5873

Surprise Movie Sleepover (8-14yr) Dress as Celeb

March 2003

Katherine in Lake Forest, IL USA

Special Mention

Host a surprise Hollywood party for your 8-14 year-old's birthday this year!              

Before: Invitations can be made in a ticket stub style, with "Admit One" written across the top. Depending on how creative you wish to be, you could add "A Birthday Surprise; Starring (name of birthday girl)". An easier design is to cut out a circle and transform it into a movie reel. Have the guests r.s.v.p. to a parent's cell phone, not to the house line, so that the guest of honor has no way of knowing what's going on!      

One fun thing to add to the invitation would be to ask the guests to come dressed as their favorite celeberty. It will be a laugh when everyone sees them and attempts to guess who it is they are impersonating.      

The decorations should also fit the theme. Gold stars can be hung on a string as a home-made banner. Check your local movie theatre to see if they have any movie posters you could hang on the walls. Otherwise, celeberty pictures can be found easily in a lot of magazines located in grocery stores, as well as the pharmacy.      

As with any party, set out a cooler full of cold soda. I suggest purchasing a variety, such as two types of cola, two types of lemon-lime soda, and two types of fruit juices. Bowls full of chips, candy, and esspecially popcorn will be sure to be empty by the time the party ends. About an hour before the party, order a pizza if you like, or serve some gourmet yet inexpensive foods and appetizers from the deli. These will be sure to make the guests feel like true celeberties! Additionally, a selection of board games should be placed in the room where the kids will sleep, if it is a sleepover party. This will give the guests something to settle down with before they fall asleep, and keep the awake guests quiet while the others sleep.            

Beginning: Have the guest arrive at least fifteen minuets before the other parent drops off the birthday girl. It will be helpful for the parent at home and parent in the car to keep in contact on a cell phone, so that the birthday girl is sure not to arrive before all guests are in hiding, and all cars have been driven off or parked on a nearby street. Kids have amazing knowledge of what cars their friends have. Excuses for going out can range from anything from grocery shopping to visiting a nearby aunt.

Make sure the excuse is not an unusual activity so the child will not get suspicious. If able, record the birthday girl as she walks in the door. Once she enters the door, give her a big SURPRISE!      

If you would like, each guest may be given a big pair of sun glasses, a stylish hat, or other item that would make them appear to be celeberties. Boa's are also a favorite, but try not to get the feathers all over the floor!          

Middle: Once the surprise has been made, the pizza should arrive or dinner served. Purchase plastic long-stem glasses in which to pour the soda. Adding a marchino cherry is an elegant and Hollywood touch!       

After dinner, and all guests have been introduced, get the cam-corder out again and have a fashion show! Place a red strip of cloth on the floor in a hallway or other big room, and each guest may show off their outfit as the others guest which celeberty they are. Prizes may be given to the most obvious, most strange, and prettiest guests.       

Now it is time for the real movie! Ask a parent to help if needed, and drive the group to the cheapest theatre for a parent-approved movie. It is smart to name the movie in the invitation, so that parents will know what is going on. If the movie will be seen on an opening night, or if it is very popular, purchase tickets ahead of time so no one becomes dissapointed. There, big batches of popcorn can be purchased and many laughs will be heard. If the kids are young, you may want to watch the movie with them. By sitting a few rows behind them, they will feel really grown-up, and the birthday girl will not be embarrased.    Once you arrive home again, more activities can be done.       

Activities: One popular game is the name game. Post it notes with a celeberties name on each one are placed on each players back, and all begin to mingle while giving clues as to which celeberty each guest is. YOU will have fun finding out which girls read too much teen people!      

If desired, one short movie can be made during this time. Beforehand, throw together props such as purses, canes, hats, and flowers into a big cardboard box. Then write a movie idea and have the kids pick their props and shoot the movie in front of the camera. It will be a lot of fun to watch later in the evening!

For a harder version, simply write character traits on slips of paper and hand them out to the guests. They must then act in their chosen way and create a hilarious movie out of it!   Of course, one delicious cake should be eaten, too! The cake decision will be one of the most fun. If baking yourself, you may design an oscar or camera, or any other Hollywood-style cake. If purchasing the cake, many stores offer cakes that can have an edible picture on top. This creates a very personal touch! One fun cake would be having a picture of the birthday girl's favorite actor, like Brad Pitt or Matt Damon. The guests will have a ton of fun eating his eyes, nose, and ears!!!   Presents can also be opened at this time. Who doesn't enjoy that?               

End: A favorite and calming activity towards the end of a night is question books. These may be found at any bookstore. These have questions in them such as "would you ever" "do you believe…". But take precautions, make sure the questions are appropriate for the age group. Some books of this type may be directed at older audiences. If wanted, the guests may actually chart out there answers to the question, and every guest will answer each question together. This game is considered "safer" than truth or dare, because no one will have to do anything they don't want to, and these questions a related to general life, and won't encourage gossiping.  Once this is over, it is time for "bed". But of course, who is going to be sleeping but you?           

In the morning almost anything can be served for breakfast. Many kids like "super waffles". Simply buy some toastable waffles and set out strawberries, syrup, butter, whip cream, blueberries, powdered sugar, and even sprinkles! So the kids can make a delicous breakfast without too much cooking for you. Of course, cereal is always the easiest. For the most variety, purchase a variety pack of small boxes of cereals. Usually, these contain only the favorites, and evey kid will get what the want. For an early morning game, hide these small boxes around the kitchen for each child to find. Additionally, lay out the milk and oarnge juice, though many kids will just as much opt for the soda from the night before!         

For some reason, kids seem to wake up early in the morning no matter how late they go to bed. Because of this, a rented video or two can be good for drowsy children. Favorite cartoons can't cause arguments this way, and say good-bye to commercials!          

Once the parents begin to arrive, set out the treat bag. These may contain things like a $5 gift certifacate to a video store, a teen people magazine, anything with hollywood writen on it, and even cheap videos can be found and given away. Last but not least, wave good-bye to your Hollywood guests

• Kids Party Home
• Kids by Category
• Kids by A to Z
• Teen Party Ideas
• Adult Party Ideas
• Holiday Party Ideas
• Nutcracker Ballet