[sak9645]

A lot depends on what's available and customary in your area. My daughter had her 4th birthday party at a facility called "Imagine That." Unfortunately, it is no longer in existence, as rent and insurance got too expensive.

The place supplied a party room, a host dressed as a clown plus a helper or two, paper goods, pizza, birthday cake, and drinks. It also set up and cleaned up, and provided a bag for taking presents home. I chose a theme from one of several suggested by the facility.

You could have up to about 16 kids, which was good, as my daughter had lots of friends from preschool, from our China travel group, from our local Chinese playgroup, and so on. Parents, of course, were welcome, and you could provide things like bagels and coffee for them.

For the first part of the party, the children did an art project related to the theme. Each child got to take home the object that was made. Then, the clown lined everyone up and took them to a sink for handwashing. Meanwhile, other assistants cleaned the tables and put out the food.

The second part of the party involved eating the food and singing Happy Birthday to the birthday girl. But all was NOT over when the eating was done.

Imagine That was sort of a discovery museum. People often came there on rainy days or when their children were bored. For a set fee, you could stay there as long as you want -- playing dressup in a full-sized playhouse, pretending to be a newscaster in a "TV studio" where you saw yourself "on the air", climbing on a full-sized pirate ship or firetruck or ambulance, playing in a sandbox, dancing wearing a tutu in a little area that looked like a ballet classroom and had music, playing unusual musical instruments from around the world, etc.

After the birthday party, the families who attended could use the facilities as long as they wished at no charge. While some kids were ready for naps by the time the party ended, others stayed around for another two hours or more.

I stayed until all the families left, making sure that the children remembered to take home their art project and having my daughter say goodbye to them. My daughter LOVED the place, and enjoyed the time to play there.

Of course, around here, birthday parties outside the home are very common. I can't tell you how many parties my daughter attended at a local gymnastics center when she was in the 3-5 year old period. She wasn't "into" gymnastics, but a lot of her friends took classes there, and were thrilled to have birthday parties involving the use of trampolines, parachutes, balance beams, etc. under close supervision.

We also attended 4th birthday parties at a local fire station, at swim clubs/pools, and so on, as well as inside people's homes and in their back yards.

While some kids have in-home birthday parties, outside-the-home parties remain popular now that my daughter and her friends are older. It's just easier for the parents. Here's what we have done, over the years:

Age 2: No party, just a family dinner. Becca had been home only six months and was not really able to grasp the whole thing.

Age 3: Took Becca, three of the kids we traveled to China with, and their parents, to a local restaurant that had great food for adults and was kid-friendly. The waiter (a favorite of Becca's and an unemployed singer), did a silly rendition of Happy Birthday. The families could order off the menu, with the bill coming to me. We bought each of the kids a very large, special cookie for dessert.

Age 4: Imagine That, mentioned above.

Age 5: Imagine That again. The crowd was different, since Becca had started kindergarten and had many new friends. And we did a different theme.

Age 6: In our new home. We had an entertainer whom we knew from the local JCC do a magic show/light show. While the kids were eating, afterwards, he filmed them and then, before the parents came (around here, parents don't usually stay once kids are 6), did a quick edit of it to show them. Later, he set it to music ("Who let the dogs out?") and sent me a copy for our enjoyment. The theme for the decorations was "Smiley Face".

Age 7: For some reason (Mommy brain? Senior moments?) I'm blanking on this one. I'll post when I remember it.

Age 8: We had a party at a place where you paint and fire ceramic objects. The cost depended on the type/size of objects that I chose for the kids to make. I supplied paper goods and food, including a cake with a picture of Becca in her Chinese dress, and helped clean up. The staff taught the kids how to do the projects. This was actually the most expensive party I have given.

Age 9: We had a party at the stable where Becca rides. The stable provides a rather spartan party room with refrigerator and restrooms for the food/drink part. Staff from the stable lead a tour of the facility and talk about horse care. The kids have a treasure hunt for candy in a clean, empty stall. They have pony rides and a hayride. I provided paper goods, birthday cake (this time with a picture of Becca in riding clothes), pizza, soda/juice, and ice cream, plus balloons and decorations. I also set up and cleaned up.

During these past few years, Becca has gone to lots of birthday parties. They have included such things as: a big slumber party; a pool party at a local hotel; a party at a place where girls get to style their hair, put on makeup, and so on; a sports party at a local YMCA where camp counselors organized a variety of outdoor games; a trip to a movie theater to see a G rated movie.

Some of these parties probably cost the parents a good deal -- like the one at the hotel, where the parents actually rented the entire pool facility, with lifeguard. Others were definitely not expensive. As an example, the one at the Y was very low-budget. But they were all very enjoyable.

At-home parties are great, but they involve a lot of work for the parents. They also can wind up being just as expensive as an outside venue if you have entertainment, which is becoming customary in many areas. And many parents simply don't have large enough homes, with long folding tables and such.

So doing a party outside the home may be a perfect solution, whether your child is 4 or 14.


Sharon