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Tutti Fruitti Party -7yr- Lots of Fruity Games

January 2013

Janelle in Richland, WA, USA

January 2013 Winner

My daughter who was turning 7 thought of this idea and we ran with it.  You can do so much with a fruity party, but here is what we did.

INVITATIONS: For the invitations, with my daughter's help, we made our own.  I cut out the shapes of fruits making sure the tops of the cards still had an attached edge so the guests can open it like a card.  I used scrapebooking paper since it's pretty colors/designs on one side and white on the other.  So, the colors I used were pink (for strawberries), purple (for grape clusters), red (for apples), yellow (for lemons and pineapples), and light green (for limes). My daughter cut out leaves.  With her being 7, it didn't have to be perfect leaves, but I did show her the basic outline of what a pineapple top looks like vs. a strawberry leaf vs. a lemon leaf.  So, the leaves were glued on the top fold of the invite. I typed on the computer the details so I could make sure the words fit on each fruit.  On the top of each invite, my daughter hand wrote Lisa's Tutti Fruitti Party!" On the top inside she and I found a colored picture on-line of a fruit basket that she cut out and glued. Since we hand delivered these at school I didn't have to have an envelope. So instead I punched a hole at the bottom of the fruit and bought brown pipe cleaners and glued goggley eyes (with hot glue gun) and coiled it around a pencil put it through the hole and it looked like a worm coming through.  It was cute and it held the card closed.  One of the details on the invite was the kids had to wear a color of their favorite fruit for a guessing game.

DECORATIONS:  Of course you can decorate with fruit everywhere in baskets or on the table.  I purchased wrapping paper of a few colors (purple red and orange and yellow) to make giant apples strawberries oranges pineapples and lemons.  You can do as few or as many types as you have time for.  Those were taped all over the room. I also bought a bag of primary balloon colors and green curling ribbon (for the branch) and cut out green leaves.  I taped the balloons with ribbon holding them on the wall and taped the green leaves as close to the balloon's nozzle as I could.  It looked like a fruit hanging from the wall.  The table cloths could be any color you want (red yellow green or mulit).  I found confetti that was fruit as well as banners of pears and apples in the fall section of a paper supply store.  I found pineapple cups napkins and plates in the luau section of the party supply store.

ACTIVITIES/GAMES:  When they first walked in the door my daughter welcomed them and directed them to wash their hands since they were going to handle fruit right away.

1) Their first activity was "fruit creatures."  I bought skewers and toothpicks both for a $1.00 and they each got a plate with their name on it.  That morning I cut a bunch of slices of fruit (pineapple watermelon cantelope bananas and lemons). I also had cherries marshmallows Fruit Loops and raisins available on the table for eyes etc. all attached by the toothpicks and skewers. They could choose to eat them now or later with cake your choice.  

2)As they were making these creatures I had prepared beforehand a jar of fruity gummy bears to guess how many were in the jar.  Whoever got the closest wins the jar. (You can fill the jar with anything fruity and delicious.) 

3) "Runts Hunt" I bought four or five boxes of Runts candies from Walmart $1 each. I emptied them in a large bowl.  The bananas are bigger and feel different then the other "fruits" in the bunch. I put the kids in groups of 2 or 3. Blind folded them. Each group had to take out only the bananas by feeling.  I played a fruity fun song while they played and stopped the song when time was up about 30-40 seconds.  The other kids routed them on and held out their hands to collect their bananas.  Then we all counted after each group to see what they got. The winners of each game I mention got a fruit juice box. Again you can award anything fruity (candy fruit rollups lifesavers gum) 

4) Then we played "Fruit Basket Upset". Each kid was given a fruit name. (kiwi orange grape cherry etc) Chairs were set up in a circle.  Each kid got a seat except 1 or later 2 kids standing.  For my kids' age we called out the fruits. Plus I had a list of the fruit names in front of me so no one gets left out.  So I called out as many or as few fruits as I wanted. If your fruit name was called you got up from you chair and tried to find another chair to sit in before the kid standing beats you to it kind of like musical chairs in a way. I even changed it up by saying "yellow fruit" or fruits that start with a vowel.  Then after a few times of calling out fruits I say "fruit basket upset GO!" Then all the kids get up and find a different chair and not get stuck in the middle.   

5) If you have older kids you can bob for apples but my daughter chose not to maybe better for older kids. 

6) "Mystery Fruit": I put different fruits in a brown paper bag and had two bags going at a time. The kids sat down at their chair and only gently felt not looking at the fruit in the bag and did not say what they thought it was til everyone else felt. Then I asked each kid what they thought it was.  Then asked about the other parent's bag and what they thought it was. I chose to use a/an: avocado tomato necterine banana lemon lime orange apple pineapple top (be gentle). The kids were stumped by some of those. I also talked to them a little about what the definition of a fruit is. You can also go beyond what I did and do a taste contest or a smell contest and see if they can guess what the taste or smell is as a separate game whatever time allows. 

7) "Apple balance": Each kid had a paper plate and a red apple.  I told the kids that in some countries they carry their fruit on their heads when they go places.  So that's what we are going to do.  They had to put their apple on their plate on their head and balance for a certain time limit standing still.  At first we practiced and laughed and did skills like one hand only and hold it no hands and hold it then one foot then turn in  circles. Then we started over and just balanced it with one hand again to see who was the best at balancing.  The last one with an apple on the head won a fruit box drink. You can also make it harder by adding many apples. Or the birthday kid can hold a plate and each kid can put an apple on her head at a time and see how many she can hold before it all falls. 

8) Just before we have cake Lisa went around the circle of chairs and guessed what each kid's favorite fruit was (since they were to wear their fav fruit color).  9) During the games I had a parent helper make peach smoothies for their drinks with the cake. I used yogurt ice peaches in a large can and milk. (check for allergies) You can make as many or as few flavors as you want.  You can have them order their flavors if you'd like.  I figured with one mild fruit flavor there is less waste and saved time.

CAKE: You can choose to make a strawberry flavored cake or lemon cake or even a cherry cheesecake. There is SO many choices!  I chose to do an angel food cake with sliced strawberries and whipped cream.  It was a hit!  Instead of ice cream my daughter chose to have a fruit salad (the kind with whipped cream and marshmallows) very good. Or a fruity ice cream/sherbet would be great too!  Snacks: I didn't have many snacks since we were so busy with games. But you can have a bowl of fruit cereal out Fun Fruits pieces gummy bears dried fruits fruit sodas trail mix with dried fruit (check for nut allergies) 

FAVORS: I chose to get in bulk Tootsie pops fruit leather and fruity gum packets.  I taped the pops end to end and around it taped the leather to that with the gum on top of the leather. It looked like a sleigh with it being a January birthday. I tied around it with green curling ribbon with a little note that said "May your life "PRODUCE" sweet FRUIT!" From Lisa. Again you can give away anything you'd like. After walking around the isles in the store everything seems to come in a fruit flavor.  (Games I didn't have time for: "Fruity Bingo". Make up cards with fruit in the boxes instead of numbers. Put you child's name instead of "Bingo" on top. And call out different fruits for them to mark off.  The markers were going to be Fruit Loops. We just ran out of time. Another game for a summer birthday is watermelon seed spitting contest. It's self-explanitory: Give each kid a watermelon slice and one at a time they spit from one point and mark where it lands. You can give them best out of three. A third game to play is "Fruit bowling". Set up fruits like pineapples. Three would be fine. And roll a cantelope or honeydew to knock them over.) 

One of the nice things about this party we got to enjoy the fruits that we used in the games after the party.  Just give them a good wash and make an apple pie!  Hope you have fun with this idea we sure did!"

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