Children's parties

Girls must be dressed in frocks with sticky out skirts and Boys in bow ties !!!!

Iced Diamonds and Play Box biscuits, if you can still get them. They were a staple at parties when I was small and my sister and I loathed them. I therefore started off not getting them for my children's parties - until they came home from other children's parties to tell me all about them, how they enjoyed them and please could they have them at their parties!

Three games that we always play are 1, Wrap the Mummy, using toilet roll to wrap round your partner, if it breaks start again.2. Ding dong bell, tie one leg of a pair of tights round your waist with a ball hanging down in the other leg. Then try to knock down a range of items i.e lemonade bottle, smaller bottle, pile of Duplo and so on.Hands must be behind your back to swing the ball. 3. Dressing up. A row of hats, then scarves then gloves then skirts. First one all dressed wins.
have a lovely time.

They also use the cocktail sticks to make holes in disposable cups!

Thanks for all these great ideas and anecdotes.I am reading them all with great interest.I love banana sandwiches and also baked bean ones.I tried peanut butter and jam the other day but found it revolting.Thanks for the warning about cocktail sticks and straws.I would not have thought of that one.No ideas about the party bags yet?

Don't make the mistake of serving little sausages, cheese, pineapple cubes etc speared with cocktail sticks if you are also providing straws with the party drinks. I did this at a 5-year old boy's birthday party and they had great fun using the straws as pea (or in this case cocktail stick) shooters! Amazing no one pierced their eye with one!

yes, i am just in the mood so long as I get a balloon.

Can you still get Artic Roll? It was in a play we saw last night! Ice-cream floats, lemonade with a scoop of ice-cream in. Lots of ideas for cakes for boys, hedgehogs, football, someone has already said fort, farm, cowboys, I've done them all.

Can I come, it sound fun? Perhaps we should hae a GN retro party?

My DS is a bit of a whizz at theme cakes for his sons' parties. The first one was a pirate ship with soft butter icing. The party was held in the pleasure garden at Blenheim Palace where the kids could run wild - within reason - and the cake was left in the car until it was time for its ceremonial entrance. By the time DS got to it, it was in danger of collapsing in the sun that was warming the car up to oven temperature. It was still just about recognisable as a pirate ship when it reached the table - and tasted just as good as ever.
Just as well little brother's birthday is in December.

Of course not Annodomini! Tropical wedding sounds good.

Remember a fort cake at a boy's party when I was 5. It was covered in very soft butter icing and obviously took at lot of love and work. I brushed past it and smudged the tableau. I was mortified . The mother went mad and screamed for the criminal to own up. I was so frightened I kept quiet and licked my hand surreptitiously.

It has stayed with me and think this is one of the few times I have owned up to the offence!!

I loved banana sandwiches, haven't thought of them for years! How many calories do you reckon in one?

Hunt, your mother and mine must have been reading the same practical hints. I well remember the parsnip banana sandwiches - and what a revelation the real things were at the end of the war!
LullyDully, my wedding cake was decorated in very pale green icing. I don't know why this happened because I didn't order it. The reception was outdoors in brilliant tropical sunshine, so perhaps they did it to avoid dazzling the guests with pure white icing! It didn't poison anyone.

Our wartime children's parties (in army married quarters) were improved no end by having a friend in the cookhouse. He had a sideline in iced birthday cakes. No-one liked to ask where he sourced his ingredients.

Just remembered a wartime party when my Mum made BANANA sandwiches. And before you say,''No bananas in the war'' I'll let you into a secret. The sandwiches were made with mashed parsnip with banana essence added. Everyone thought they were marvellous!

LullyDully I can imagine how your mother felt.All that effort !
I shall have to think about the party bags to take home.As you say,a lot of them now are filled with expensive rubbish.Has anyone got any thoughts on this score?

Poor Pussy and Kick the Can will definitely be on my list.
Orca what is Little Willy?Sounds rude !
Thanks Butty.Now I know what a pinata is.
Blancmange is good Hunt,especially chocolate.
Thanks wisewoman.A bit like your balloon game.

Twiglets and iced gems lovely. Both quite horrible now i should imagine but used to love them.

You could also do retro goodie bags .....can't remember if we had them, don't think we did.. didn't you just get a balloon and a slice of cake? Fine by me.

GCh get some awful rubbish in them and they cost quite a bit.

A fort cake sounds good too I remember them.

My mother once made a cake iced in green, as it was my brother's favourite colour. One dear little boy said green meant POISON so no one would eat it. My mother was mortified.

Gorki, Kick the can is similar to hide and seek but not so boring for those waiting to be found. You place a tin can or small bucket in the middle of the lawn, someone is 'it' and does the usual counting while the others hide. The object (for the hider) is to wait until the seeker is distracted by looking for someone else then sneak or dash back to the can and kick it (shouting KICK THE CAN) - then you are safe. If the seeker sees you he/she has to race back to the can and kick it before you do - then you are out. The game ends when all the hiders have either made it back to the can or been beaten to it.

All these posts and no one has mentioned Blancmange.Ours was made in a mould shaped like a rabbit and served on a plate with chopped-up green jelly round the rabbit for grass.

A favourite with mine was Little Willy.

Poor pussy.
Everyone sits around in a circle. The one who is "pussy" goes round on hands and knees, going up to people and going "Miaow". You have to stroke pussy`s head, and say "Poor pussy", but without laughing. If you laugh, you`re the next Pussy.

Then there`s Postman`s Knock.

No catw has remembered the end of the game. They only pat which shouldn't hurt.

Gorki - If you click on the (not very) blue word 'here' on my previous post, it'll take you to the link.

The game where you roll a ball between legs is played in teams. Front person holds ball and rolls it between legs of all the team (in a row) and the person in the back catches it and then runs up to front. Do the same over and over until original front person back. They hold up the ball and shout "done". First team finished are the winners. Does that make sense???

Sorry Butty but what is a Pinata?