Curious George Birthday Cake
Many of you will recall that back during the holidays My Friend Amy started a challenge to have people buy books for the holidays to help out the publishing industry and promote reading called I’m Buying Books for the Holidays. Well I’m continuing that trend except it’s called I’m Buying Books for Birthdays, which I know a lot of you already do. But here is the thing my daughter turned 5 this last week and accordingly she wanted a birthday party. She has been planning a Curious George party since before she turned 4. She announced when she was 3 that she wanted a princess party for when she turned 4 and a Curious George party when she turned 5. She loves Curious George. It’s her favorite PBS kids show and just loves all the crazy curious stuff he does. So as the big day approached she still wanted Curious George for her birthday.
So we planned the party and I am not a big fan of lots of sugar or lots of cheap plastic toys that break, may have lead, pose a choking hazard and so forth. I wanted to try something different. What would a teacher and lover of books choose to hand out as party favors? Did you guess right? Books!!!
Each child received a Curious George Book with a book mark for total of 6 books. The book marks I got from PBS kids as part of the Curious George birthday party site, which is really awesome by the way. It had everything from games, invitations to party favors and easy instructions for the cake. I loved it!!! The planning was a piece of cake (pun intended). The games were also educational charades and bingo. Her party was a blast and I actually spent less on party favors this year than I did for her princess party. Another bonus was making everything biodegradable all the party favors with the exception of the candy were made out of paper.
I liked giving the books away and I hope the other kids liked it. I know my daughter did, but she loves books and frequently sleeps with them. We did have a pinata and so they still got lots of sugar despite my intentions to not give out a lot of candy, but a ten pound pinata is a lot of candy and it’s a family tradition so I’m not sure we can give it up. Anyone have any ideas?
If you have children and plan to do a party give books out as party favors and/or give books to your friends and family for their birthdays. It can’t hurt the publishing industry and over a whole year of giving books that’s got to do something to help. Most important your sharing your love of books and promoting literacy in the people you care about most.
It was an absolutely inspired idea! Mine was thrilled, naturally.
Definitely have to keep that in mind…..
and as far as the pinata goes, mine has decided she needs one of those next time too… thanks 😛
What to say . . . your welcome on the book front and the pinata front . . . since it was the third party with a pinata I’m surprised she didn’t think of it sooner. 😀
I should add that this will be the last year we do the pinata inside. Nothing got broken, but the kiddos are just getting too big. Hazards of having a winter birthday.
Yay for you! Want to post about it on the BBftH site? I’m meaning to keep it going, but 14,000 other things are demanding my attention at the moment. 🙂 Shoot me an email if you wouldn’t mind sharing your fantastic story there as well.
Britt and Cari- pull-string pinatas are tons of fun, minus the obvious dangers of pinata frenzy. I once had a two year old trampled under a pinata, which brought out the fighting lion mother in me (the big kids, who knew better thought I was a little overboard). Although I guess the stampede for candy is still there. I guess it avoids the hits on the head I’ve seen lots of kids get at siestas when they think they’re faster and smarter than the blind-folded person with the bat.
Yeah. A little soap box. Sorry. Pull string pinatas are the best. And you’re the one who decides how much candy goes in them. We’ve filled them with chapsticks and small toys mixed with candy. You could totally put in party poppers and uninflated balloons, or other small party favors.
Amy- I liked this post a lot too- I think Cari should say yes. Thanks for stopping by even when you’re so busy!
Did I say siestas? I meant fiestas . . . Those kids probably do have some form of sleep-apnea when they do dumb things like that though. Maybe we should call it brain apnea.
Amy – I would love to post something over at BBftH site and I understand having 14,000 over things that demand attention . . . I’ll send you an email.
Holly – Thanks for the recommend on the pinatas. We may have to switch to the pull kind. I should clarify, we don’t use a blindfold. Actually our neighbors who are Mexican don’t use blindfolds either, the just pull the pinata up and down with a rope so it makes it harder to try and hit. Granted you need a large tree or something so the person doing the pulling doesn’t get hit. I think the mother bear in me would have definitely come out if it was my 2 year old. My teacher voice usually gets kids attention real fast 😀
Wow! What a great idea, bood for B-days. I think most parents would agreee that kids have too many toys as it is.
Tha is one TOTALLY AWESOME Birthday cake you made Caribookscoops. It looks just like Curious George. I bet it was tough cutting into it.
As far as pinatas I have to say they are the bestests fun of all birthday party funs there could be. Kids (and grown-ups I might add) have a blast nocking the candy out those things. They just need an electric fence around them that allows only one kid to swing the bat at a time.
Oops that was supose to say BOOKS for B-days not bood, I suppose Hollybookscoops doesn’t feel so bad for making the siesta for fiesta slip up seeing I made a bigger boo(d) boo(d).
Fulano- Yep, you’re right. I don’t feel quite so bad now. Pinatas are the best. I actually don’t mind the swinging bat kind now that my kids understand the rules and are willing to forego a few pieces of candy in exchange for staying in one piece. I like your electric fence idea . . .
Oh, and here’s a hint for everyone in case you have to be blind folded- ears! Use your ears! (to listen for the pinata moving through the air, not the abaja, or down/up yells).