Have You Thought Of Your Garden For Kids Parties?

If you worry about the expense of kids parties, then read this 'how to' article about using your own back yard as your childrens birthday party venue. Costs nothing to hire, saves mess entering your home and it is of course open all night if you invite the newighbour's kids too!



Nobody wants their birthday party to be over too quickly, but how do you keep it going without the guests getting tired and bored? Easy, you let them go to sleep. Sleepovers are a longstanding favourite with children and you can make it even more exciting and unusual by letting them sleep outside. The back garden is a safe place for kids parties.



Request that each child bring their own duvet and pillow - this way you don't have to worry about trying to find enough bedding and each child will have something familiar to help avoid homesickness. Ask the other parents to help you out with tents, spare blankets, sleeping bags and roll mats. If you have enough tents, arrange them in a circle all opening towards the middle - this will make an outside room and focal point for all the calmer activities.



Rather than coming up with a party theme and decorating the house, have the children decorate 'themselves.' One way to do this is to purchase the cheapest plain T shirts you can find at charity outlets..any colour will do. You will also need to purchase glow in the dark paint. As soon as all the children have arrived, keep them busy decorating their own 'glow in the dark' T shirts to be worn over their clothes later when it gets dark.



You'll need to get them hungry for the birthday tea so follow this up with some energetic games. A free and easy outdoor party game is a mix of musical chairs and tag. Lay sheets, blankets and towels on the ground, pinned to trees, on the washing line and anywhere else you can think of that they might nearly but not quite cover a small child. Have the children exchange identifying shoes and sweaters and then start the music. The children have to make their way from one end of the garden to the other and back without being spotted by 'it,' hiding behind or under the hanging Manchester each time the music stops. The last child to be spotted each time is 'it' for the next game.



Children love cooking their own food especially over a campfire - this will save you time in kitchen. However, make sure you use food items that are pre-cooked or edible raw. Ideas include, 'Hot Potatoes,' getting each child to wrap a potato in foil and help you put it in the fire to cook, pre cooked frankfurters for children to 'cook' on sticks over the fire and marshmallows to roast. Marshmallows can be used as a cheap alternative to game prizes too. For example, for each point the child wins, they get a marshmallow. Have a think about ways to transform food into activities?



Finally, to make the most of the glow in the dark t shirts, give the children flashlights and have another game of tag. This time, the children simply have to run from one end of the garden to the other....no hiding allowed. 'It' catches you out if you're in the torch spotlight when the music comes to a stop!)



There are plenty of ways to provide a hugely entertaining yet cost effective childrens birthday party. These are just a few ideas to help you on your way Happy camping!





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Based in Christchurch, New Zealand, Sara Leadbetter is a Business Advisor specialising in Internet Marketing. She works with Childrens Birthday Party Venues across New Zealand. This article is written with regard to her work with Lollipops Playland Palmerston North