If one of your children has a birthday coming up, build a party theme
around Disney© Pixar's new movie, "Up." This delightful computer-animated
3-D film features the adventures of an old man named Carl
and an eight-year-old wilderness explorer named Russell. Together
they meet up with unexpected villains and escape wild jungle animals
- all while traveling in a house floating from a bunch of helium-inflated
balloons!
Invitations:
Build your own floating house
Cut out house-shaped cards, decorate them to look like the party
house, and write the address on the front. On the back, add the party
details. Inflate a balloon with helium using a Balloon Time Helium
Balloon Kit, tie the house card to the balloon with string, and hand
deliver to your guests.
Decorations:
Inflate the partygoers with fun
Fill the room with helium balloons but personalize them with pictures
of the guests flying around the room! Photocopy their yearbook photos
onto lightweight paper and cut out the faces. Cut out paper doll bodies
from posterboard and glue the faces onto the bodies. Inflate a bunch
of balloons with helium and tie each of the "guests" to a balloon
bouquet. Then watch them float around the party!
Games & Activities: Bunches of balloons
Balloons are always a hit with kids! Play several balloon-related games
and activities in keeping with the theme, to entertain the guests:
Balloon Launch.
Inflate about 20 balloons with helium. Collect 20
lightweight objects, such as a sponge, an action figure, a plastic spoon
and so on. Place them in the middle of the room. Divide the group into
two teams and give each team 10 balloons, tied together in a bunch,
with ribbon dangling. Have the teams race to choose objects from the
pile and tie them onto the strings. The goal is to tie the MOST objects
to the balloon bunch and STILL keep it floating!
Balloon Attack.
Use the Balloon Time Party Create-A-Face Sticker Kit
to inflate a bunch of balloons with helium and use the stickers to give
each balloon its own, scary face. Tie ribbons to the balloons, short
enough to make the kids jump to reach them, and let the balloons
float on the ceiling. Divide into two teams. On the word, "Attack!" have
one player from each team jump up and grab a balloon string, and
then try to pop the balloon as quickly as possible - by sitting on it,
stepping on it and so on. As soon as a player has popped a balloon, he
or she must run back to the team and tap the next player in line to
pop a balloon. The team that finishes popping all the balloons first
wins!
Balloon Collector.
Inflate 15 to 20 balloons with helium. Select a
player, set a timer for two minutes, and then have the player try to
hold onto as many balloons as he or she can - stuffed in a shirt, under
the arms, between the legs, under the neck, and so on. At the end of
two minutes, count how many balloons the player has managed to
hold onto. The player with the biggest balloon total wins the game.
Meanwhile, the onlookers get to enjoy the hilarious antics of each
player!
Balloon Posse.
Divide the group into two teams, each representing
one color. Blow up enough balloons for each player to have one
balloon in his or her team's color. Set up an obstacle course in the
party room or yard, with small tables, chairs, large boxes and so on.
Line up teams and give one player from each team a broom and a
balloon in the team color. Players must race to get their balloons
through the obstacle course using only the broom. The first team to
complete the race wins.
Refreshments:
Re-inflate the fun with themed snacks
In keeping with the balloon theme, serve your guests round snacks,
like cheese and crackers, and balloon-shaped sandwiches using a
cookie cutter. For a balloon birthday cake, bake three round cakes, set
them together to form a balloon bouquet, and frost them red, blue,
and yellow. Use licorice whips as strings.
Favors:
Send the guests up, up and away
Insert a small toy inside a dark-colored balloon. Inflate the balloons
with helium to use as decorations at the party. When the party is over,
have the kids choose a balloon and pop it to find the surprise inside!
Penny Warner has more than 25 years of experience as an author
and party planner. She has published more than 50 books, including 16
specific to parties. Additionally, Warner writes a weekly newspaper
column on family life, penned a column for Sesame Street Parents
magazine and has appeared on several regional and national TV morning
programs. Her latest book, HOW TO HOST A KILLER PARTY, debuted in
February 2010 from NAL/Penguin.
Balloon Time is the leading brand of consumer helium balloon kits
in North America. Balloon Time kits feature a helium-filled tank, latex
or foil balloons and ribbon, and are available at national retail
chains, party goods and grocery stores nationwide.