Rainbow Birthday Party part 4: games/crafts/activities

Here you can find part 1, part 2, and part 3. So we have our theme and we have the cake, invitations and decorations but what will the kids do once they get there. Here are some of the things I found.

Zoe has specifically asked for a pinata and getting a rainbow pinata like this

can cost anywhere from $14.99 to $35 not including shipping. A cheaper option is to make your own.

Here is a great tutorial at About.com to make a very easy pinata and no messy paste is involved.

Remember this bubble gum vase from the post on decorations. Well here is a game that I can use it for from Party Game Central called Sweet Spot. Basically you have everyone guess how many gumballs are in the vase. I love it when I can double things up.

Here I found the idea to make a rainbow fridge magnet. Instead of using Polymer clay though I will probably use Crayola model magic which is an air dry clay that is very light and easy for kids to use.

Another game that I found at Party Game Central is called Balloon Stomp. It is where you tie balloons to your ankles and stomp on each other's balloons and try to pop them. I plan on have tons of balloons all the colors of the rainbow and this would be a good way to put some of them to use. I also like to have at least one game that is very active to help get some of the wiggles out.

The next craft I found in a science book.

It shows you how to make a rainbow spinner. The directions say to use a piece of cardboard but the problem I had with that is the brown color of the cardboard dulls the colors so I wanted to use something white. The key to these things is the disc needs to have some weight to it. The heavier the disc the easier it is to make it spin. So I was trying to come up with something white that had the weight of cardboard. Poster board was not heavy enough so I tried foam board. It was the perfect weight but a pain to cut out and to punch holes in.

What I came up with is to use thin card board that comes in packages and stuff and to sandwich it with card stock cut to the same size. Here is what I did.

I used my circle cutter and cut a 3" circle out of the cardboard.

Then I cut out two circles the same size out of the card stock.

Then using a glue stick

I glued the card stock to either side of the cardboard.

Then I drew lines to make seven spaces as equal as I could get them.

At this point is where I will let the kids color them using markers.

After I colored mine I punched out the holes as close to the center and as close together as I could get

Then I threaded the string through and there is my spinner. This is a very nice weight and the kids will have an easy time spinning it.

The last craft that I have is called The Good Luck Rainbow and I found it at About.com

You use small squares of colored tissue paper and glue them to a paper plate that has been cut out to form a rainbow shape. Then you use cotton balls to make the clouds. Then if you want to you can use Christmas tree icicles to make it look like rain. I will probably leave that out because I don't have any icicles and the only time you can get them is at Christmas time.

Hopefully this will be enough activities to keep them busy at the party. If you have ideas for any crafts or games please let me know. Thanks

Part 5