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Kids Birthday Party Expert / Child Party

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Previous Posts
Princess Party Theme Ideas
Space Party Theme for Your Child
Batman Superhero Kids Birthday Party Theme Ideas
How to Make a Balloon Animal Dog
San Jose Kids Birthday Party Places
Entertain Your Kids by Arranging a Jungle Safari Theme Birthday Party
Princesses Birthday Cakes Ideas
Goodie Bags, Birthday Party Tips
Kids Birthday Party Supplies Tips
Birthday Party Jumpers , Jumber Rental Tips
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San Francisco Bay Area Kids Birthday Party Expert
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The Princess Party – Part I

You are the King & Queen in your home and if you are planning a party for your little prince then why don’t you make it grand with a Princess party.  There are tons of ideas for a typical princess party
and you can make the preparations all at home.
The first thing you need to do is to make your home into a castle. I think you can already imagine the smiles this very thought will bring to your prince’s face. The next choice you have to make is that of a
catchy slogan that will fit the theme well. This slogan can be used in the invitations and as a part of the overall decorations as well. You use one of the following phrases:
-  A Night of Enchantment
-  Castle Party at John’s Magical Kingdom
-  Hear Ye, Hear Ye…Princess Anna is turning 5!
-  Sonia’s Pink Princess Party
-  Gracious Knight come join us at john’s Castle for Feasting & Festivities!

Princess Party Invitations:

Princess party invitations could include pictures of glass princess slippers, castles and knights on royal horses. Make sure the cards look special by using stylish fonts, calligraphy, glitter inks and
colored ribbons and flags. Mention the arrival and departure, date and venue clearly in the invitations. You can mention the dress code for the princess party as well. You can tie up the invitations with a bow like they did it in the olden days for all official parties.

Princess Party Decorations:

Decorate the entrance of your house with flags, shields and red carpets to make it a grand entrance.

Royal ball:

You can create a royal ball in your living room where you can decorate it with pink truffles and drape the tulles in the ceiling to create a canopy. This will give the look of a small dancing space for children
to dance in. You can also drape the chairs with pink ribbons and colorful bows.

Royal entrance:

Using a chalk you can draw princess characters on the driveway eg: snow white and Cinderella.
At the entrance you can write “enter the castle” here or “welcome to the kingdom”. You can have cutouts of court attendants and the dwarfs prepared and place them at the entrance. These will form the welcoming party for the guests. When each guest arrives their names can be announced in the background as in royal courts.


Ok now that the guests have arrived and we are all set we need to make sure that each guest receives personal attention and leaves the party with fond memories. We will discuss this in PART II of the article.

The Princess Party – Part II

Now that the guests have arrived at the princess party let’s make the evening a delightful one for them. The best way to do this is to arrange some games which they will enjoy. Here are some beautiful ideas.

Wishing well or fountain:

Place a small wishing well somewhere in the party. Give each guest a penny and ask them to wish something before dropping the penny into the well. Tell her that at night fall her wish will come true. You can then add gift boxes inside so that when each guest leaves they can pull out the gifts from the well.

Ice Drop:

Kids are divided into two teams and given 2 toothpicks and two bowls. In one bowl ice cubes are kept. The two bowls are placed at a distance on a table. Each person has to run from the start point bowl to the finish point bowl by carrying ice with toothpicks. The one who finishes first wins.

Kiss the Prince:

This is a simple kid game. The kids put on red lipstick and are blindfolded and spun around. They then try to kiss a picture of a prince. Whoever is closest wins.

Glass Slipper:

Everyone sits in a circle and passes a slipper from one person to the next (while music is playing). Someone calls time or stops the music and the person left holding the slipper is out. Continue until there is only one person left.

Besides the games the next thing you can concentrate on is the food. Make sure the food is delicious so that it can be enjoyed by the children. Some useful suggestions are Food Items

All types of breads and  platter of meats Enchanted chicken and turkey legs Cream cheese
& strawberry jam sandwiches (you can shape them with star, heart, diamond etc.
Royal Salad (dried cranberries, golden raisins, cherries etc.)

Princess Party Drinks:

Apple juice
Some sort of a sherbet
Pink lemonade
Strawberry tea

Princess Party Treats:

Strawberries
Grapes
Cockies
Popcorn
At the end of the party give everyone a small return gift so that they remember the party for a long time.

Princess Party Favors:

"Love" and "Thank You" charms can be added as favors and gifts. The half diameter charms feature a hole at the top for easy attachment with ribbon. Small assorted gift packets with plastic miniature
princess dolls, wands, magical characters work well.

Now you can start planning you royal ball and don't forget to include your prince or princess in the process.
Get ready to blast off into a fun birthday adventure in space for your child’s birthday party.

Step 1: Party Invitations

For invitations you want to send out something fitting of the space theme for your child’s birthday party such as a “captains log” or a blast off invite. Be sure to include all the information necessary on the card. Such as birthday party start and finish time. Birthday party address and directions. Your phone numbers just in case a guest is lost and can’t find the venue.

Step 2: Party Decorations

If your event is indoors, you may want to hang wallpaper of a black sky with stars and maybe some flying spaceships and astronauts, If your event is  outdoors, you may want to make fake space shuttles out of cardboard boxes, you can also purchase balloons to fit your theme. 

Step 3: Party Activities

As always, try to have planned activities for the kids.  Making astronaut helmets for themselves or each other is a fun activity. Have a blast off area were they can play with toy rockets and space action figures.

Step 4: Party Games

For games try to think of ideas to match the party such as a blast off game were the kids slingshot foam rockets with their names on them and whoever reaches the farthest wins. Another party game is a moon explorers scavenger hunt. in this game, the kids will try to find all the different kinds of moon rocks in your party galaxy. These would be normal rocks that you would have painted in different colors.  Hide them all over your party area. You may even chart them and give them names or powers. The possibilities are endless. 

Step 5: Party Food

Of course everyone is eventually going to be hungry, including your guest aliens.given out as space rations and the juice can be given out as extra fuel.

Step 6: Party Entertainment

For entertainment you may want to have a space shuttle or moon walk jumpy house. Jungle Joe can also beam up all your guests to the fun zone and make your party truly unforgettable. 

Step 7: Party Cake

 It’s finally time for the space captain (birthday child) to blow out the candles and for every member of the space crew to enjoy some birthday cake.A good suggestion for the cake would be a space shuttle or moon shaped cake with astronauts or small space ships on top.

Step 8: Party Favors 

Party favors or goodie bags are a great way to close the party and send all your little guests home happy. For party favors , you could stuff your space decorated bags with space toys. Or give out a jet pack that the child can use even after the party has long passed.
Coolest Superhero Birthday Parties for Your kid!!
Batman is a character which every kid knows about. He is a super hero who is physically fit and mentally agile to take on all evil and evil doers in the world. He is the advocator of good. Because of this kids admire him and even impersonate him while at play. For your kids, Batman is an ideal hero. Batman uses the knowledge of science and math in his crime fighting tools and this attracts today’s kids. So it can be a very good birthday theme for the youngsters.
Because of its universal appeal the super hero batman theme is something very interesting one can have at a kid’s birthday celebration. You can make invitation cards having bat wings as the theme. You can use pen flashlights and can use it in a bat shape attaching a card with the date, time and location of the party. A Super hero Spiderman party with kids in red and blue colors can be a mind blowing idea.
The villains mostly seen in movies can also play significant characters in your kid’s birthday party. Some of the famous characters are Catwoman, Joker, Penguin, Two Face, Mr. Freeze and the Riddler and the Spiderman nemesis Green Goblin. These characters can add a lot of charm to the kid’s party.
These days the super hero theme has become very popular at birthday parties. There has been an overwhelming response for superhero party supplies. Thus a well decorated superhero party can add lots of amusement, liveliness and zeal to make the party a brilliant success.


Every kid loves twisting balloon animals.Playing with balloon animals
is a source of temptation for kids.
Apart from that, remaking balloon animals without popping them is also exciting.

The balloon dog is the basic animal shape. This is where it all begins. Balloon dog
is by far the most requested balloon animal so far. The main reason
behind it is that it is quick, simple, and most of all people really
like dogs. With proper balloon animal directions a swan, sword, giraffe
or even a horse can be prepared.  Children of all age groups are
enthralled by the act of distorting balloons to different shapes. A
birthday party is empty without some fun filled balloon twisting activities

The astounding part is that kids love it. Even a lot of adults sit back
and smile as different shapes of balloon animals are formed in front of
them. Once you excel in preparing balloon animals you can twist
balloons and make lots of shapes in no time. But for this you need to
have good supplies and a good pump.

Method to Make Balloon Animals for the Kids at a Birthday Party.

The concept of making balloon animals started from many decades ago.
This art is also known as 'balloon twisting'.
The balloons are twisted into some amazing shapes of animals.

Balloon twisters spend hours in twisting balloons of different shapes
thereby practicing the different skills like tying the balloon with
one-hand, creating balloons inside balloons etc. Once you become an
expert in making balloon animals of different shapes, the skill can be
used in making more complex shapes with two or more balloons. The
shapes are restricted to the twister's imagination and idea.

Balloon twisters use pumps like hand pump, electric, battery or a
compressed air tank to inflate the balloons. In case you don’t know how
to make balloon animals, there are lot of books, photos, articles and
videos to help and guide you out. There are also coaching classes to
teach people on ways to twist balloons. Give balloon twisting a good
try and you will definitely succeed in making balloon animals.
Der Joe:

My son's 4th birthday is coming up in June. We would like to hold it at a park this year. Do you know of any good parks to hold my child's birthday party in The San Jose area?
Sara T., San Jose, CA

 

Dear Sara:

I have done dozens of kids birthday parties in San Jose parks, There are a few factors to consider before you reserve the location. The park location should be easy to find, avoid far away parks that are hard to find. Even if the park has all that you want in it. For the park to be considered kids friendly, it needs to be easily accessible. The parking should be close by. Trails to the picnic area should be easily accessible by strollers. A handicapped sign is usually a good guarantee that access is build into the park layout. Is there a playground that is age appropriate for the kids age group that you are inviting to your party? If not, would the park permit you to rent a jumpy house, set up a volleyball net etc. Shade is big factor in the south bay, San Jose parks can get very hot in the summer months. Shade should always be considered year around. Here are a few links to some San Jose parks that you may want to consider for your kids birthday party. Please click here to reserve our shows or to get more information about our sevices.

When planning a birthday party you have to choose the perfect venue where everyone can have loads of fun. Choosing perfect birthday party places is not easy.

Below is a series of useful links. I have carefully collected to facilitate the research process.




san jose kids party locations

San Jose Lol Parties

Mailing Address: 800 Embedded Way
San Jose, CA 95138
Phone: (408) 225-1709
Website: www.lolparties.com

kids birthday party pakages

San Jose Cucina Bambini

Mailing Address:  1041 Lincoln Ave.
San Jose, CA 95125
Phone:(408) 564-7773
Website: www.cucinabambini.com

san jose jungle kids park

The Jungle Island Fun and Adventure

Mailing Address:  5401 Camden Ave
San Jose, CA 95124
Phone:(408) 448-4386
Website: www.thejungleisland.com

san jose birthday party places

San Jose Birthday Party Specials

Mailing Address:  2445 Fontaine Road
San Jose, CA 95121
Phone:(408) 238-9110
Website: www.chuckecheese.com

san jose kids park & zoo

San Jose Happy Hollow Park and Zoo

Mailing Address:  1300 Senter Road
San Jose, CA 95112
Phone:(408) 277.3000
Website: www.hhpz.org

Raging Waters San Jose

Raging Waters San Jose

Mailing Address:  2333 South White Road 
San Jose , CA 95148
Phone:(408) 238-9900
Website: www.rwsplash.com

Color Me Mine - Just For Kids

San Jose Color Me Mine - Just For Kids

Mailing Address:  5337 Prospect Road.
Westgate West Shopping Center
San Jose, California
Phone:(408) 865-1833
Website: www.sanjose.colormemine.com

san jose birthday party cakes works

San Jose Birthday Parties Cake Works

Mailing Address:  2891 S Bascom Ave
San Jose, CA 95008
Phone:(408) 377-6808
Website: www.cakeworks.com

Petting Farm in San Jose

Evergreen Acres Petting Farm in San Jose

Mailing Address:  4140 Cadwallader Ave
San Jose, CA 95121
Phone:(408) 677-9557
Website: www.petstouch.com

san jose kids party places

San Jose Party Place for Kids

Mailing Address:  181 Martinvale Lane Suite A
San Jose, CA 95119
Phone:(408) 930-FEST (3378)
Website: www.themefest.com

If your kids are fond of animals, then you can arrange for a garden jungle safari theme to celebrate their birthday. This multipurpose birthday theme appeals to kids of all ages, and these types of themes are worth remembering.

Here are some things you can arrange for in a jungle themed party to make it more interesting.

You can ask your birthday guests to join you in the Jungle Safari Walk. Those guests who arrive late can also join in. You can decorate the walls and the floors with the pictures of animals and while music is on, make the kids walk around over top of the animals. And when the music stops make everyone shift to the animal space. In order to add more fun to it, draw the animal’s name and say it loud. Whoever is positioned on that animal has to quit and try to continue it till only one child remains.

Try to adapt that classic story of “The Tail on the Donkey in the birthday party. Paste the image of a tree on a large cardboard. Then cut images of bananas out of paper and place a piece of tape on the backside of all. Blindfold all the kids and let them put their banana on the cardboard. Whoever is able to get their banana wins a prize.

Paste images of animals in the safari cap. Make the kids imitate the animals in front of the group of kids and make the other kids know what animal they are. You can have kids attempt to sketch the animal as well.

You can hide small plastic jungle animals and make the kids search those wild animals while on their way to the safari and tell them to get one of each species. Make the party theme as interesting as possible. You can also arrange a game of shoot out to add to that party theme. You can have the kids enjoy shooting the animals with a toy arrow.

Do whatever you can to turn your birthday party into an event worth remembering; don’t just let it pass you by. Celebrate your birthday with the people you love. Just go for it – and have a really happening happy birthday!

The Cinderella Castle Birthday Cake


The birthday cake is the center of appeal for any birthday party. Cakes are like a birthday gift for all your guests to enjoy. Every kid or even their parents who come to the birthday party look forward to some delicious well made birthday cake; it’s an expected birthday gift for all.

But for you as the host the first thing to decide upon before selecting the type of gourmet birthday cake is to select a party theme and the design for the birthday cake would fall into place automatically.

Princesses Birthday CakesMany people opt for online cake ordering. Online cake ordering has been made easier with interactive online cake ordering tools. A cheaper alternative to online cake ordering is to make the cake yourself. It’s simple enough that you can involve the birthday child in the process. What gives a cake its style, look and taste is the icing. So make sure you choose a proper icing technique based on the theme of the party. Birthday cakes come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes and some of them can be made at home easily with the minimal effort.

An all time favorite for most children especially the girls is the princesses Castle Cake. So let’s go ahead and get one ready for the occasion in a matter of minutes. Now you too can make your own gourmet birthday cake.
Once you are all set to bake a princesses castle cake at home, take a square shaped sponge cake and place it on a large platter. The next thing you need to do is frost it. As you may already know frosting helps to seal the moisture in cake and adds additional flavor and texture to it as well.

Ok once the square cake is frosted, layer it with a second square cake. Now how do we get the look of a castle? It’s simple. Place one cup cake each at the four corners of the square cake. And then to give each of the four corners the look of a turret top each one with an ice cream cone turned on its head.

Now its time to frost the cup cakes as well as the cones. Once that is done give the castle walls a textured look by scratching them with a fork. Go ahead and spray some green sugar on the cones and then top each cone with some nice chocolate sauce. To give it a much better outline arrange some wafers on the cake to make them look like doors and windows.

To add the final touches enfold the cake with some colorful jelly and green shredded coconut. Its now time to sing the birthday rhyme and let the party guests take their fill from your gourmet cake.

Goodie Bags


Offering children goodie bags may be expected in your circle of family and friends. These party favors have become very popular over the years, so much so that some kids maybe somewhat disappointed for not leaving the party with a goodie bag.

If you do decide to include party favors at your party, here are a couple of tips you may want to consider:

If you are doing a particular theme for your kids party, then the goodie bags should preferably match your party theme.

Always prepare the goodie bags ahead of time.

The bags are better placed when visible by the exit door.

Always hand the party favors before the kids leave the party, and never before. This gives a very nice close to your party and makes it memorable. It also helps the kids for whom goodbyes are a little difficult. Favors given during the party may create hard feelings if they are not identical. I have seen many party favor toys trampled underfoot. These favors were usually given out too early during the party.

You can always purchase pre-packaged goodie bags online. But purchasing the favors and putting the bags together yourself can be a lot of fun and will almost certainly save you money.

A great way to maximize the fun and the savings on goodie bags is to get the small bags from your local grocery store for very little money. And have the kids decorate them as part of the party activities. You can also easily decorate them yourself before hand. Stock up on small toys, trinkets and sweets from you dollar store. This option is local and gives you plenty of flexibility.

Please always consider age range when buying small toys. I hope that your next party is filled with fun and joy. All the best…

I am often asked by parents about how to best  choose a party supplies company for their child'sbirthday party.
Everyone wants to get a great deal from the jumper rental company or the party supplies rental. Whether you are renting a hot dog machine, popcorn machine, or a cotton candy machine, or even a tent and chairs. You deserve to get your money's worth without any compromise on quality or safety.

Avoid ordering  any products by simply filling up an online form. It is  best to  pick up the phone and call the company directly or send an email asking specific questions. Ask  if the company is insured and licenced. Make sure to ask if you will be receiving the exact products that are pictured on the website.

If renting a bounce house make sure it is made of Vinyl not nylon. If renting a tent also make sure that it is of professional quality and that it is fire retardant as required by many states. There are specific safety rules for tent and canopy rentals. Ask the rental company about their cleaning procedures. Most rental products need to be cleaned and sterilised before getting rented out again. 

Food concession equipment rentals are of particular concern. Especially meat cooking devices such as hot dog and pizza cooking machines. A professional rental company will usually volunteer their cleaning procedures to emphasize health and safety issues. If they don't volunteer that information, then you should ask. Please be vigilant and visually inspect the machines before use. No matter how careful the company is, mistakes can happen. I am not a huge fan of cotton candy machines. They can easily ruin a good planned party. With all that sugar, the kids can't help but run wild. Sometimes in circles. Cotton candy machines should never be rented for indoor parties in particular. 

With that said, go out and have a safe and wonderful time at your next party!

I get asked often from many of my customers about Jump house rentals. Which bounce house or jumper should I get for my child's birthday party?

Bounce houses are now offered in numerous forms.
So much so that it can be hard to choose which one to have at your kids' birthday party. moon bounces are offered now in many different themes, shapes, sizes, colors, and styles.

You can rent bouncers that have slides in them. Some even come with water slides or built in inflatable characters.

Make sure that the jumper you choose will be set up for you by the rental company. Some kids like their jumpers so much that some parents may decide to buy one. Buying a jump house can be burdensome as you must set it up, store it and maintain it. Setting up these heavy jumpers can be back-breaking. Commercial jumpers are made from vinyl, consumer jumpers are made from nylon. Vinyl is much more durable than Nylon. Some party rental places will try to rent you the consumer units as commercial units, so make sure that you ask if the jumper is made from vinyl or nylon?. It certainly makes a big difference, not only in safety but also in product quality.

Almost every cartoon character around is represented in jumpers now. Most kids like the characters that are popular for their age group. check out this jumpers list from a small local rental company

Princess, Sleeping beauty, Cars, Elmo,Winnie the Pooh, Chargers, Spiderman, Incredi bles, Madagascar, Hannah Montana, Transformers, Tinkerbell


Combos

Long Slide, 4in1, Pink Slide, Art Panel Slide, Sport Slide, Tropical Slide, Elmo Combo, Tinker Bell, Disney Princess.

Jumper

Castle#1, Castle#2,Castle#3, Castle#4,& nbsp;Tropical, Jungle, Blue Clues, Dora Spiderman, Sponge Bob, Superman, Batman, Princes,&nb sp;Tigger 

Waterslides

16ft Waterslide, 12ft Tropical Waterslide and the list can go on and on...

No matter what you do, your kids will love a jumper at their party. It lets them be very imaginative and jump to their heart’s desire. You simply can not go wrong with renting an inflatable jumper for your kids birthday party!

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