Roller skating is making a comeback, and so are skate parties.  I have fond memories of going to a skate party way back in the day.  Why not make some great memories for your child's birthday party by throwing them a Roller Skating Party. I find roller skating parties work well for pre-teens.

Skating Rink: The Host Or Just The Facility

Call your local skating rink and to see if they host children's parties.  Often skating rinks have set prices for parties, and they also take care of many of the parties needs for you.  Some skate rinks will provide food, drinks and even a cake. Some even have the party favors and birthday decorations.  Be sure to ask them what they will provide and the cost per child for these services before you book the party.

If the rink does not "host" the party for you, ask if you can decorate and bring in food and drinks (and this includes the cake).  If they say no outside  food, don't be discouraged.  You can have the cake and ice cream before going to the rink.  Keep in mind that children will want something to drink as they skate around, so you will need to purchase the drinks and snacks for them at the skating rink.  Some skating rinks also have video games kids can play. You will want parents to know this as well, so they can decide if they want to send extra money for their child play games.  Be sure to include all of this information on the party invitation.

Party Transportation Service Or Just The Planner

You  need to decide if you're going to transport all the kids to the skating rink or have the kids meet you there.  If you're going to  transport them, I suggest inviting only a small amount of your child's friends. Choose a number you can easily transport.

Home Skating Rink

If you don't have access to a roller rink, you can create one. Decorate your basement or your drive-way to look like a roller rink. Maybe you have a community building that you can rent.  Hire a disc jockey, rent a mirrored ball (disco ball) and some lighting to make it sparkle.

Whether hosting a birthday party at home or somewhere else, your pre-teen will love a roller skating party theme. Remember, creating a great roller skating party is as easy as skating itself!

Need A Party Theme Or Idea For A Kid's Birthday Party? Think Clowns!

Clowns are great for birthday parties.  They are fun and make little ones giggle. So throw a clown town kids birthday party. How? Hire a few professional clowns. When you hire the clowns find out which special skills they have, such as balloon animals, face painting or magic tricks.  It is important to know what the clowns will be doing to entertain the children.

In Clown Town Everyone Has A Job (Skill)

Hire several clowns with different skills and set up little towns (performance areas) for the children to visit. Use cardboard, paint and markers to create the backdrop for each town. For instance, you've hired 3 clowns: one who does juggling and magic, one who does balloon animals, and one who paints faces. Create a "stage with curtains" for the magic-juggling clown. Now the magic-juggling clown has the perfect place to perform his magic for the kids.

You can do the same thing with the balloon animal clown.  Draw a circus tent or zoo setting on a piece of cardboard.  Be sure to sue bright colors when you paint the cardboard.

The face painting clown will need more than a backdrop. This clown will need  a chair or stool for the kids to sit on while she paints faces. Paint animals, balloons, butterflies and superheros on the cardboard.  This backdrop will contain all the images the clown will paint on your kiddos faces.

Not An Artist? Easy Tips For Creating Party Backdrops

If your not good at free hand drawing, use coloring books. Grab a page out of a coloring book and have it blown up at a copy store. Using the enlarged page as a pattern, you can now trace the pattern on to the cardboard.  Another decorating option can be found at your local party supply store – decals and stickers.

Making A Sturdy Clown Town

To set up your clown town, use more cardboard to brace the cardboard towns. You will angle the cardboard in similar fashion as a desk top picture frame. If the party is outside or in a garage attach the card board to the walls or fence with packing tape.

Decorating The Party Food Table

Decorate your food and gift tables with balloons and streamers. Use colored craft paper as tablecloths and place your snacks, clown party cake and punch on the tables and call it the snack town.

The kids will love the clown town. The clown town layout is great for managing large groups of kids. Each clown town can handle a different set of kids. For example, send one group to the magic clown and another group to the face painter. By rotating the smaller groups, each child will have a better opportunity to see the clowns perform.

WeddingandPartyNetwork.com is happy to bring you this party planning idea.

40th Birthday – You're Not Old – You're Like Fine Wine & Cheese – Better With Age

Having  reached my fortieth year (a milestone birthday), my sister threw me a great party. It was subdued, yet a fantastically wonderful party. My Sister invited my husband and a few of my dearest friends over to celebrate my birthday. The black and white invitation arrived by mail, asking us to attend a wine and cheese party, and to dress in evening wear attire.

She decorated her home with flowers that coordinated with the wines we were going to taste. The serving table was decorated with flowers such as red roses behind a Merlot wine,  white roses for a Chardonnay wine. It was fragrant and beautiful, her home looked like a fine restaurant. The food was delicious yet simple, the rich cheese, the fresh fruits all served by a waiter dressed in a purple shirt with black pants (purple is my favorite color). The best part was the most decadent seven layer chocolate cake she served for desert.

My sister, always the best hostess, hired a wonderful singer/guitar player who softy played through out the night. As we drank the wines and sampled the cheeses, we swayed to the music even singing along occasionally.  This party is a relaxing way to celebrate a 40^th birthday.

Sometimes we think a milestone birthday party means big and grand, but big is not what every 40-year-old wants. Some like a more subdued party that is rich in food, drink and close friends and family. My sister gave me what I needed a relaxing celebration of my birthday.  Keep this idea in mind you may have a friend or family member that wants to quietly celebrate their age. This allows you to celebrate their milestone without stressing them out with big party.

Your primary goal when planning for a children's birthday party is to make sure the birthday child feels special. Your secondary goal is to ensure that everyone has a good time at the party. The entertainment part of a children's birthday party is a very important part! You want to be sure that the entertainment you have planned is well thought out.

Let's start off with a little entertainment that doesn't take a lot of work to get planned. Children usually have a large imagination and just about anything will get their attention. The number one thing to add festivity to the air of a birthday party is music. Play kid-friendly songs, or have a musical DVD playing on a TV in the main party room. Besides the music , children's party activities always make a party a lot more fun for every child.

Here's a simple idea that doesn't cost much to do. You could set up a game room inside your home, or even outdoors. This game room could be arranged with a variety of homemade games that cost very little to do. You could then provide each child that completed or won the game with a "prize". This could be anything from candy bars to glow sticks, whatever you think would be fun for any child. A couple of homemade games you could set up are soda bottle bowling, or even mining for jewels. Sounds fun!

Need bigger entertainment ideas? One major hit at most children's parties is to book an entertainer. This could be a standard clown or magician. To change things up a bit, you could even book "character entertainers" who come as popular TV, movie, or story book characters. But before making your decision to hire an entertainer, you need to be sure of a couple of things. Try to see them in action performing before the party to determine if they are the right entertainer for your child's party. Another thing is to be sure and let your entertainer know ahead of time if your child is shy. This would prevent the entertainer from asking your child to participate in the show, if you know that's not what your child would have in mind.

Another entertainment idea that any child is for sure to enjoy is to rent out a "bounce gym" or also known as a bouncer. Kids love them! These bouncers usually tend to cost $150+ per day including delivery and setup. They also come in lots of fun themes. Not only do kids love them but these bounce gyms are even actually good for their bodies. They have fun while doing a little exercise. Talk about two for the price of one!

Regardless of which of these entertaintment ideas you use, your birthday party is sure to be well entertained. Just make sure to have back up plans in case one of your entertainment ideas ends up not being possible. Which is why planning ahead of time is always a good first choice!

Dear Celebration Advisor: I am wanting to give my sister, who is fighting cancer, a surprise birthday dinner party. My husband and I cannot afford to pay for all the guests. On the invitation how would you word it so the guests know that the cost is $15.00 per person to attend. It is a rather awkward thing to ask so I do want to do it in a non-offensive way. Can you help me??? Thanks for your help! Anita

Reply:

This can be a tricky situation. According to Emily Post, you can't ask guest to essentially pay to attend. It is suggested that you cut the guests list down or find a less expensive venue. However, I don't necessarily agree that a party can't be "dutch treat".

This is how I usually handle those "dutch treat" parties. I don't send formal invitations. Instead I do my invites by phone or even email. When I send the invitation by email it goes something like this:

Sally's birthday is Friday May 8th. I am taking her to Godsey's restaurant for dinner at 7pm. I thought it would be a nice surprise if some of her friends were there to surprise her. I thought you might want to join us. The restaurant is going to reserve an area for our "dutch-treat" get-together. The entrees run anywhere from $15.00-$30.00. Please let me know if you will be joining us.

The most important thing is to keep the tone informal and not to declare host status. If you must send a printed invitation, keep in mind it must still reflect an informal party tone. My suggest is to word the invitation something like this:

This party invitation wording keeps the occasion tone informal. Notice the status of host is not declared in this invitation. When a party is "Dutch treat", it does not have a host per say. If you feel the need to include the term "dutch treat" on invitation do it at the bottom of the invitation like this

I hope this information will help you plan a wonderful party for your sister. Please keep me posted.

If you have a relative celebrating their 60^th birthday this year, consider throwing a Party with a "Sock Hop" theme. Those born in 1949 will remember the 50’s and will appreciate a nostalgic trip down memory lane.

What You Need For A "Sock Hop" 60th Birthday Party

1) A Classic Car. Have the honoree picked up and driven to the party site in a classic car from that era. This will set the stage for what’s to come.

2) Sounds From The 50's. Don't forget the music which was a huge part of the 50’s. Hire a DJ to spin 50's tunes or turn in to the fifties channel on your stereo.

3) A 50's Atmosphere. Decorate your walls with pictures of the honoree from the 50’s that have been enlarged. Decorate with retro items. Create a 50's atmosphere by setting up a "Malt Shop" bar with 50's memorabilia including glasses containing hand-dipped milkshakes and malts.

4) The Taste of the 50's. If you’re serving a meal, consider classics like meatloaf and mashed potatoes or drive-in favorites like burgers and fries.

5) Party like they did back when. Hula hoops came of age in the 50’s, so why not have a hula hoop contest?

6) A trip down memory lane. Most of all, give the guests an opportunity to pay tribute to the guest of honor. A 60^th birthday is a special milestone and it’s a great time to tell humorous stories and anecdotes about the honoree. With a trip down memory lane the stories should be abundant and a great way to share how important the guests and birthday boy/girl are to each other.

So stroll down to the party store and pick up some 50’s theme party supplies and in no time your 60 year old birthday boy/girl will be rocking and rolling their way to fabulous birthday.

My daughter just celebrated her first birthday and my husband and I wanted to come up with a birthday party idea that would be really special for our daughter and memorable for our family and close friends. It was obvious Elisabeth wouldn't comprehend all that was taking place. Nevertheless, we wanted to come up with a memorable first birthday party idea.

We felt that many parents set a dangerous precedent with kids parties that are "over-the-top" with clowns, games, moon bounces, expensive party favors, catered food and the like, but we wanted her party to be about celebrating her. So, we took the theme of her nursery–ladybugs–and we asked a friend who makes cakes to come up with a birthday cake idea around that theme. Wow! Did she ever! She made a Continue reading "Ladybug Theme A Simple 1st Birthday Party Idea" »

21^st birthday parties are a pretty big deal! I had been thinking of throwing a party for a family member who is about to turn 21, but didn’t want to do the standard “bar scene”, which most party ideas consist of. She is pretty classy and has a variety of great friends, so I decided I would throw a party for her at a local venue that could accommodate several guests. For the party, I wanted to do something original and creative to the serve the traditional alcoholic beverage, but I didn't want to go way over my limited budget. A champagne fountain was the answer to my wishes.

Champagne fountains are a beautiful, innovative way to serve drinks without having to hire a wait staff or a bartender. She loved it, as did her guests! Even if I had decided to Continue reading "21st Birthday Party Ideas- Champagne Fountain" »

A party isn't really a party without food … at least not in my book. Maybe I'm food obsessed. When ever I receive an invitation to a party, I always wonder what types of yummy food they will serve. Now I know I'm not the only one who thinks about these things; you know you do too. Whenever I host a party, I try my best to incorporate as many foods as possible or at least some interesting combinations.

A New Twist On Birthday Or Theme Party Food Ideas

One of my go to places for unique food ideas and twists on old stand-bys is my local caterers. These guys Continue reading "3 Great Party Food Ideas" »

As kids, birthday parties were exciting and elaborate with friends, cake, and lots of fun. It seems that as our age goes up (along with our stress level) the birthday parties get less exciting from year to year. But this does not have to be the case. A 50th Birthday is a pretty big deal, and is worthy of a party that surpasses even those as kids. "What kind of party ideas are appropriate for a 50^th birthday party?" you may ask, more than you think!  Depending on the birthday honoree’s personality, the type of party you host could range from a elegant dinner party to elaborate formal affair.

Quick Ideas For A 50th Birthday Party

• Renting out a restaurant is a simple way to fill a room with friends and family, have a nice dinner and socialize without having to play host and serve people.  Be sure to select a restaurant with a party trained bar & wait staff.
• Another great 50^th birthday party idea is to rent out a party room. This venue is allows for more than just food and catering.  With room for entertainment, you can kick it up a notch.  Make it a  dance party with a DJ or a band for entertainment or hire a comedian or magician to entertain the birthday honoree and guests.
• Turn your home in to a hot spot.  Rent extra tables and dining chairs, hire a caterer, set up a champagne fountain and turn your home into fabulous birthday gala destination.

50th Birthday Party Theme
A theme could be incorporated into all of above ideas as well especially an "Over the Hill" theme. Black seems to be the trend for "Over the Hill" parties and is always appropriate for this age. Black balloon bouquets, streamers and even black fabric draped from the ceiling are all great decorating ideas.  These decorating tools will help pull the "Over the Hill" party theme together.

Special Tribute For A 50th Birthday Party
Ask guests for only one gift: a few words. As guests arrive have them write something about the honoree. During the birthday toast read the guests' comments out loud. These words of kindness create a memorable moment for all to remember regardless of how comical or elegant the event.

Creating a memorable and fabulous 50th birthday party takes a little planning but in the end it will be well worth it.