My daughter attended a 6th birthday party for a friend of hers at a local rec centre pool. I was super impressed with the instructors that led the party and they did a great job with the kids in the pool. They kept everything calm and orderly...a hard thing to do with 15 youngsters in a pool!
There were two other things that impressed me. The little girl celebrating the birthday decided to go along with a tradition that others had begun a while ago. She asked that people bring money instead of a gift. Half of the money would go towards a charity and the other would go towards a nice gift from all her friends. What a great solution to getting loads of toys that they 'll only play with for a couple of weeks. What a great way to show our kids how to give back. What a great way to help out those less fortunate.
Then, for the "goodie bags", which I loath - with all the candy and cheap dollar store items that break in a few days - they had planters that they got at Home Depot for 5 bucks. Most of the kids were surprised, asking if that's all they got, and if there were any candies, etc. Others were thrilled, asking if they could plant them when they got home. My daughter fell into the second category.
We got home and within five minutes had the package taken apart, and we added the water so the peat could rehydrate. 15 minutes later we were planting seeds. It was great. We enjoyed planting the seeds and now we'll watch them grow.
Happy to say that I came home from this party feeling more fulfilled than at other parties, that's for sure. And, I've got some great ideas for when my kids' birthdays roll around again!
What types of things do you do at your kids' parties that are helpful for parents, the environment, and others?
In joy,
Melinda
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