13164

JoJo's Circus -2yr- Chaocolate Bar Wrappers

March 2006

Grace in Inverness, FL US

Runner Up

JoJo Circus 2nd Bday  My son's first show that he recognized was JoJo so what a great party theme.  After carefully  watching the show and getting many ideas from previously submitted ideas we hosted a circus in my back yard.   

The invitation was an idea I got off ebay.  I made them using print shop on postcards.  It had JoJo with his hand out holding a picture of my son.  On the card it read:Jojo's circus is coming to town!  It's someones birthday can you guess who?   It's Jason the clown and he's turning Two!  Appearing one day only: Saturday April 8th   At the Grace Family Circus  (My address) Show time: 1:00pm Don't Clown around!  RSVP to the ringmaster.  Use enclosed money to buy tickets at the circus.  I copied play money from a math series(I am a teacher so I had access) and put $5 dollars in the envelope for the children and/or the adults.   

When the guests arrived I had 10 signs that I made with balloons attached to paint sticks (got from Lowe's free) that led them to my back yard.  Each stick had a picture of on of the characters.  I bought the game TWIST AND TURN JoJO.  It was like $2.00 off ebay.  It has 10 foot prints with each character on it. That is what I used for the signs.  I just stapled them on the sticks.  As they came in the gate they came up to the ticket booth.  Refrigerator box that my niece painted.  I had a bubble blower that I got at walmart for $15 and I had the CD player playing JOJO'S CIRCUS THEME SONG.  Once they gave their money they each got 10 tickets including the adults and a map of the circus.  The children got bags to put their prizes in.  I had my niece run the ticket booth. 

Bags:  I bought yellow gift bags from walmart for about $.50 each.  I then cut out foam pieces that make up JOJO's face.  I used the foam that had the sticky back.  I also used red pom poms for the top of JOJo's hat.  His hat was tricky because the teal color does not come in the sticky back so I used regular foam and bought double sided tape tabs.  Scrapbook aisle.  This helped put the pom pom on too.  I had my coffee table set up behind the ticket booth with a plastic table cloth on it so the kids could put together their bags.  I had markers so they could write their name and draw the eyes and mouth.   I put my son's out as an example.  In birthday party express they have these bags but much more expensive. 

Map:  I created the map on print shop.  I had a green grass backdrop.  In the middle was a circus tent that had the days schedule.  It said  JoJo's big Top.  A picture of JoJO was in the middle.  The schedule read 1:00 Booths, 2:00 Trina's tightrope game, Hot "tater" toss,  2:15 Musical Parade to seats,  2:30 Lunch, 2:45 Pinatta, 3:00 Presents, Balloon animals,  3:30 Cake.       On one each of the four sides the map said concessions, animals, side shows, and clown school.  By Clown school it had a picture of Mrs. Kerplastski(jojo's teacher).  At each station in my back yard I had  a 2nd set of those signs cordinating with things on the map.  I had the teenagers of the family working booths. I bought clown hats from oreintal trader for each of the teenagers  to wear.  Every child got a prize even if they didn't win.   

For CONCESSIONS I rented a popcorn machine, and cotton candy machine.  I bought off a cheap wooden kids lemonade stand and called it SkiBo's Silly Lemonade.  I bought twisty straws from the dollar store and used the jojo themed cups for the kids and the adults got regular plastic cups.  I posted the skibo sign here. On the map I had a picture of cotton candy, lemonade, popcorn and a hotdog.  skibo's picture was by the lemonade and JoJo's parents pic was by the hotdog.   They had to give one ticket to get those treats. I also had the adult food here on a table.  A sign for JojO's parents was posted here.  I had circus food:  Hotdogs chilli nachos macaronni salad. 

I also had the cake on this table and candy bar wrappers that I made for the guests to take home.    The Hershey candy bar company have started packaging their bars with out the sivler wrapper so I used foil wraps over the bars then made labels that said:Happy 2nd Birthday Jason Hey JoJo what do you say?  We want to thank everyone for coming today!  On the back of the label it said Ingredients:  One birthday boy mixed with cake, sugar and many birthday wishes.  Serving size  -1 birthday boy  Candles -2   birthday wishes -many  friends -many  fun-lots.  (you can also purchase them off ebay) 

For the ANIMALS side of the backyard I had the following:  Dinkys peanut find I bought a 1 ring blow up pool from the $1 store, sand, and real peanuts.  I burried the peanuts in the sand and this was a game for the kids to play.  They had to give one ticket and they had one minute to find as many peanuts as they could.  I gave them brown lunch paper bags to put the peanuts.  As a prize they got an animal paddle from oriental trader.  On the map at this station I had a picture of Dinky. 

Next was Goliaths Den.  Another refrigerator box turned sideways with big bubble wrap taped in it for the kids to play in.  The outside had green grass painted on it.  There was a sign of Goliath posted here.  On the map I had a picture of a cave and goaliath.  Next I used my sons picnic table and made a station that they could make  bracelets with foam animal faces. (oreintal trader) 

Next for decoration I had my son's wagon with a washer/dryer box over it cut out like a cage with stuffed circus animals peeking out.  It was supposed to be part of a train the wheels from the wagon stuck out.  You can buy blow up animals from Oriental Trader but I used ones I borrowed.  Next was the circus seal ring toss.  This was an old milton bradely game that has a seal that moves his head and you try to throuh rings on it.   I put it on top of an upside down galvinized tub I had to give it some hight.  Prize  4 inch beach balls from O.T.  Each station that had a prize needed a ticket.    On the SIDE SHOW part  I had:  Balboa's snake pit.  I had a sign posted here and on the map I had a picture of balboa.  I had my son's table and chair set here with playdough and cookie cutters.  In a basket I had minitubs of playdough from the $1 store for the kids to take.   This station did not have anyone manning it. 

Next was Croaky's trapeeze.  On the map I had a picture of a swing set and of croaky.  This was our present to our son.  I had a sign of croaky posted here. 

Next, I had tater's hot spot.  On the map was a picture of tater.  I had a sign posted of tater and a parachute that I borrowed from the PE teacher.  I put it on the ground for the kids to sit.  I bought the stuffed toy of tater to play hot potato.  The clown I hired directed this game.  The prize was jojo bubbles from the themed party set. 

Next, was Trina's tightrope.  I posted a sign of Trina and on the map was a picture of her.  This was another game the clown directed.  It was a 2X 4 that that kids walked over like musical chairs but if the music went off(  balance, balance song from the jojo cd.) The child was out.  The prize, jojo stickers from the themed set.    On CLOWN SCHOOL side  I had costumes in a suit case for the kids to dress up in like circus people (clown, tightrope walker, etc.)  On the map was a picture of a clown hat.  Next was face painting.  The clown we hired did this.  I bought clown noses for her to give out. On the map I had a pic of paint. 

Next was Juggling practice.  On the map I had a pic of bowling pins.  I set up a tv tray with a plastic table cloth and used my son's plactic bowling pins.  The kids had to knock over the pins by throwing the bowling ball. I had one pin that had a sticker of jojo.  That was the one they needed to knock over. Prize- plastic hand clappers from  O.T.  Next was the squirting flower garden.  I bought green styrofoam and 9 stuffed flowers from $1 store and stuck them in there.  The children had to do the "snake dance"  while I played that song from the show and  pick the correct one that didn't squirt them.  The person manning that game had a squirt gun an squirted them if they got the wrong one.  Prize - pinwheel flower from O.T. On the map a pic of a flower. 

Next was pie throwing practice.  I painted a target sign on a thin piece of wood and cut out a hole.  I bought mini tin pans that have cookie grahms in them and just took out the cookie.  I used whip cream.  We filled the pie pans with the cream and they threw it at the target sign with the person manning it's face in it.  I had a bucket of water so they could rinse their hands.  Prize- lip whistles from O.T. On the map I put an icon of a pie that looks like it was being thrown.   Last was clown cars.  I borrowed these from P.E.  But you can get them through O.T. They are little scooters that the kids sit on.  On the map I had a picture of two cars crashing.  Because that was on grass I put down some wood that I had so they would roll.     I let the adults play too but instead of prizes they got tickets to put in a can for a drawing to win a popcorn bucket with two sodas two candy boxes and a DVD.   I gave the booths about an hour time.  The clown did the games for me and the pinatta so that I could have fun with my son. 

After the games the clown did a musical parade.  My son had instruments and I borrowed some from friends.  The parade ended under the big top.(Two tents I borrowed from the church)  This way all the kids would be seated.  I used the jojo themed set to decorate.  Once everyone was seated I passed out lunch.  Brightly colored lunch bags form O.T.  With a corn dog wrapped in leftover tin wraps from the candy bars, mini juice box, bag of chips and a mustard and ketchup packet( Accumulated from fast food restaurants).  Very easy.  After the pinata we gathered back on the parachute for presents.  While my son opened the clown made ballon animals to keep the kids busy. 

Then we followed with cake that was shaped like a circus tent.  I cut that up for the adults and for the kids I made mini cupcakes.  These were great for little hands and it was just enough since we had all the other sugar.      

On the SIDE SHOWS  I made 8X10 posters on print shop of my son.  I pasted them on poster board and cut out black letters witht the school diecut machine that said side shows  An example of one was a picture of my son touching his nose.  It said come one come all don't miss this Boy finds his nose.  I had several different ones I got ideas from searching the net on side show posters.    I also made a lifesize picture of JoJO with his face cut out so the kids could put their face in and take a picture.  I used thin wood and an overhead at my school to trace JOJo from a coloring book.  Then I painted it.   I know it sounds like a lot but I had it planned for a long time and I really tried to keep it easy with the teenagers and the clowns running the games and the easy food ideas. Hope your circus was as fun as mine!

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