balls...give kids a spoon to balance eye on and have relay races. Draw a big pumpkin on paper, leaving nose area blank and play pin the nose on the pumpkin. Have kids sit in circle, pass a pumpkin around until music stops, kid holding pumpkin is out. Last one left in circle gets to take it home. If you have a dollar store that sells helium filled balloons get a half dozen of them, buy cheap white Plastic tablecloths and cover the tied down balloons...draw faces on them for floating ghosts for decorations. Then each kid can bring one home (no need for goody bag). That's all I can think of right now.

Good luck and have fun!

An Animal Planet party at your home. You can buy the very cheap safari hats at the dollar store, or Party City, Have each of the kids bring their favorite stuffed animal, make palm trees and birds and jungle animal pictures for the walls, and make a tiger face cake! I bet you can even find jungle sounds and music to burn a CD for background music! Have fun and good luck!