4863

Baseball Party -5yr- Guests Sign Baseball

Sept 2002

Fran in Fredericksburg, Virginia, USA

Honorable Mention

This year our son, Johnny turns five and he is totally into baseball. He plays everynight in the yard when Daddy gets home, so it was hardly a surprise when he decided to have a baseball themed party.

First we complied our list of family and friends and headed to the party store. We found cute "Grand Slam" plates, napkins, invitations, and other decorations. We opted for navy lunch sized plates and napkins, which were much cheaper and matched the other plates fine.

As our guests arrived, we had each one sign a real baseball for Johnny to keep as a keepsake of the special day (I added the date after everyone signed it).  Before lunch, we had nachos with cheese, hot pretzels with mustard, and chips & dip and veggies & dip in cool ball glove bowls.

For lunch we had hot dogs(which we cooked in a rented hot dog cart), meatball sandwiches, Mac & cheese, potato salad, and fruit cup. For snacking, I placed bowls of peanuts in the shells and popcorn around the house and yard, as well as boxes of cracker jacks, which made cute center pieces, too.

At game time, we played lots baseball related games. First we let everyone try their hand at being a pitcher by throwing a baseball at a  pyramid made of stacked (empty) soda cans. We also had a baseball throwing contest and a race to see who could run around the bases the in the quickest time. Everyone got a piece of bubble gum for playing the  games and then we had a bubble gum blowing contest.

For some of the younger guests, we played a fishing game, where we made a pole from a bat with a string and a clothes pin tied at the end. The kids fished over a sheet, where my husband attached a piece of candy and then gave a tug to signal a great catch.

Instead of making goodie bags that are simply handed out at the end of the party, we decided to make our guests work for their prizes by having a scavenger hunt. First we purchased solid colored handle bags, which we decorated with each guests' name and baseball stickers. Next I made five large, white baseballs with construction paper and wrote clues on each then hid them around the front and back yards (inside if it rains). i.e.: "This is where birds take a bath when it's hot in the sun. Here's where you'll find clue #1" At the bird bath, we had a basket of baseball pencils for each guest to put in their bag. At the next three stops the children found: baseball whistles(Dollar Store), sport bottles with baseballs on top, Big League Chew gum, and a pack of baseball cards.

The last clue read "Come inside and take a break, Now's the time to eat some CAKE !!" (Make sure you have someone that can read with the kids as they look for clues) Our cake was shaped like a baseball diamond complete with players and a huge baseball decorating one corner. We found cute baseball shaped candles, too. After gifts and a few games of baseball, we said goodbye to our guests and Johnny gave each guest a real baseball with a note written on each one "You made my party a hit! Thanks, Johnny"

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