The Ballerina & Astronaut Party - Games & Activities

Activities

Crafts are a good ice breaker for young children who don't all know each other. I'll have each child decorate a paper rocket or ballerina when they arrive. I bought paper rockets at Hobby Lobby, but I had to cut out ballerinas. The template came from Pottery Barn Kids so at least I didn't have to draw it. The craft materials will come from the supplies we have around the house (glitter, stickers, ribbons, etc.)

I strongly believe in unstructured play time. If you give children a few props and a lot of leeway they can create some amazing games on their own.

Dress Up & Play Time

This is my big splurge - a costume for each party guest. I confess that when I found tiaras and armor at Dollar Tree I tried to talk Danielle into switching to a princess and knight party. No go - she is set on ballerinas and astronauts. It makes me laugh. It's the kind of party we would have had when I was a kid in the 1960s and 70s -- very retro.

Ballerinas: I bought the girls each an adorable tutu from Halo Heaven. With shipping, the tutus were on sale for just over $2 each. (Tip: Get on to their mailing list. They have amazing sales!) They are every bit as nice as ones I've seen for $7-10 in stores. They have satin waistbands and three layers of tulle. Really lovely.

I'll hang the tutus over the windows so they look like curtains before the little girls put them on.

How to Make a Tutu

I think it is impossible to make a tutu for less than the prices at Halo Heaven. However, if you're feeling crafty & brave you can make your own no sew tutus by tying 20 inch strips of tulle around some elastic. All you have to do is fold the strip of tulle in half lengthwise, lay it over the elastic and then pull the cut ends over the elastic and through the loop. There are tons of tutorials out there if you want to go that route. I will warn you, however: one tutu requires about 20-25 yards of 6-inch wide tulle- and a lot of time! I priced 6" wide tulle at $4.99 for a 25 yard roll from Hobby Lobby- wider tulle was 97 cents a yard at Walmart if you don't mind more cutting.

 

I did make one tutu - to go around the cake plate. I love the way it looked and it cost less than $6.

Astronauts: Space helmets for the boys cost $4 and are adorable. Frankly, I think they are cooler than the tutus so I ordered extras in case some of the girls want to be astronauts as well. (My husband assures me that it is unlikely any 6-year old boys will want to wear a tutu. I'm not so sure...) In fact, I think the astronaut theme is much cooler than the ballerina theme - especially as Danielle dropped out of her ballet class.

How to Make an Astronaut Costume

Another idea is to make a simple NASA inspired baseball cap. Use a blue baseball cap ($21 for a dozen from Oriental Trading) then attach a space themed sticker to the front ($2.50 for a roll of 100) with fabric glue. Any leftover stickers can go in a pinata or goodie bags. Or - if you have only a few guests or an unlimited budget - use iron on printer paper to print the NASA logo onto inexpensive white T-shirts.

Games: Dancing & Rocket Launches

I had a hard time thinking up dance games that didn't involve a pretend ballet class. First we'll play Freeze Dance. For younger kids you can play the Choo Choo Soul Freeze Dance or Fresh Beat Band Freeze Dance songs. For this party I also like Laurie Berkner's Rocketship Run.  Danielle says those are "too babyish" so we'll probably play Rianna or Usher if I can find songs with G ratings...

Next I created  "Dreamlight Studio Stage" for dancing with colored shadows. Happily, my daugher thinks any raised surface is a stage - it doesn't have to be high. This is one of the rare instances where being a pack rat paid off. We nailed a scrap piece of plywood onto a pallet to create a sligtly elevated  stage. We washed them, then painted the top a pretty pink made from paint samples we had in the garage. Of course, Danielle helped with the painting. Then I draped the ceiling with tulle to create curtains.

This is secretly a very cool science experiment about light. You need three bright lights with colored bulbs (or covered with colored cellophane) and a light or white surface to create shadows against. You'll need a red, green & blue bulb (about $3 each at Lowes). With these three lights you can make shadows of seven different colors: blue, red, green, black, cyan (blue-green), magenta (a mixture of blue and red), and yellow (a mixture of red and green).

If you can only find low wattage bulbs, the kids will have to be close to the wall to see the different colors. I hope I can resist explaining the physics to a bunch of 5 and 6 year olds....


The backyard will be "Mission Control". We'll have a "Launch Pad". We have a stomp rocket already. The kids can also play with rocket balloons and big Styrofoam gliders from Dollar Tree.

I'll create a "Flight Training Center" where the kids can take turns on our zip line. I made sure to include a warning on the sign for the zip line. I'll set a basket of bike & horseback riding helmets near the steps. We wrapped the "target" tree in heavy duty foam padding. I want to keep this as safe as possible.

I found a tutorial on how to make a cardboard rocket playhouse from a garment box. I didn't have any friends who had moved recently but I was able to pick up a new one at a local moving center for $12- beats the $60 kits for sale online!

Party Favors : Moon Rock Hunt

Instead of a pinata we'll end the party with a Moon Rock Hunt. I'll wrap small toys left over from previous parties in aluminum foil and hide them around the yard. There was no candy in these since I was hiding them in the yard. I can't imagine anything grosser than picking up a prize covered in ants.

I'll use bouncy balls, small bottles of bubbles, shaped erasers, pencil sharpeners, plastic rings, yoyos, small plastic figures.  The kids can collect them in brown paper bags labeled "Moon Rocks" in a retro NASA font.

The Ballerina & Astronaut Party - The Menu & Recipes

This post pretty much embodies my imperfect style. Very few bloggers have the guts to post their mistakes. Not me! I mess up - probably more often than most of you. The pictures in this post are all things that didn't quite work out the first time...Stay tuned for Party Pictures if you want to see how the final versions turned out.

I really wanted to try my hand at a cake this year. I kept seeing beautiful pictures of fondant covered cakes. I really, really wanted one. (Note: I wanted this; not Danielle.) This was pure mommy-indulgence. If I had $75 for a cake I could have ordered one, but instead I explored the DIY route.

This was my inspiration cake - NOT the one I made!

Turns out fondant is extremely expensive at $10 a box, plus another $10 or so for tools - definitely not within my budget. It's also not a beginner's project. I gave up on my dream of pink cake perfection and decided to try a red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting  (Danielle's favorite). I over beat the first batch of cream cheese frosting - it tasted good, but was too runny to use anywhere but in the middle. I wanted to start over but I was out of cream cheese. I only had enough powdered sugar for half a batch of butter cream frosting. Then Danielle wanted to color half of it pink and half of it blue... Despite everything, it tasted really good.

The practice Red Velvet cake - you can just see a hint of the blue frosting...

My Mom used to refer to my style as "assembling" rather than actual cooking. The hardest part of this menu is decorating the *&^% ballet slipper cookies. You can make most of it a day or two in advance. That way you can do what I do - spend the day of the party scrambling to pick up the house!

My big question is always what (and how much) to serve. I like to host parties at 2 or 3 PM. It's not lunchtime; it's not dinnertime. No one should arrive hungry, but if they do we'll have plenty of snacks as well as the cake. I'll be serving:

• Chex Mix (a space theme deserves a little retro food, don't you think?)
• fruits kabobs
• veggies & dip (everyone knows ballerinas are always on a diet!)
• pinwheel sandwiches (pb&j, cream cheese & ham, Italian...)
• ballet slipper cookies
• Mini Moon Pies
• marshmallow aliens & pink marshmallow fairy wands
• cinnamon sugar kettle corn
• cupcakes (Vanilla with Strawberry Frosting & Chocolate with Chocolate Frosting)

If you don't want to cook at all you can buy space themed treats at the grocery store: Starburst candies, Milky War bars and Moon Pies for example. I couldn't think of any ballet themed foods, so I stuck with pink, pink, and more pink (strawberry marshmallows, strawberry frosting, pink meringues...)

Quick Treat Preparations

Ballet Slipper Cookie

 

Thanks to Melissa at A Little Loveliness for this project! Mine didn't turn out as well as hers, but I still have time to practice. She used Nutter Butter cookies as the base, but I think any oval cookie would be fine. We're going to use Vienna Fingers.  I'm not sure anything that requires dipping in candy coating can ever truly be considered "easy"...

Marshmallow Aliens on a Stick (or "Martians")

 

These were my trial alien marshmallow pops

 

If you can't find colored marshmallows you can use food coloring to paint marshmallows. Pop the marshmallow on a stick or fork before you paint it to keep your fingers clean.

Use a new cotton swab. Dilute 6-8 drops of food coloring in a teaspoon or two of water or milk. Paint the top and sides of the marshmallows and then let dry. After about an hour you can flip them and paint the bottom if you want. No matter how tempting it is - don't dip them in the food coloring! They will never dry... Trust me on this one.

Use a dab of vanilla frosting to attach an eye to each marshmallow and you're done. I found candy eyes at both Michael's & Hobby Lobby in October.

 

My practice Fairy Wands standing in straws to harden

Pink Marshmallows on Sticks (or "Fairy Wands")

I'll also make some marshmallows for the girls...Stick a marshmallow on a stick, dip it in melted candy coating and then roll in sprinkles. Place in the freezer to harden. Voila! World's easiest party treat. This is why I do test runs in small batches before the party. I didn't like the brightly colored sprinkles with the pink candy coating so I used pastel sprinkles from Dollar Tree instead.

Tip: Place each lollipop stick in a straw to hold your pop upright while the candy coating hardens.

Recipes

Duncan Hines Red Velvet Cake Mix Modifications

The mix only requires three additional ingredients. Here are my changes for a "from scratch" taste:

          Instead of              --->              Use

• 1 1/4 Cups Water ---> 1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar+ milk to make 1 cup+ 1/4 cup black coffee (for a total of 1 1/4 cups of liquid)
• 1/3 Cup Vegetable Oil --->1/3 cup melted, unsalted butter, cooled to room temp
• 3 Large Eggs ---> no change - bring to room temp before adding to mix!

Also add

• 1 small box of dry instant chocolate pudding mix (don't prepare the pudding - just add the dry mix)

Mix and bake as directed on package.

Kettle Corn Recipe

• 2 Tablespoons sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 cup oil
• 1/2 cup popcorn kernels
• salt

Combine cinnamon and sugar in a small bowl. Heat oil in a 3 quart pan over medium low heat on stove top. When it is hot enough to pop one kernel, add the sugar mixture and the popcorn. Cover. Shake the pan - keep it moving or the sugar may burn! If you've never made popcorn on the stove before (and most people these days haven't) - it's done when the popping slows. Don't wait until you hear no pops or it will burn. Pour into a large bowl and toss with salt to taste.

 

Be careful! Don't eat it for the first few minutes --  you can burn your tongue on the hot sugar. How do I know this? Experience!

Lightly sweet, salty and just a hint of spice - ready as quickly as microwaved popcorn
and so, so much better tasting

About Frosting: I learned how to make frosting a few years ago from my 15 year old baby sitter. I figured if she could do it, so could I. Frosting is quick to make, stores well in the frig for about a week and can be frozen.

A few tips:

• Set out the butter and/or cream cheese to soften before you start mixing your cake.
• If you use salted butter, leave out the pinch of salt.
• Make the frosting after the cake comes out of the oven - while its cooling.

 

Naturally Pink Strawberry Frosting

• pinch salt
• 2 sticks butter
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 cup frozen strawberries, thawed and pureed
• 3 1/2 cups sifted confectioners sugar

Beat butter & salt until light and fluffy. Add 3 Tbsp strawberry puree and vanilla. Sift confectioners sugar in gradually. Do not over beat or it will turn to liquid. Again, this comes from personal experience....

 

 

The Almost Impossible "Ballerina & Astronaut" Party - The Planning & Decorations

Only Danielle would decide to have a Ballerina & Astronaut party! I think she wanted a ballerina party, but knowing that the boys she plays with wouldn't like it, she tacked on astronauts.

I love my daughter but I refuse to spend a fortune on a birthday party. Around here parties  start at $200 for 8-10 kids -- and that doesn't include food or cake.

I don't know about you, but I only remember a few of my own birthday parties. I want this party to be fun and special, but it doesn't need to be extravagant. So, how can I create fun and special for for less than $200?

Danielle is in kindergarten this year and the expectation is that we invite the entire class to her party. If they were all to show up with their parents I could have 60 guests! How can I possibly keep the cost reasonable? Besides the obvious hope that most of them will already have plans for the afternoon of the party...

I love Smilebox, Evite or Punchbowl for free evites. I really like being able to track the number of guests. I remember my mother frantically trying to redistribute the contents of goodie bags when a neighbor showed up with all 4 of her kids instead of just the one who had been invited.

I'm not much of a crafter - or much of a cook- but the obvious answer to staying on a budget is DIY. Or to cut the guest list - dramatically.

Thank goodness next year they will be old enough for a drop off party! I  think I'd rather corral 8 unruly kids by myself than have host so many people...

Want a good laugh? Go to Catch My Party. These people are hosting over the top birthday parties for 100 guests. I really wish I knew the budget on these extravaganzas! One woman wrote, "For months I have been making and collecting all of the special details that made this party what it was..." And I thought I was insane. What happened to cupcakes in the backyard?

Decorations

First I had to think pink. That's the basis of ballerina-party decor.  Pink tablecloths, streamers, plates, napkins, balloons... Wrap everything that doesn't move in tulle. Add a little sparkle and you're done.

But, how do I combine all of that PINK with a space theme? I needed to come up with decorations that worked for both themes. Inspired by a recital costume that I paid for but Danielle never wore(that's a post in itself!) I think I'll add some dark purple, lavender and silver accents - like the night sky. The stars will help create a glittery effect.

It's always good to look for inspiration in your own home. As I walked around our house I found things I could use for decorations - a Moravian star light, a crescent moon light from Ikea, a toy space shuttle, a ballerina statue, old ballet slippers, the unused recital costume...

My first DIY project was to paint pictures of ballerinas to decorate the mantle. I'll use a feather boa from Dollar Tree as a garland. I'll finish everything off with silver stars and pink crepe paper streamers.

Next I made a tutu wreath for my cake plate. I bought a 25 yard spool of pink tulle for $2.50 at Hobby Lobby. I didn't want to pay $9 for a wreath form so I figured out how to make a tutu for my cake stand out of a $3 embroidery hoop.

Tip: Always get online coupons for Hobby Lobby & Michael's before you head out. They typically save you 40% off of one full price item. Also check WalMart & Dollar Tree for craft items. They often have the same things for a fraction of the cost.

Since we always end up outside I have to think of ways to decorate the patio area. I'll hang some flower balloons. Thanks All Things Simple for the instructions! I also get some mylar star balloons from Dollar Tree.

Photo from All Things Simple

And, of course, I'll make signs! It's my favorite part of party prep. It takes a while to letter the signs but they add a big splash of color to the party decorations for a dollar a piece. Best of all, this year the kids can actually read them. I copied a font called NASA-lize for these. I printed out the NASA logo and the rocket ship.

 

I folded this sign like a giant table tent

Next we made rockets for decorations! We used recycled materials - mailing tubes, cardboard boxes and paper plates. It took about 10-15 minutes.

.

 

The Table

Instead of individual place settings I'll set out a buffet. I'll wrap empty shoe boxes in paper to elevate some of the dishes on the table.  I found pink tulle for 97 cents a yard at WalMart that I can use for bunting.  

I hung tutus (that will double as party favors) from the windows. I distributed space helmets around the room (these will also be party favors later.) I made a moon cake topper based on the instructions in Urban Comfort. I modified the rosette to look more like a tutu for my party.

I also made tutu cupcake toppers and rocket cupcake toppers. The rockets were easy. The first few tutus were a bit of a pain. If you decide to make them you'll need to sew crepe paper. (Who came up with that brilliant idea?)

I made three of the adorable crepe paper tutus before I had an epiphany. I saw Meri Meri Ballerina cupcake toppers in Marshalls. I realized that they were just the cutout leotards with a tied piece of tulle glued on. I went home and tried to replicate them. In less than 10 minutes I had 11 sweet little tutu toppers!

My renditions are never picture perfect, but my audience isn't particularly critical, either. Luckily for me most kids care about how cupcakes taste - not how they look.

 

The best part is that Danielle helped me put these together.

When you're working on a budget you need to have plenty of time to do things yourself. Buying three dozen little paper cupcake toppers through Etsy would have cost about $35 - crazy for things that will end up in the trash. Making them ourselves cost less than $1, but took almost an hour and a half to cut out and glue together. All we needed were 2 sheets of 8x11 scrapbook paper and a few feet of crepe paper from one of the rolls of streamers, some glue,tulle and toothpicks.

I hate goodie bags, but Danielle considers them de rigueur and it is her party.

I found a great blog,Smitten blog Design, that provided a link to free Space Downloadables for the boys' cups and Princess Downloadables (including tutus and ballet shoes) for the girls'. By finding them on the same site the sizes and color palates are similar. (If I'd been thinking clearly I would have saved a lot of time and used these for cupcake toppers as well.)

I'll keep the contents minimal. A few wrapped pieces of candy and some trinkets. The girls' favor bags will include only plastic bracelets - on sale at Michaels' for 50 cents. The boys get foam rocket launchers (75 cents each through Amazon).

It took a little creativity and a lot of planning, but including everything from coffee stirrers to space helmets I spent $199. I just barely stayed within budget!

Every year Danielle makes a new front for her bean bag toss. I got half this year! My side is astronauts. Her side is dancers.

Coming Up Next The Menu & Activities...

More pictures will be posted after the party!