I'm trolling for ideas. Describe the best birthday party you had as a pre-teen child. I am morally opposed to Chuck E. Cheese and similar animatronic gimmicks, so that shuts the door on the easy options.

-- Anonymous, January 03, 2001

Answers

Do you have a dollar theater around you? I loved the one time that my mom took me and a bunch of friends to see Return of the Jedi at the movie theater for my birthday. Since movie tickets cost a lot more than they did way back when, you may want to go the dollar theater route. The one by me has birthday packages.

-- Anonymous, January 03, 2001

I don't know if you're talking for boys or girls, and this is kinda girly, but I remember my brother and his friends jumpin in too..

We had a disco dance party when I was 10. My mom went down to Salvation Army and bought some old bellbottoms and disco stuff (considering this was early 80's, it's not like it was hard to find..). My older sister did our make up. We borrowed a strobe light (and they're not too incredibly expensive to buy either). Then we cleared all the furniture out of the living room and cranked the 8- track. Boogied down. It was so fun. I'm trying to talk my sister into doing it for my neice's 12th birthday this year.

-- Anonymous, January 03, 2001

I never had a birthday party, but I remember my older brother had one in which my mom had done a whole baseball theme. From the figures and decorations on the cake, to the place settings, to the hats and the giveaways, everything was baseball-related somehow. I seem to recall it was a hit (pun intended). :-)

-- Anonymous, January 03, 2001

I didn't have birthday parties either. Seems like at a very early age, at least here in Sandy Diego, kids feel completely deprived if they don't have one. I have a friend that is an artist, and last year I had a mask-making party at her studio for my daughter’s 7th birthday. Supplies got expensive though. My daughter loves Madeline and I couldn't find anything but Pokemon at the stores until I went to Birthday(s).com, I think that is the site. They had theme stuff for everything. I got her a Madeline hat pinjata (sp). Chuck E Cheese is too assembly line and physically nauseating for me. Some of the parties I’ve taken my daughter to have been very educational and fun. She’s been to a gymnastics club where they did minor and well supervised gymnastics stuff, the San Diego Wild Animal Park, where they did a little art work and learned about some animals close up, (things that hop, you get to pick your theme) and laser tag at a bowling alley (well, maybe not educational, but wearing her out counts). I want her to have a party at an indoor climbing wall we have. The swimming pools have parties (yes, I know that would be an indoor pool or summer party for most of you). A local garden has parties with a train ride that meanders around it. All these can get pretty expensive. I’ve seen games and fun stuff you can do for home parties in magazines and online. I’ll probably do a sleep-over sometime. A way too wealthy acquaintance had pony rides and all kinds of stuff for her daughter’s 5th birthday. Ridiculous, how are you suppose to top that?

-- Anonymous, January 03, 2001

What's the age group you're looking at? For younger kids, a 'Blue's Clues' party can be fun, and not too expensive. Figure out a 'theme' a la 'Blue's Clues' make paper pawprints to leave on the clues around the house, and have the kids figure it out. Like, 'What is (birthday child's) 'special' present', and a pawprint on the tv, a pawprint on the vcr and a pawprint on the video case, and the new present is a new video. Or any such thing if you're not giving a video. A pawprint on the bike helmet a pawprint on some bike shorts and a pawprint on the old tricycle if the kiddo is getting a new bike. Or, 'What's for lunch?' Or 'what is his/her favourite game?'

For my son's last birthday, we had an outdoor Olympiad in honour of Auntie Cynthia making the Olympic team. We set up different 'events' like trike riding from point A to point B, a relay race, musical chairs, shooting marbles....you get it, and tracked the 'points'. Oddly enough, all the children were tied at the end, and they all got a 'medal' (plastic sherrif's badge from the dollar store). Having a house and yard helps. We tried to pick stuff we knew at least one child was good at, and had several of the parents hang around as 'officials'. We bought THEM beer. It's all good at my house.

For older kids, a friend of mine did a 'Secret Agent' game, which was a glorified treasure hunt. The kids teamed up in twos and had to follow clues to solve the mystery ('Who stole the birthday cake?') and then when the mystery was solved, it was time for cake.

Good luck! Have fun.

-- Anonymous, January 03, 2001

I'm not going to say what we did for Michael's 6th birthday because it was embarrassingly expensive, but this one party he went to (for twins, one boy and one girl) had an Under the Sea theme- they did a nice job. Cheap construction paper cutouts of fish and crepe paper streamers, blue balloons, etc., for ambience. The kids had those Burger King-type crowns they decorated with glitter and fish stickers. They played "fish, fish, SHARK!" instead of "duck, duck, GOOSE!" and then used garbage bags and tape to make "mermaid" tails and had a race squirming ("swimming") to get a balloon and retrieve it. When they did that they could pick a prize from the treasure box- -a plastic box covered with foil and decorated to look shiny and pretty. The prizes were cheap dollar store fare. Snacks were Goldfish crackers, etc. It was very cute.

-- Anonymous, January 03, 2001

Hey!!! How come I'm not invited to those B-days?! They sound so cool. I promise I'll behave. James

-- Anonymous, January 03, 2001

Dear James, You can play laser tag at the Poway bowling alley. They have a great billards room with bar too :). I guess it would be OK as long as you don't start running around the laser tag room with a pool cue hiding and poking people or shooting people, just as they are going to make an important pocket, with a laser gun :)

-- Anonymous, January 04, 2001

Oh, man, these are great ideas! My daughter's going to be 5 at the end of February, BTW. It'd probably be a bit cold for outdoor activities at my house, but I can always borrow my club's agility building (padded floor, big empty space, lots of room to run with nothing to break). A treasure hunt and some running games would be fabulous in there.

James, you're invited. Just bring some of that California weather with you, and try not to win *all* the games.

-- Anonymous, January 04, 2001

Mary Ellen, we always had peanut hunts when I was a kid, and my sister does them now for her kids' parties. Like Easter-egg hunts, but you use peanuts in the shell.

One of my niece's birthday parties (when she was either 4 or 5) had a "garden and bugs" theme. The little girls each got a flower pot, and they decorated them with paints, stickers, stamps and such. They had a great time.

-- Anonymous, January 04, 2001

When we were kids my mom used to wrap quarters in wax paper and put them in the cake batter before she baked it. Then every kid got some quarters when they got their piece of cake. That's my favourite birthday memory.

-- Anonymous, January 04, 2001

It must be a Canadian thing. My mum used to put money in our cakes, too, except she didn't both with waxed paper, she just threw them into the batter. Also, she mostly used nickels and dimes. I went to a party at my friend's house and her mother put the coins in waxed paper, but between the layers, it wasn't baked at all.

-- Anonymous, January 04, 2001

Now, my LEAST favourite birthday memory is when I turned 10 and my dad took me to the garage and spanked me with all my friends on the front lawn knowing full well what was going on. Michelle Desrocher had stolen Sherry Worstchuck's shoe and tossed it over the fence, and my dad figured my protests of innocence were all lies. So he spanked me and I cried. I was humiliated, and Michelle Desrocher never copped to it. So never spank your kids at their parties. They'll remember it 'til they die, and hate Michelle Desrocher forever and ever.....

-- Anonymous, January 04, 2001

deb and Maggie, when you were kids did you know there was change in your cake before you ate it, or did you bite into something hard and metallic and only figure out that there was money in your cake?

-- Anonymous, January 05, 2001

I only had one birthday party. When I was 7. I was such a brat at it that my mom never let me have another one. I think it was because she wanted me to invite the boy who lived across the street and I wouldn't let her invite him and also because she made me invite a girl who lived up the street that I didn't like. Nobody liked her family, but my mom was being nice.

My oldest turns 8 this month and I'm thinking this will be his last party. I think next year he can invite a few close friends for a sleepover or something.

-- Anonymous, January 05, 2001

Oh yeah, we always knew there was money in the cake. Since I'm the youngest, the tradition was started long before I came along. As we got older, my mum stopped doing it, but then it came back for my nieces' and nephews' birthdays. I wonder if their mums ever put loonies (one dollar coins) in their cakes?

-- Anonymous, January 05, 2001

This won't help your present situation...but consider Chuck-E-Cheese a a great place to ironically celebrate an early-teen birthday. When I was 14, we all squeezed back into out Girl Scout Uniforms and went to Chuck E. Cheeze and thought we were so hip and witty, a laff riot.

My younger birthdays, the ones my parents arranged, were always lame.

-- Anonymous, January 05, 2001

We knew about the money, too. We usually watched my mom make the cake, and it was kind of traditional, so our frineds knew as well. I like wrapping the change in wax paper, because money has been touched by God knows how many hands before it gets into that cake. Now that I think about it, I *believe* my mom washed it first as well.

None of my friends put money in the birthday cakes for their kids now. But when we were kids (you know, back in the day) we didn't have goodie bags, or theme parties, or Chuck E. Cheese or any of the elaborate planning that happens now. Just shoved a bunch of sugared-up kids out into the yard to play, or Pin the Tail on the Donkey, or musical chairs......

-- Anonymous, January 05, 2001

Pinatas make the birthday party, as far as I'm concerned. But I think craft-making activities sound like super-fun, too.

-- Anonymous, January 06, 2001

Man, my mother likely boiled the change before baking it into the cake. She's an anti-germ freak, which is where I must get it from. I was at a party on Saturday night, I should have asked people if they had money in their cakes when they were kids.

I know they do birthday parties at those DIY ceramics places, but they're probably expensive. Doing a beading party at home might not be too pricey. Each kid could make a bracelet or something. Shit, *I'd* like to go to a party like that.

-- Anonymous, January 08, 2001

I'm not Canadian, but my mom baked things into a cake one year. The cake was several layers, white and blobby kind of (baking has never been her strong point). She used 4th of July sparklers instead of candles, and sort of hovered about with this weird grin on her face. Finally, someone said "hey, what's this?" and pulled a piece of aluminum foil out of his cake. Inside these foil packets my mom had placed coins and also weird plastic trinkets, like animals, whistles...the one I remember most vividly was a plastic martini glass less than an inch tall. Some of these little baubbles had melted, which was kinda funny. I was a little embarassed, but all my friends thought it was really neat. Secretly, I was thrilled with the whole thing. One of my favorite birthday memories, actually.

-- Anonymous, January 08, 2001

We had money in our cakes. And I don't remember any kids who didn't.

We had a birthday party for my son this year, but I doubt that we'll do it again. He had a good time and all, but it seemed to be a hecka lota work for four little kids (and my son was one of them -- we keep things small). That's coloured by the fact that my kids' birthdays are exactly one week apart with Halloween in the middle. So we had the huge open-house thing for the one-year old and then the trick or treating and then the party for my son. I was so wiped out. Next year I think we're going to do some activity. There's a children's museum in London and I think it would be nice to take my son and one friend for the afternoon.

I don't really remember many parties from when I was little (I know I had them though). I do remember the big deal that our parents made that it was our birthday. I had breakfast in bed (on a Strawberry Shortcake tray, no less) and my mom and dad and siblings all piled onto the bed and gave me presents.

-- Anonymous, January 08, 2001

Wow deb, that really sucks! I hate unfairness of any kind. Okay, just for that, I now hate Michelle Desrocher too. Let's go put gum in her hair or something.

-- Anonymous, January 08, 2001

Oh, yeah...I'm also in the birthday party planning mode for my soon- to-be 11-year-old son. I found a cute idea at parenting.com for an "I Spy Detective Party" (go to http://www.parenting.com/parenting/archive_search/0,8170,2453,00.html)

I'm also going to give him the option of taking one friend snowboarding at local ski resort where I just happen to have a friend who owns a coffee shop, haven't seen her in ages. Guess what I'm hoping he choses? :-)

-- Anonymous, January 09, 2001

i hated m;y bday partys!!!1 they were terrable cuz my step daddy all ways would try to gey my friends to sit on his lap and tell thm he was hiding toys in his pokets and have them stick there hand in there trying to find it. it was ssoooooo embereesing.!!

-- Anonymous, January 20, 2001