3526

Starry Almost Sleepover -6yr- Glowing Hot Potato

March 2002

Rebecca in Crossett, AR    USA

Special Mention

STARRY ALMOST SLEEPOVER PARTY My 6 year old daughter believes she should get to do everything her older sister does so she wanted to have a sleepover.   Because of the ages involved (3-7 years old) and the fact that she does have friends who are boys, we decided to have an almost sleepover.   This was not a birthday party, but could easily work as one.   Our main theme was stars and planets since it was an ‘almost’ sleepover.   

For invitations I took my daughter to the TIPS Center (Our city has a center that provides the use of educational type equipment to the community) and used an Ellison die cutter to cut cards out of wallpaper.   The die stamped out a card with an arched window on the front of it and you could fold back the panes down the middle.   I let her choose the wallpaper designs and do the stamping.   Then we cut out dark blue construction paper to fit inside the wallpaper cards using decorative scissors.    Using a Cut and Paste font (like a ransom note) I typed out the invitations for her party which read:   You Are Invited to Cassidy’s Almost Sleepover!   Wear your Pajamas and bring your Pillow and your Sleeping Bag or Blanket.   At the bottom I had a note telling them that this was not a birthday party or a real sleepover (in case they overlooked the pick up time).  

After printing them out, we cut them with decorative scissors to fit inside the blue paper. After layering the wallpaper card, blue paper, and white invitation, we folded them together which helped us get it glued evenly.   Then using rubber cement we glued the white paper to the blue paper and the back of the blue paper to the wallpaper.   Before we glued down the front part, my daughter stuck gold star stickers on the blue paper so they would show through the window.   I had told her this was her party; done her way, so she was thrilled with all of the decision making she got to do and the part she played in making the invitations.  She also helped plan the meal and the games and picked out the movies to watch. 

We kept decorations very simple and just strung clear Christmas lights in the den (which provided light when we turned off the ceiling light to watch the movies).   I found a dark blue tablecloth at Wal-Mart that had the sun, moon, and stars on it and at the Dollar Tree I bought blue paper plates and napkins that had moons and stars on them and said Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star in dark blue.   Then we all-yes, even my hubby and I-donned our pajamas and houseshoes and it was party time! When the kids arrived (9 total) at 6PM we began with a pancake supper.   Since they wouldn’t be here for breakfast, we figured we had better serve it now.   Because I wanted it to be easy for me I used frozen pancakes, brown and serve sausage links, and juice boxes.   The kids ate fine so I’m glad I didn’t put myself out!   

After eating, we played Glow Ball (Hot Potato) with a glow in the dark ball.   The kids sat in a circle and we turned the lights out while they passed the ball.   When the music stopped, we would turn the lights on.   This not only helped us see who had the ball, but it kept the dark from being too scary for the younger ones.   The kids enjoyed this so we played it a couple of times.   The winners received Milky Way bars and colored pens with stars on them (another Dollar Tree item).

Next we had a Glow in the Dark Hunt.   My oldest daughter hid glow in the dark moons, stars, and planets (the plastic kind you get at the Dollar Tree or Wal-Mart), some glow in the dark Valentines I had bought that had the different planets on them (I cut off the Happy Valentine’s Day part so they were kind of like trading cards), and some glow in the dark stickers of stars, suns, and moons in our den while the kids were still playing Glow Ball.  Then we turned out the lights and let the kids ‘find’ them (they were just scattered around the room on low pieces of furniture, not hidden).   After the hunt, I had the kids bring me their finds and counted how many each child had.  

After counting them, I kept all of them so I could divide them evenly for their goody bags.   The child who found the most won a pair of glow in the dark glasses.    Next we settled the kids down on their sleeping bags and they watched Ronald McDonald’s The Visitors From Outer Space.   After that we put in another movie, but since the kids were restless and really wanted to play, we also set out some drawing paper and crayons and some Legos.   This worked real well since it was something they could all do together.   They enjoyed playing with these until their parents came to pick them up at 9PM (and didn’t really want to leave then).   

We gave them goodie bags as they left.   The bags were clear cellophane with stars on them and we filled them with their loot from the Glow in the Dark Hunt, more stickers with stars, suns, and planets on them, Milky Way bars, Starburst candies, Moon Rocks (little bags of bubblegum candy pieces that I made new labels for on the computer), and lollipop tattoos with alien faces on them.   My daughter wants to do the exact same thing again next week.   I think not!  :0)

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