It’s that time of year again. I need to start planning Goofball and Tornado’s birthday party. Their birthdays are about one month apart so we have one party right in the middle. Combining the two celebrations is just one way that we save money on birthdays. We did a great job throwing a frugal party last year. With a little bit of planning, I’m hopeful that we can cut even more costs this year and keep it super fun!
Most of our birthday-party frugality was far from revolutionary. The venue, our backyard, was free. We prepared food instead of ordering it. There weren’t many decorations. We didn’t rent a bounce house or a pony. There was no clown or magician. One thing we did have was super-cheap entertainment that kept the kids occupied for a long time and provided them with well-earned party favors. It was the
Frozen-In-Ice Game
This game took about one week to prepare, but all of the kids loved it. I purchased packs of plastic dinosaurs from The Dollar Store. I collected a variety of different-shaped buckets, bowls, and containers. Then, I made some room in my father-in-law’s large freezer. An average-sized fridge isn’t going to give you enough room to make the large pieces of ice. I used layering to evenly distribute the dinosaurs through the ice. Every night I added about one inch of water with some food coloring (alternating blue and green) and a few more dinosaurs. After all of the containers were filled up and frozen, we were ready to party!
Tip #1: It takes a few minutes for the ice to warm up enough so that it will slide out of the container. So take it out of the freezer a good half an hour or so before you want to start the game.
Tip #2: There are plenty of examples of this game on Pinterest. Most use smaller pieces of ice and advise to give toddlers spoons to chip away at the ice. I couldn’t bring myself to give small metal objects to a herd of children so they could start stabbing at ice in close proximity to each other. We used water instead. There was a small wading pool filled up with water (and a fishing game). The kids used different types of water squirters and poured small buckets of water on the ice to melt it. Water worked just fine and we didn’t have any injuries. Although, eventually they realized to just throw the whole piece of ice in the pool to speed up the melting process.
The kids played this game really well together. They strategized and worked together to free the dinosaurs. And there were plenty of the little toys for everyone to take home as favors. I will definitely be making more for this year’s party, just with a different kind of toy. Now to plan out the rest of the party!
What a simple, great idea! I get so overwhelmed by the trend to have expensive, away from home birthday parties. We always have them at home. Sure, it’s more work. It’s also way less money and a lot more fun! I’m definitely making a note of this one.
One nice thing about having parties at home is that you can do things on your own schedule, instead needing to rush the kids along so you can clean up and be out of the space by a specific time.
What a fab idea….Perfect for the summer 😀 x
Kim Carberry recently posted…Project 365 – Week 24
Definitely let me know what the kids think of it!
That is such a fab idea! Thanks for that
I hope you end up using it 🙂
Great idea! Thanks for sharing with us at Bloggers Brags this week. I’m pinning!
Christie recently posted…Totally Terrific Tuesday Link Party June 15, 2015
Thanks for visiting!
I love this! I am pinning to my party ideas, thanks for sharing!
katy allred recently posted…Be Happier Today By Asking Yourself These 3 Questions
I’ve seen it on blogs before, but it was completely new to everyone at my party. Have fun!
Love this idea for just a fun summertime activity! Will definitely have to find a way to incorporate this into our homeschool summer! Thanks for linking up with #BeyondMommyingSiS
Melissa Roy recently posted…When Just Being a Mom is Enough
Coming from the Summer Family Fun Party. This certainly is a fun idea for the summertime birthdays.
Patty Haxton Anderson recently posted…Herbaceous Chicken Under Brick
We tried the Frozen-In-Ice game for my daughter’s birthday. It was a great hit! Thanks for the idea!
I’m so glad to hear the kids enjoyed it – this game is always a fun part of our birthday parties!
When I was a kid, every year my mom would do a peanut hunt and we’d all get to keep the peanuts we found around the yard. She’s also do this thing where she hid puzzle pieces around the yard and their were two teams, each had to find their pieces and assemble their puzzle before the other team.
Estelle Jackson recently posted…Why Kids Need To Learn Typing
Hi Estelle! I love this idea – frugal and fun 🙂