Here are a few shots of the party my sister Abby and I threw for our kids' pre-school class last week.
The theme was "Bee Mine". Our colors were yellow, pink, black, and white. I thought the theme was fun for girls, but also not too lovey-dovey for the boys.
The refreshments were simple. Jarritos are my go-to party drink. They are gorgeous, but FULL of sugar, so we only poured a small amount into the party cups.
We filled the heartsy bags with a chex-mix recipe that you can find here.
We printed out the labels from Bird's Party. So perfect for our theme!
Besides the printables, we only needed a few other decorations. The huge pink pom was left over from Emma's birthday. Yes, it has been hanging in my house since November.
The ruffle streamers were easy, fun, and cheap. I love those things! You take two colors of crepe paper streamers and sew them together side-by-side. They ruffle automatically. Instant custom decoration!
There's a great tutorial by Dana at Made.
The balloon decor was added by Abby's husband Greg, who does some clowning as a hobby. It's nice to have some talent in the family.
We had ten kids to entertain for a whole hour, so we had to come up with a couple games. The first was "bee ping pong."
The paddles are paper plates with tongue-depressors hot glued to them. We drew flowers on the plates and told the kids to help the bee fly from flower to flower collecting pollen.
My sister is going to kill me for this picture. She's the tall bee with the green scarf.
The kids LOVED this game and played it for more than ten minutes, when we had to shut it down and move on. It was funny watching a "queen bee" personality emerge from the group and take the lead.
For the next game we sat in a quiet circle while I sang a Valentine Song that was also a guessing game. They had to guess who my valentine was. The song is to the tune of "Muffin Man".
Oh, do you know my Valentine, my Valentine, my Valentine
Oh, do you know my valentine? He's wearing a (insert clue here..ie red shirt.)
I made the clues super-easy and they all guessed right away. I made sure I gave each one a turn to be my Valentine, and then sang the song a few more times, letting each child insert her own clue for the others to guess. This was another successful game, and we had to cut it off for time reasons.
The Bee Crowns that the kids are wearing was one of our simple crafts.
Start with super-heavy duty construction paper. I did not know there was such a thing until I bought it on accident, but it is WONDERFUL! Almost as stiff as cardstock, and less that $2 for a pack of 50 sheets.
We hot glued white pom poms to black pipe cleaners before the party. Then cut the paper in half long-ways and staple both pieces together in a long strip. Before the party, punch two holes in the front of the crown. The kids can add the antennae (with help) and decorate with stickers.
When they are done, measure it to their heads and staple or tape to fit.
For the second craft we made valentines inspired by these on Katie Did.
To prepare, we cut out the hands (the heavy construction paper again!) and glued them to the paper, leaving the pointer finger free.
We gave each child a square of white cardstock and a choice of hearts to decorate with crayons.
Then we went around and taped them up like puppets.
We couldn't do a bee party without a great party favor, so we made up 10 sets of my "cutting board" wings to give each little bee. They really could not be any easier. I cut them all out, and Donnie drilled the holes through them all at once. It might have broken my hand to use the hole-punch that many times on that stiff material. Then we made t-shirt yarn from three youth tees that we found a the dollar store. In all, each set of wings cost about $.60. You cannot beat that!!
We let the kids decorate their wings, too. You can't get too many stickers!
If you are planning a class party soon, here are a couple of tips:
1. Enlist a planning partner. Abby and I tag-teamed everything from the planning to the games. She made the snacks; I hung the decorations. I finished a craft; she started the next game. Even planning was a cinch with two of us working together.
2. Search the internet for ideas and pin everything you find to pinterest. Make sure you and your partner follow each other's boards, and tag every idea you like so you can communicate. Abby and I only needed one phone meeting and a couple hours face-to-face to complete everything. We both have little babies at home, so this was huge!
3. Over-plan. You never know if a craft or a game is going to be a hit with little ones, so be ready to change course fast if something isn't working.
4. Make a list of tasks, cross them off, and pack everything to be transported as soon as it's done. It's a bummer to work so hard and leave a major piece at home on the kitchen counter!
4. Have fun! Remember, most of the details are for the enjoyment of the adults, not the kids. All they want to do is run around and eat treats. If something wasn't perfect, don't sweat it. The kids will remember the fun, and that's all that matters.
as a family. We are finally starting the last book. The ninth book! If you are an adult and have never read this series, please do so. Like, today. I had no idea they were this good. The detail that Laura Ingalls Wilder includes in her family's story is incredible. She tells the story through her little-girl point of view in such a way that you are drawn in completely. I cry in almost every chapter. My kids laugh at me. And it's worth it. 
