15197

Sock Hop Party 7yr - Lunch Pail Favors

February 2007

Shannon in Sherwood, Arkansas- USA

Runner Up

For my son's 7th birthday we decided to do a 50's Sock Hop. 

In order to get all the guests in the mood for the up-coming party we set the tone with the invitation that was sent out a few weeks before the party.  I bought clear CD cases and designed my invitation around the case.  The cover of the case was a picture of my son dressed in a fifties outfit-- a black leather jacket, rolled blue jeans, a white t-shirt where he was sitting on a weathered bench with a big Coca Cola logo (a lucky find in the downtown area of the city we live in)painted on the wall immediately behind him.  On the inside cover of the case was the invitation message: Splish-Splash" take a quick bath and join us at "The Hop" Landon's turning seven and the fun won't stop.  Hotdogs Hula Hoops Ice-Cream scoops too the only thing missing is YOU.  So put on your leather jacket blue jeans poodle skirts and more and see what we've got in store.  "Twist" on over to (state the location of your party) we'll be "Rockin Around the Clock" (state the date of your party) from (time of your party).  On the left hand side of the CD case I had a CD in each invitation that looked like an old-time 45. I bought these great looking CD's at Best Buy (Verbatim makes these) and burned onto the CD the songs that had been mentioned in the invitation poem as well as a few others these songs included:  The Hop Rockin' Robin Willie and the Hand Jive Rock Around the Clock The Twist and Splish Splash.  I noted on the invitation that the music was being included so they could practice their 50's groove between now and party time.  With the invitations sent out my attention turned to decorations and party favors. 

For the Party favors I went to my local craft store and purchased 5 X 7 sized white lunch boxes.  These boxes are made to be painted or covered there were all kinds of shapes and sizes to choose from.  Since I had both boys and girls coming to the party I made the lunch boxes gender specific.  The boys boxes I covered with Coca Cola themed paper and put a painted wooden motorcycle on the front.  I filled the boys boxes with playing cards that I had found at the dollar store that looked like ice-cream cones black plastic combs bubble gum motor cycle tatoo's a yo-yo that looked like a hamburger and bubbles in a guitar shaped container (both ordered from Oriental Trading).  The girls boxes I decorated in turquoise and pink and put soda shop stickers and a juke box on the front and covered the handle with tied ribbon in all different colors.  The inside of the girls boxes had things like lip-gloss pink nail polish a sheer scarf a jump rope and bubble gum-- I had so much fun making these unique party favors the kids LOVED them :) 

For decorations I ordered several larger pieces from Stumps party catalog they had very cute soda shop mugs that were filled with balloons (these were like 4- 5 ft high) I also ordered a large banner that read "Landon's Birthday Sock Hop" seveal mylar balloons that fit the theme like juke boxes musical notes and instruments a pink Cadilac etc. as well as a large realistic looking stand-up juke box and two large record columns. The party was actually held in my church multi-purpose building (a very large building)-- because of it's size it needed a lot of work to transform it into the fifties theme I wanted.  I decided that I was going to split this room into two theme area the front part I set up like a soda shop and the back part I set up like a fifties dance ("The Hop" mentioned in the invitation).  In the soda shop area I covered all the tables with black and white checkered table cloths and skirted each of the tables with turquiose skirting. 

For centerpieces I used the six-pack Coca Cola boxes that the coke bottles I had bought came in and filled them with silver red and white tissue paper and had stemmed glittered stars shooting from the boxes and tied a bundle of balloons to each centerpiece. 

The food area was lined up buffet style (nothing fancy here) I had hotdogs chips fruit chicken nuggets and bottled cokes (in galvanized containers)-- all kid friendly type foods.  I covered the table with a 50's paper table cover (bought at my local party store) and hung silver foil stars all over the soda shop area.  I also set up a back drop in this area with musical notes and 45 records hanging for those parents who wanted to snap a vintage picture of their child in their 50's outfit.  To separate the soda shop from "The Hop" area I had purchased several packages of record streamers-- these were paper 45's on fish-line that hung from the ceiling to the floor this made like a little curtain that seperated one area from the other-- but was very transparent so parents could see what was going on in both area's at one time.  The 50's dance area was staged with real 45 records that were hanging above the dance floor. 

The dance floor area was designated by a black and white checker board floor that I had rolled out-- the checker board floor was paper I had actually bought through Stumps party supply-- it was very heavy/thick paper and was perfect for the job!  At the front of the dance area I had the large card board juke box and on each side I had the record columns I had bought. I lined the walls with blow up guitars (bought through Oriental Trading) and hula hoops (bought very cheap at the local dollar store). 

As kids arrived to the party I was extatic to see that ALL of the kids arrived in 50's costumes the girls inparticular were dressed to the max- poodle skirts pony-tails red lip-stick scarfs-- they went all out.  The boys were equally impressive in their jeans and white t-shirts with their hair slicked back.  Since the party started at lunch time we started the party in the soda shop area the kids loved drinking out of real coke bottles (rather than can or plastic bottles) and the hot-dogs and chips were all gobbled up.  While lunch was going on we had the fifties music playing in the background and I was pleasantly surprised that when songs were played that were on the invitation CD many sang loudly to the lyrics as the song played. 

After we finished eating we crossed over to "The Hop".  I hired a local dance teacher to come and teach the kids some 50's dances which were great fun she taught the "hand jive" "the twist" and the moves to "splish splash"-- the kids laughed and danced and had a GREAT time.  After the dance lesson we went on to hula hooping again the dance teacher taught the kids how to hula hoop as well as different tricks they could do with their hula hoop.  We had a hula hoop contest to see who could hula the longest as well as a freeze dance contest where the kids could show off their new "moves".  After the activities at "The Hop" were done we moved back into the soda shop area where we sang Happy Birthday and ate cake.  I had the cake custom made to look like a guitar it was very unique and came out looking very realistic.  While the kids ate cake Landon began opening presents. 

After opening gifts ended everyone spent the last little bit of time either taking pictures with friends in front of the back-drop or dancing and hula hooping on the dance floor.  The blow up guitars were another huge hit especially fun for the boys who found fun and crazy ways to imitiate the electric guitar sounds they were hearing in the music.  The party ended much too soon all 25 kids left the party with a great big smile on their face it was a GREAT time.  As each of the kids left they wer handed one of the lunch box party favors I had made in addition to a hula hoop and a blow-up guitar.  I would highly recommend a 50's birthday party as fun and unique way to celebrate an upcoming birthday!!"

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