At 4 and 5, they're still young enough to have a grand time at a fabulous playground - I've done it where I brought a bubble machine, brown-bag lunches for the children, and maybe a craft. But just having a group of friends at the playground around them can really be a wonderful time for the birthday child. You can be as creative as you want with the lunch bags & treats, yet you can also save a lot of money instead of renting a room somewhere. And, I figure, they're going to grow out of this stage soon enough, so enjoy it while it lasts....
We held my son's 5-year-old party at Pullen Park pool. Totally cheap (you pay for each child/parent admission -- 75 cents per kids and maybe $2.25 for adults) and fun. To add to the fun, his birthday is in December so a pool party was a welcome respite in the middle of winter.
Is there a good shallow end at Pullen Pool, or do they have a "kid's pool"? I love the pool ideas but at this age, some of the kids can swim on their own (with parental supervision) and some still need waterwings, floatation device, etc.
For my son's 3rd birthday, we asked the fire department to bring a truck to our house. They did. A fire fighter talked to the kids about how the truck works, put on all the fire fighting gear and then talked about fire safety. The kids then were allowed to climb in and on the truck. They had a great time, including the older kids who came. The fire fighters even left fire hats and fire safety coloring books for the kids. And, it was free. I baked them a cake as a thank you. We've been to two other parties where the fire truck is the main attraction and the kids love it every time. The parents do too.
That's a great idea Natalie. I actually took my daughter to the fire department on her second birthday. We made cookies for them. She was all excited. She loved fire trucks - still does. But when we got there she completely clammed up. And when they showed her the fire truck she burst out crying, really sobbing. I have a photo of us at the station - firefighters smiling and my daughter crying her eyes out. It's very cute to look at now. They felt so bad and so did I.
Yep, there's a great shallow end -- I think what's called "zero entry." It's like being at the beach, where it's very shallow and grows progressively deeper.
We live in Carrboro so I called the Carrboro Fire Station. But I believe most fire stations will come to your house so just find the closest one to you. However, you have to know going into such a party that if the fire department gets an emergency call, they will have to cancel their scheduled visit. It wasn't an issue at my son's party or at any of the other parties but Carrboro is pretty small.
Sarah, that's so sad about your daughter. Have you attempted to go back? Last year it seemed we went to the local fire station at least once a week so Guillermo could talk to the fire fighters and climb on their trucks. It seemed all the boys we knew (and their mothers) were spending their free time at the fire stations all over Carrboro and Chapel Hill. Once, we even got a tour of inside the fire station so we could see where the fire fighters sleep and hang out and have important meetings. It's was pretty cool.
Does your son love sports? The Factory in Wake Forest has an indoor soccer field to rent for an hour for a fun kids vs. parents soccer game(or just the kids). They also have packages with that, that include lunch. We've had two parties there and the kids love it. Also, my son was at a birthday party this weekend where they hired Stormy from the Hurricanes to come to their house. They set out hockey nets in their cul-de-sac, and Stormy played hockey with the kids. My son is six and he thought this was the greatest.(I think my husband enjoyed it just as much as my son!)
Natalie - We haven't been back, but we've seen other fire trucks and she's climbed in them. So she seems OK with it now. It might have been partly the excitement of seeing the fire truck and then just being overtired from it being her birthday. Who knows what goes through their minds.
We did the same for our son's 4th bday ... the firetruck party has been by far his favorite (he's now 6) Our fire dept also let the kids squirt a small hose. It was the best free entertainment possible !!!!
A five year old is a great age for a house party. You can pick any theme any crafts, any games, any food. It's a perfect age! My son had a rocket ship party at about that age. We simply changed any old standard game to a rocket theme, (pin the tail on the donkey became blast off the rocket, placing the rocket on the launch pad) and it all worked. Had a rocket cake. Some rocket races. Run a few relays, have a opening craft. Playspace parties are anonymously fun, but not as personal as something at home. It sets a tone of friendship rather than school-like group outing.
RDU Sting Women's Basketball is looking to form a booster club and club administration that will coordinate fund raising events and arrange community service activities. See details
RDU Sting Women's Basketball is looking to form a booster club and club administration that will coordinate fund raising events and arrange community service activities. See details
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RDU Sting Women's Basketball is looking to form a booster club and club administration that will coordinate fund raising events and arrange community service activities. See details
Comments
We've only done house parties with close family so far but I think for my daughter's fourth we might go someplace else.
The Triangle Aquatics Center over in Cary does birthdays which I thought kind of sounded like fun - it's an indoor pool complex in Cary.
http://www.triangleaquatics.org/
My daughter's birthday is in February so I kind of filed it away for future reference.
The N.C. Museum of Natural Science does it too and kind of sounds fun if you're into live animals.
At 4 and 5, they're still young enough to have a grand time at a fabulous playground - I've done it where I brought a bubble machine, brown-bag lunches for the children, and maybe a craft. But just having a group of friends at the playground around them can really be a wonderful time for the birthday child. You can be as creative as you want with the lunch bags & treats, yet you can also save a lot of money instead of renting a room somewhere. And, I figure, they're going to grow out of this stage soon enough, so enjoy it while it lasts....
We held my son's 5-year-old party at Pullen Park pool. Totally cheap (you pay for each child/parent admission -- 75 cents per kids and maybe $2.25 for adults) and fun. To add to the fun, his birthday is in December so a pool party was a welcome respite in the middle of winter.
Is there a good shallow end at Pullen Pool, or do they have a "kid's pool"? I love the pool ideas but at this age, some of the kids can swim on their own (with parental supervision) and some still need waterwings, floatation device, etc.
For my son's 3rd birthday, we asked the fire department to bring a truck to our house. They did. A fire fighter talked to the kids about how the truck works, put on all the fire fighting gear and then talked about fire safety. The kids then were allowed to climb in and on the truck. They had a great time, including the older kids who came. The fire fighters even left fire hats and fire safety coloring books for the kids. And, it was free. I baked them a cake as a thank you. We've been to two other parties where the fire truck is the main attraction and the kids love it every time. The parents do too.
That's a great idea Natalie. I actually took my daughter to the fire department on her second birthday. We made cookies for them. She was all excited. She loved fire trucks - still does. But when we got there she completely clammed up. And when they showed her the fire truck she burst out crying, really sobbing. I have a photo of us at the station - firefighters smiling and my daughter crying her eyes out. It's very cute to look at now. They felt so bad and so did I.
Yep, there's a great shallow end -- I think what's called "zero entry." It's like being at the beach, where it's very shallow and grows progressively deeper.
Do you mind me asking what fire station you called?
Thanks for all the great ideas! I have a couple of months to plan, so I'm trying to get a head start!
We live in Carrboro so I called the Carrboro Fire Station. But I believe most fire stations will come to your house so just find the closest one to you. However, you have to know going into such a party that if the fire department gets an emergency call, they will have to cancel their scheduled visit. It wasn't an issue at my son's party or at any of the other parties but Carrboro is pretty small.
Sarah, that's so sad about your daughter. Have you attempted to go back? Last year it seemed we went to the local fire station at least once a week so Guillermo could talk to the fire fighters and climb on their trucks. It seemed all the boys we knew (and their mothers) were spending their free time at the fire stations all over Carrboro and Chapel Hill. Once, we even got a tour of inside the fire station so we could see where the fire fighters sleep and hang out and have important meetings. It's was pretty cool.
Does your son love sports? The Factory in Wake Forest has an indoor soccer field to rent for an hour for a fun kids vs. parents soccer game(or just the kids). They also have packages with that, that include lunch. We've had two parties there and the kids love it. Also, my son was at a birthday party this weekend where they hired Stormy from the Hurricanes to come to their house. They set out hockey nets in their cul-de-sac, and Stormy played hockey with the kids. My son is six and he thought this was the greatest.(I think my husband enjoyed it just as much as my son!)
Natalie - We haven't been back, but we've seen other fire trucks and she's climbed in them. So she seems OK with it now. It might have been partly the excitement of seeing the fire truck and then just being overtired from it being her birthday. Who knows what goes through their minds.
We did the same for our son's 4th bday ... the firetruck party has been by far his favorite (he's now 6) Our fire dept also let the kids squirt a small hose. It was the best free entertainment possible !!!!
A five year old is a great age for a house party. You can pick any theme any crafts, any games, any food. It's a perfect age! My son had a rocket ship party at about that age. We simply changed any old standard game to a rocket theme, (pin the tail on the donkey became blast off the rocket, placing the rocket on the launch pad) and it all worked. Had a rocket cake. Some rocket races. Run a few relays, have a opening craft. Playspace parties are anonymously fun, but not as personal as something at home. It sets a tone of friendship rather than school-like group outing.