About Sweetmama Editor
Nadine Silverthorne’s love of journaling began in Grade One with the entry, “I am the greatest dancer!” Two babies (and countless diaper changes) later, she has found her home away from home as editor of SweetMama. Don’t miss her humorous bi-weekly accounts of the joys and pains of working while raising them fabulous.
Ideas for a LEGO Birthday Party
silver spoons: lego party plan canada
(Jan.17.11)
As a mom, we cross uncharted milestones with each kid birthday party. The year you realize he's not a baby anymore. The year you realize when he's not a toddler anymore. And the year you look up and realize all the baby-ness has disappeared from his face and he's a six-year-old boy.
I love themed birthday parties (here's a mermaid one) because they give me a framework within which to work. They also totally rock. We've got an entire section of birthday party ideas here on SweetMama, many of which were born from the real experience of our roster of mama writers.
Anyway, when you look up and see that your kid is not a baby at all anymore it's time to take his party wishes and input more seriously than in years past. And this year, my LEGO-maniac wanted a LEGO party. Here's how you can "build" one for yourself.
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Invites
If you know how to use a computer, you can probably design your own invites using a photo and simple editing software like Pixlr.com, like I did. Import the image into MS Word, copy four to a page, then cut out and place in small envelopes. For the less digi-savvy, you can order some from Etsy.com.
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Décor
For the six and under set, décor is more for the parents than the kids, so I keep it simple. I bought tablecloths from the dollar store in red, yellow and blue. I blew up balloons in primary colours. But these LEGO brick-shaped candles I bought at ROLO were my favourite.
Blokz party candles, $15. Available at www.rolostore.com.
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Music
My son loves playing LEGO Rock Band for the Wii with his dad, so he felt strongly that a LEGO party have the songs featured in the game. I found a playlist and then downloaded the songs from iTunes.
LEGO Rock Band playlist, free at www.sharemyplaylist.com. Songs, from $0.99. Available at www.apple.itunes.com/ca.
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Favours
I bought a big builders box of 650 LEGO pieces (in hindsight, I should have bought two for 12 kids), the idea being that kids could spend some time building and then take home their creations as favours.
LEGO Builders of Tomorrow set, $35. Available at www.sears.ca. |
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Games & Activities
I had all kinds of fun stuff in my head, like an egg-and-spoon race but with LEGO in the spoon. A toss the bean-bag game — a bristol board "brick" with holes cut out where the LEGO studs should be. But the kids were having so much fun building LEGO and running around that it didn't make sense to disturb them with a more organized activity.
Ideas for LEGO party activities, free. Available at www.parents.lego.com. |
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Cake
Take simple slab cake, add the studs (baked as cupcakes or cut out from the slab using a cup), and then cover with a copious amount of butter cream and food colouring. Add a few "LEGO dudes" and you're good to go! (Easy for me to say — my baker sister put this creation together for her favourite nephew.) Or you can watch this Betty Crocker video for ideas on how to make a variation.
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