20284

Musical Journey Party -3yr- Who Loves to Sing

August 2009

Michelle in Machesney Park, IL  USA

Special Mention

My daughter loves music and loves to sing songs.  So I thought that would be a good idea to use to celebrate her third birthday party.  She had five favorite songs: Old MacDonald, Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star, The Itsy, Bitsy Spider, Five Little Monkeys Sitting in a Tree and The Wheels on the Bus.  I decided to take these songs and have the party goers travel on a musical journey. 

Invitations:  On the front I put a cute picture of a cartoon-like smiling piano with the words; You're Invited!"  Inside I wrote Welcome to a musical journey of (my daughter's name) favorite songs.  Come visit Old MacDonald's farm see five monkey's sitting in a tree watch the wheels on the bus go round and round encourage the itsy bitsy spider up the water spout and view the twinkle twinkle of the little star. 

Decorations:  The party took place in January so everything was held indoors.  To greet our guests I made a sign using white poster board and markers.  It read "Welcome to (my daughter's name) Musical Journey!"  I drew musical notes around the words and then drew a path.  Along the path I drew pictures representing each song.  (Farm animls stars a bus a spider and five monkeys.) I decided to separate sections of the house into five different areas and decorate according to the song assigned to each area. 

The first area was my front room and kitchen.  We decided this would be Old MacDonald's Farm.  First my husband used some scrap lumber and made two animal pens.  The first one we put a green towel under it for grass and put in stuffed animals; horses cows and sheep.  This was our "pasture."  The second pen we put down a brown towel for mud and a couple of stuffed pigs.  This was our pigpen.  I put my daughter's toy barn next to the pens to make it look like a little farm.  On a poster board I drew a picture of a farm with a barn and farm animals with the words "Old MacDonald had a farm EIEIO!"  I hung this on the door entering the room.  I brought out this three foot stuffed scarecrow that we use at Halloween and had it sitting on a bench in the room with a stuffed chicken and rooster sitting in his lap.  Also I found these balloons with stickers of animal faces at Oriental Trading. 

There were chicken cow and pig balloons.  I taped them on the walls and hung some from the ceiling.  I printed off the internet several different pictures of farm animals such as horses sheep ducks pigs etc.  I taped these onto some strands of ribbon and hung the banners around the kitchen.  Finally I put red and white checkered table cloths on the counters.  The dining area was dedicated to Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.  I made another sign that said "Twinkle Twinkle little Star!" and had on it of course stars.  I hung it on the wall over the table and taped little stars on the wall all around it.   At Party City I found some strands of stars that I hung from the ceiling some star decorations I hung from the light fixture and a star centerpiece that we put in the center of the table.  The area in front of the fireplace I designated the itsy bitsy spider area.  I made a sign that said "The Itsy Bitsy Spider Went up the water spout!  And drew a picture of the little guy trying. 

On the internet I found some pictures of of spiders cartoon-like and put them up on the mantel and the wall around.  I also pulled out all the spider Halloween decorations I had and scattered them around the area.  The rest of the room I split in half.  The area behind the couch was the bus area.  I bascially found every picture of buses I could find off the internet.  One even had a space I put a picture of the birthday girl.  Then I set out some toy buses on a nearby cabinet.  The final area was the five little monkeys space. 

First I used an idea I got out of Family Fun magazine and used paper bags to make vines.  I used green poster board to make some tropical leaves.  I seperated the vines into two groups and hung them from hooks from the ceiling.  From each group I stapled five stuffed monkey I got from Oriental Trading.  Under the vines I spread out a blue plastic tablecloth which was the river.  In the "water" I put a stuffed crocodile (from the Disney Store) the crocodile from the game crocodile dentist and some crocodile bath toys I found at the dollar store.  Also  I taped on the walls several pictures of monkeys and crocodiles found on the internet. 

Games:  Of course we had a game for each song.  First I gave each child a map I had drawn similar to the musical journey sign in front.  It was their guide through the games.  For Old MacDonald had a farm we played find the coins in the hay.  Now I wasn't going to bring real hay into my house.  Therefore I filled a medium sized bin full of cut up straw-colored yarn.  We dumped it in the center of the room and hid coins in it.  Also I found a cute cow bank at Oriental Trading.  The game was the kids found the coins in the hay and then put them in the bank.  For each coin I put a round sticker on their backs.  At the end the child with the most stickers on her back won the bank and the coins in it. 

Next we played bean bag toss.  On heavy poster board I drew stars and cut a hole in the center.  The board we stapled to a frame my husband made for an earlier party.  We made star shaped bean bags out of yellow felt dried beans and a hot glue gun. The winner won some star stickers. Third  we had a spider pinata I found at Oriental Trading.  Then we played pin the wheel on the bus.  I drew a large picture of a bus on a poster board and cut out the wheels from black construction paper.  The winner received some bus stickers.  Finally  we played a version of hot potato.  Using a stuffed crocodile.  The winner received a barrel of monkeys game.  During all the games a CD played the various songs. 

Food: Since my kitchen was part of the Old MacDonald area I decided to have dinner represent down on the farm eating.  We served pink lemonade chicken feed(popcorn mixed with candy corn.) Chicken little stuffed eggs(similar to deviled eggs.)  Pigs in a blanket(little hot dogs wrapped in breading and beef sandwiches. 

Cake:  The cake looked like a red barn. Very cute! 

Favors:  I had a favor for each song.  First I found some heavy duty colored paper bags with handles at Target.  The bags were a little heavy.  Next I had a farm rubber ducky from Oriental Trading a star pencil a monkey headed plastic bottle of bubbles a plastic spider and a little wooden yellow bus I found at Target.  I have to admit the party was a little more work than I expected.  Still it turned out beautifully and everyone had a great time."

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