Arts & Crafts
Featured Recipes
Snack Ideas
- Paper-maché to Eat: Serve our yummy Instant Rice Pudding in a plastic bowl, label it “paper-maché" and dare the kids to eat it. They'll love the surprise!
- Cinnamon Sugar Pretzels Satisfy all the starving artists at the party with these delicious treats.
Decorating Ideas
Worth More Than a Thousand Words
Cover a wall with large sheets of white paper, then tape a large color copy of a picture of the birthday boy or girl to the center of the paper. Frame the wall with balloons, and then during the party the kids can create a unique mural around the photo with various art supplies.
Local Louvre
Take pictures of famous paintings from an old calendar and hang them around the house.
Say Cheese!
Look for large empty picture frames at yard sales and spray paint them gold. Then set up a few around the house, and the kids can stand behind them for fun instant photos.
Activities
Homemade Play Dough
You will need: 2 cups of flour, 2 cups of water, 1 cup of salt, 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil, 4 teaspoons cream of tartar. Combine ingredients in a pot and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until dough forms a ball. Remove from heat, cool, then knead dough to desired consistency. To color the dough, knead in a few drops of food coloring.
Hardhats Required
Have the guests create Decorative Sugar Cubes and Tablets, then let them use Seven Minute Frosting as glue to build their own Sugar House, castle or sculpture.
In the Bag
Purchase canvas by the yard and cut out 6"x16" pieces for the total number of guests. Fold the pieces in half and press to form a crease, then either hot glue or sew the sides shut and turn them inside out to form the little bags (approximately 5"x8"). To make a handle, cut two small holes at the top of the bag, thread a ribbon and tie knots to secure. Guests can then paint them to create one-of-a-kind goodie bags!
Game Suggestions
What's Wrong with this Picture?
Enlarge a picture of any famous painting and then paste various cutouts of objects from magazines within the picture. At the party, guests take a ten-second look at the painting to memorize all the things that don't belong. They then must write down as many objects as they can remember. The one with the most correct objects wins.
Drawing Charades
Set up large easel with a pad of paper, then let the guests take turns sketching out words and phrases they select from a bowl. You may want to make it more exciting by setting a time limit for the kids to guess the correct answers.
Mona Lisa's Smile
Hang up a poster of the Mona Lisa and let the kids take turns trying to pin up a new smile for her while blindfolded. You can cut out the smiles from celebrity magazines. The fake smile that best covers the real smile wins.
Party Favors
Fill the painted canvas bags made earlier with crayons, mini sketchpads, colored pencils and erasers.
- With ribbon, tie up a mini paint set and a bundle of construction paper.
- Paint disposable plastic containers and decorate them with the guests' names. They can then take their homemade play dough home with them.
Not all activities or party ideas are recommended for all ages. For the safety of all in attendance, no party should be held without adult supervision.
Party Accessories
Click on any item below to download the themed accessory. You can then print and use them to help make your event a success!
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