My little party planner
Making parties easy!
Rainbow ice-cream party
There are few kids around that don't like ice-cream. This was one party that really celebrated kids love of the stuff and the saying 'I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice-cream' really rang true!
The invitation
Decorations
Dress up your party venue with these easy to make decorations - of course lots of coloured balloons are a must!
Entry door ice-cream banner
These banners were so easy to make. Using an old cereal box to create a 'scoop' template, I traced the shape on to various pieces of wrapping paper and cut them out. Each time I traced the bottom scoop, I added or moved sound my drips which were also made from the cereal box. As I made the drips separately, I just stuck them on when and where I wanted them so I had different drip patterns.
For the cone I used a roll of brown paper. I drew the shape on the flip side and cut it out. I then used the first shape as my template for the rest of my cones. I was originally going to add some waffle cone detail with brown paint or Textas but decided to keep things really simple instead.
One I had all my shapes cut out, I lay them out and played with the positions until I was happy with them. Then I stuck them on a strip of white paper from the roll usually reserved for the art easel.
Tips:
- I used spray glue to adhere my shapes. It made the job super fast.
- When glueing, I started with the position of the cone, then worked from the top scoop down so my scoops layered easily on top of each other and the final scoop covered the cone.
Over door steamers
Set the scene for arriving guests by dressing up the party entrance.
Made in only a few minutes from a few strips of cardboard taped together and a bunch of coloured streamers taped on, this is one of the simplest things to create.
It's light so I could even blue tac it up if I wanted.
Tips:
- Rather than making the steamers go all the way to the ground, make them long enough to blow in the wind to create colour and movement but short enough to avoid being easily torn as people go in and out of the doorway.
- Use the rest of the streamers inside your venue to add extra colour and to continue the theming.
Entertainment
On arrival
- Have a dress-up box with suitable outfits that are easy to put on without adult help.
- Set up a corner as a 'photo-booth' with some fun 'photo-booth props' and take some silly photos
- Organise a colouring-in table with ice-cream related templates to colour in such as ice-cream shapes and ice-cram vans with lots of textas and pencils
- Set up some 'self-service' games such as ten pin bowling, tin-can alley and crazy colorful tubes that 'sing' when you swing - these were all good fun
Music
- On arrival play 'Fir Elise' as this is often played on the loud speakers of travelling ice-cream vans
- Ice-cream freeze (let's chill) by Hannah Montana
- Ice-cream man by Tom Waits
- Ice-cream man by Van Halen
Games
Ice-cream cone challenge
This is a team game. Each team must have the same number of players. Each player in each team has a sugar cone. Teams must stand in a row and behind the last player in the team there is a cup. In front of the first player is a jug of water. When the signal is given, the first player must fill the ice-cream cone with water from the jug then, turn to the player behind them and pour the water from the ice-cream cone into the next players cone. The next player must then pour their water into the next players cone and so on until the last player pours it into the cup.
The first team to fill the cup wins. The challenge is to do this before the cones dissolve! If a cone does fall apart, the player must run to the front and exchange their cone for a new one.
Tips:
- Have extra cones handy and allow players to get fresh cones as their cones disintegrate. Just make sure all teams have equal access to the fresh cones to ensure an even playing field.
- Have plenty of paper towel handy if playing inside on a water coping surface.
- Have a bin ready to put the dissolved cones in either during the game or when the game is over.
Ice-cream run
This is the ice-cream version of the egg on a spoon race but not quite as messy. Using sugar cones with small balloons balanced on top, the players have to run from one point across a finish line. The first across the line wins. If players drop their balloon, they are allowed to retrieve it but must start again from the spot where they dropped it.
Tips:
- Water balloons work well for this as they are nice and round when blown up ensuring they are less likely to have a piece that can be inserted securely into the cone providing an edge to the player.
- Make sure you have the balloons already blown up ready for the game when it starts.
- Have extra balloons and cones for bursts, breakages or extra games.
Toss the toppings
Set up a line of empty cones stretching away from the start line. Using small objects such as ping pong balls for ice cream scoops and different colored buttons for toppings, have the players toss them into the cones. The cone closest to the player is worth 10 points, the next one 20 points and so on. The player that scores the highest points on their turn wins.
Tips:
- Secure the cones with blue tack or double sided tape when setting up.
- Have extra cones handy.
Ice-cream shop
This little shop also became integral to the party games too. Each person at the party got 'ice-cream money' which they could by their ice-cream from the shop. The birthday girl then 'opened' the shop, collected the money and handed out the ice-cream from the window.
The party goers then added the toppings and sprinkles of their choice to their ice-creams.
Tips:
- For younger kids, have an adult serve the toppings or help guide the quantities of sprinkles as kids 'loved' dressing up their ice-creams!
- You can get some great naturally coloured and flavoured sprinkles these days.
- Ice-cream money can be used as prizes along the way in other games such as pass the parcel, a treasure hunt for money - as soon as they find a note, they can buy their ice-cream.
Pass the cone challenge
In this game players sit in a circle and pass an ice-cream cone (or pretend cone made from cardboard) around while music is playing just like they would in a pass the parcel game. When the music stops, the player holding the cone needs to pick out a random slip of paper from the cone that has either a challenge or a question on it. If the player successfully completes the challenge or answers the question they get a prize. When the music starts, the cone is passed around again and the process is repeated until all players have either answered a question or completed a challenge.
Challenges can include;
- Answering an ice-cream question, for example:
- what is in 'hokey pokey' ice-cream? (Answer: butter scotch)
- what flavours would be in a 'monkey madness' flavoured ice-cream? (Anwer: banana)
- what is 'neopolitan' ice-cream? (Answer: strawberry, chocolate & vanilla)
- What is the Italian name for ice-cream? (Answer: Gellato)
- Completing a task, for example:
- build a tower of ice-cream cones
- toss a lolly into an ice-cram cone from three feet away
- drink water from an ice-cram cone (be sure to use a fresh cone here as you don't want them drinking from the cone used to catch a lolly in it)
Ice-cream pinata
A pinata is always a big hit at parties with both little and big kids alike.
An ice-cream shapped one was perfect for this event.
Ice-cream toss
Draw up a large ice-cream cone and lay it down on the ground with holes in the different scoops. Using small objects like buttons, ping pong balls or even pegs, players are to toss the 'toppings' on to the ice-cream.
Tips:
- Different coloured buttons can represent different flavours or toppings (ie red for cherry, brown for chocolate).
- Another ideas is to have different parts of the ice-cream worth different points where the player with the most points wins.
Food
- Rainbow fruit platter
- Ice-cream with all sorts of toppings and sprinkles to add
- Chips (crips)
- Pop corn
- Rice crackers
- Dips and sliced vegetables (carrots, capsicum, celery)
- Cheese squares and biscuits
Party bag ideas
- Ice-cream scratch and sniff stickers
- Crazy curly straws
- A tube of fun ice-cream sprinkles or toppings to take home
- Prize bag (filled wtih pinata sweets and game prizes)
- An ice-cream shapped biscuit
The cake
An ice-cream cake is an obvious choice but this party was held in winter and ice-cream was served to guests via the ice-cream shop. Instead along with the rainbow theme was a rainbow cake. When cut the inside was rainbow layers. Here's how you can make your own rainbow layer cake.