balloon fun

I had a lot of activities out for the children.  At most of my parties I like to leave the activities out for the children to do if they choose.  I find it is better (and easier for me) than having structured activities.  It takes into account that some kids may not want to do crafts or games.  Most of the kids just enjoyed playing on the playground but there were things theree for them if they wanted to rest and create something fun to take home.  I put the activities in metal green buckets on the tables with labels and directions.  The activities were to make animal balloons, play with rocket balloons, and do face painting.  We also did a balloon burst.  The balloon animals were from the Martha Stewart's craft line a few years ago.  I had some and ordered some more on EBay. The rocket balloons were a big hit.  You can buy 12 for $1 at the party store and they were a lot of fun for the kids.  The last activity on the table was face painting.  I found a really easy and fast way to do it here.  I found a balloon stamp in the dollar section at Michael's and I am going to use it for our thank you notes too.  The balloon burst activity was probably the most fun.  I saw this idea on Martha Stewart and adapted it to fit the colors and theme for this party.  The kids loved taking turns popping a balloon and then searching for the candy that came out. I also had the book "Where do Balloons Go" and a large blanket to sit on in case the kids needed some down time.  They didn't and it was a little to cold and windy to sit down and listen to a story but, I had it just in case. We also had a pinata that I will blog about next.  Although it wasn't a sunny hot day, it wasn't raining and the kids didn't seem to mind on elittle bit!