Learning from last year's (more on that here), Meghan ran the party the same way with only minor tweaks. This time we had a few more kids but that didn't seem to matter at all. I think the main secret to a successful gingerbread party with kids under 8 is preassembling the houses. That can get tedious for little (or big) hands so having that hard work done in advance leaves all of the time to
Meghan planned on 2-5 p.m. on a Saturday afternoon. The kids got there between 2 and 2:30 and all played in their basement playroom for 20 minutes or so. I helped Meghan get the last bits of stuff together and the table ready. When the kids sat down, this is what they had...
Then they decorated the houses for about an hour. We had 3 adults for 9 kids and that worked pretty well considering that Meg's husband was on icing making duty for a good part of that. Meg and I helped the kids find inspiration (they didn't need much help with that!), decorate around tough problems, scoop icing, and wipe their hands. The kids ate a lot of candy but that was all part of the fun!
When they were done, the kids headed outside to burn off some of that sugar. We had an incredible village of houses!
While Jeff watched the kids outside, Meghan and I made a mad dash to clean up the table in preparation for a quick snack before their parents showed up for the "awards ceremony."
Each child received an "award" for their house... Most Beautiful, Most Sparkly, Sweetest, Tastiest Looking, etc.
Here's my daughter's house for which she won "Sweetest House"!
Come back tomorrow for Meghan's gingerbread house building tutorial!
Love this idea! As a former preschool teacher (mainly 4 and 5 year olds) this was a favorite activity for the children each year. We also preassembled the houses. Since this time of year often went along with cold/flu/virus season we took some precautions. Each child had their own small (disposable) bowl of icing and their own dull plastic knife for spreading the icing. That way they could "double dip" and lick without an adult always on them not to. We also gave each child their own small sorting tray (can be a recycled/very clean frozen food tray or plastic ice cube tray) with their own candies. There is already a lot of "germ sharing" in the classroom so these precautions were able to cut down on any further "sharing". The kids LOVED the activity and were so proud of their creations! I love your photos - looks like the kids had a wonderful time!
ReplyDeleteKasey in North Carolina
What a great idea! Looks like it was fun :)
ReplyDeleteMegan-- From the auction perspective, was it auctioned off as 1 party and 1 person bid on it and brought 9 kids, or was it auctioned off by per child spot? Adorable idea!! Thanks for sharing. I want to do this for my kids and their friends, but the fundraiser part has peaked my curiosity. Thanks! Ann
ReplyDeleteLet me try this again with my email address--I hope :)
ReplyDeleteMeghan-- From the auction perspective, was it auctioned off as 1 party and 1 person bid on it and brought 9 kids, or was it auctioned off by per child spot? Adorable idea!! Thanks for sharing. I want to do this for my kids and their friends, but the fundraiser part has peaked my curiosity. Thanks! Ann
Hi Ann! We auction it off per child. Families can buy 2 spots if they want. We did it with a silent auction so the top 6 bidders won - the other 3 kids were Meghan's and my kids! It's a great auction item - always brings in a crowd!!! Good luck! Melissa
DeleteI have 8 grandchildren, thanks for sharing!
ReplyDelete