Scrapbook Saying For Twins and Multiples

Birthday Party Ideas for Multiples or Twins
I hope you enjoy this collection ideas and tips for planning parties for twins or multiple children. If you have special party planning tips or recipes please email me at allisonray@gmail.com . You are welcome to use these party planning ideas or share them with friends, but please do not post these on any message boards or add them to any list that is sold.

Birthday Party Ideas for Multiples

Ohh fun, it’s birthday time!!!! As a parent of twins and a singleton, I know that having a birthday party for one child can be a challenge. Then you add the extra pressures and stress of hosting a party for twins. Our time is so limited as it is and to have double (or triple) planning is extremely time consuming, even though more than likely you’ll have a party for the twins at the same time.

So how do you make sure that each child receives their individual attention? How do you keep a group of children occupied and happy? Especially when most of your/their friends are multiples also!

The following are some ideas and tips that I have come across for planning a multiple party. Hopefully it will lessen the pre-party stress and allow you to relax and enjoy their BIG day.

· Make sure you have birthday cake for each child. In their favorite color, flavor, style and theme.
· ALWAYS have a back-up plan for any outdoor party. It's a good idea to either have a rain date, or make some arrangements for an indoor party in the event of bad weather.
· Make sure that whatever you plan for an outdoor party can be easily adapted to an indoor party.
· Limit number of guests (childs friends) to one child per year of age. 5 years old would have 5 friends each.
· Plan age appropriate activities so the twins and guests wont be overwhelmed.
· Sing happy birthday song to each child.
· For young children, keep it simple and short.   You might even consider avoiding opening presents at the party. I found out that it is easier for everyone if you can open the presents at home at you/your children's own leisure. WHY? It keeps the guests/other children from being bored watching someone else get presents they may not have. Second, if you will have to return an item, for whatever reason, then the giver doesn't necessarily know that. (Just because they children are twins, you don’t necessarily want two of all toys, or items that the twins already have)
· Always have extras of everything from food to party favors. It never fails that a parent will bring a guest's sibling, the parents will stay for the party, one of your guests brings a friend, or a guest that did not rsvp comes. It’s always better to have food left over than to not have had enough to feed everyone.
· Remain flexible and keep your sense of humor!
· Don't let the party span into naptime.

Planning Schedule
Some of the planning might not include you children based upon their age and communication skills. It may help to check off as completed

6 to 8 weeks before the birthday
_____ Help child select a theme or select theme
_____ Decide on the number of guests
_____ Ask a few friends or family members for help on party day I
recommend 1 adult per 4 children (serve/cook food, play games,
write list of gifts received, take pictures, pick up etc…)
_____ Write guest list
_____ Decide on location at home or outside of home (park, grandma’s,
chuck e cheese, etc…)
_____ Indoor or outdoor party
_____ Choose a date and time. Think about usual nap times and plan
party around so twins usual schedule won’t be interrupted.
_____ Hiring an entertainer? Call to book them.

2 -3 weeks before the party
_____ Buy invitations, thank you notes, and stamps
_____ Write and mail invitations
_____ Keep a list of invitees near the phone for RSVP's
_____ Select 4 - 6 party activities (age appropriate)
_____ Collect prizes and items needed for activities
_____ Decide on food to be served. Keep is simple
_____ Order cake’s (if you aren't baking one yourself).
_____ Remind helpers that the party is soon

1 week prior
_____ Order activities keep in mind attention spans and little ones getting hungry and tired .
_____ Play or read instructions on any games or activities with which you are unfamiliar. Again keep it simple!
_____ Check out any books, music, or tapes you are borrowing from the library.

2-3 days prior
_____ Call any guests who have not responded.
_____ Shop for groceries or other food being served. Buy candles.
_____ Purchase any candy for favors, piñata, film.
_____ Prepare any craft activities (cutting, copying etc…)
_____ Stuff the favor bags.
_____ Charge camera/video camera battery.

The day before the party
_____ Put away any items that may be dangerous or fragile.
_____ Bake or pick up cake.
_____ If you are taking my advice and keeping it simple, call today to have the pizza delivered.
_____ Confirm entertainer
_____ Confirm mom’s helpers

4 -5 hours before party
_____ Cut up any fruit or veggies, make dips, etc…
_____ Clean party area. Don’t bother trying to clean day’s ahead especially with twins or twinadoes as I lovingly refer to my children.
_____ Set up decorations
_____ Set up tables or stations for activities
_____ Put candles in cake and put matches in safe place.
_____ Go pick up balloons
_____ Tie some balloons to the mailbox or front of house to make it easy for guests to find your home.
_____ Place crafts and prizes near the activity locations.
_____ Put notebook and pen near gift table for helper to log gifts as opened. This will make writing thank you notes much easier

1 hour prior
_____ Putting any pets in an area away from the guests. (allergies)
_____ Get Twins dressed
_____ Get siblings dressed
_____ Get husband/significant other dressed
_____ Get yourself dressed
_____ Set up coolers with ice for drinks
_____ Set out food
_____ Have mom’s helpers arrive
Have a well planned, stress free, fun party!

Inexpensive and unique party Favor Game Ideas
I buy my party stuff wholesale from www.orientaltradingcompany.com
Usually if your order is over $60.00 the shipping is free. What I do is talk to other moms and we all order our birthday and holiday party things together to combine the shipping costs.

Another source for great party favors are the dollar stores. My favorite is dollar tree. They seem to have good quality items for only $1.00. Watch out for those so-called dollar stores that charge more for different items.

Party in summer:
Gave each child a small beach bucket with attached shovel, inside the bucket put sunglasses, a deflated beach ball, bubbles, and a plastic watch. On the outside of the bucket use a "paint pen" and write the name of the child and draw water or fish.
Cost about $2.50 per child.

Thank you cards:
Take a picture of the twins at the party
Make doubles at wal-mart usually only .13 per picture and put it in with the thank you note from the twins.
“Thanks for making us smile on our birthday”
“Thanks for making our birthday special”

Take a picture of each child/friend/family member and send a picture of that person in the thank you note. Everyone loves pictures of their own kids or themselves with the twins!

A table centerpiece:
Buy a plastic fish bowl
Make Aqua or light blue Jell-O in the fish bowl. As the Jell-O cools and is semi-solid, drop some gummy fish into the bowl. The usually will sink about halfway down. Finish chilling and you have a great table centerpiece which the kid’s can dig into and eat during the party.

Casual Party at the park Ideas
For party favors: Chalk, small balls, bubbles.
Take kites, bats, gloves, and balls, Frisbee’s, jump ropes for everyone to play with.
Cook hotdogs; serve chips, cake and soda
Fill piñata with boxes of raisins, pencils, crayons, and stickers

Party books to check out of the library
· The Penny Whistle Party Planner by Meredith Brokaw & Annie Gilbar (Simon & Schuster)
· Birthday Parties, Best party Tips and Ideas by Vicki Lansky (The Book Peddlers)
· Birthday Parties for Kids! Creative Party Ideas Your Kids & Their Friends Will Love by Penny Warner (Prima Publishing)
· Children's Party Ideas by Margaret Dunne (Berkley Books)
· Fifty Fabulous Parties for Kids by Linda Hetzer (Crown Trade Paperbacks)
· Successful Children's Parties by Julia Goodwin (Ward Lock)
· Birthday Parties for Children - How to Give Them, How to Survive Them by Jean Marzollo (Harper & Row)

Party Themes
Twins First Birthday Party
Invitations: Put ink on the bottom of one of each of the twin’s hands and print onto piece of paper. Write the child’s name under their handprint. Make a master copy and print out invitations below or above the handprints.

Baseball party
Invitation. Cut circle from white card stock. Print or write out the party details, then glue craft rickrack to make it look like a baseball.
Goodie bag: Fill an old-fashioned popcorn box with major-league treats. Bubblegum hotdogs, baseball wrapped candy, baseball pencils, etc…

Cookie decorating party
Invitation: make a recipe-like invitation. Print out on white cardstock
Cookie Decorating Party
Ingredients:
You & 10 more fun children Candy sprinkles & sugar
2 birthday girls – Maddie and Mary Lots and Lots of frosting
6 lbs of cookie dough   Fun, Fun, Fun
1. Meet at 1234 Nowhere Lane, Saturday, September 7 at 2 pm
2. Roll up your sleeves and gather around the table.
3. Bring your imagination to make the cookies of your dreams.
Goodie bag: Buy bakery style boxes and print each guests name on them so they can pack their cookies to take home.

Tea Party
Goodie bag: Cut rectangle shapes from wax paper. Cut small tags from card stock. Staple the small tags to a piece of string then staple to the wax paper bag. Write each guests name one the tag. Fill with lady like goodies. (Stickers, bracelet, lipstick, button candy, hair bows, candy necklace)
Activity: Dress up of course.
Coloring Party
Invitation: Print a label with all the invitation information and stick it to an inexpensive box of crayons and put in envelope to mail.
Goodie bag: Coloring sheets that you print off the Internet and a package of crayons. (www.crayola.com free pages)
Activity: Purchase a roll of white paper and roll it across a table and put buckets of crayons on top for the kids to color.

Free Kids Fun Recipes To Make
The following recipes are great to make for party favors or activities.

Bubbles Recipe #1
2 c. Dawn dishwashing detergent
6 c. water
Almost 1 c. Karo light corn syrup
Combine, shake, let settle 4 hours. Store covered in refrigerator to extend suds shelf life. Allow to warm before using. Costs about $1.50 per gallon. Bubble Tips: 1. If foam develops scrape off with a stiff card. 2. Keep suds clean from dirt and grass. 3. Bubbles are best on humid days. 4. Protect suds from direct sun.

Bubbles #2
1 c. Joy or Dawn dishwashing liquid
3-4 tbsp. glycerin (from Pharmacy)
10 c. clean cold water, up to 50% more on dry days
Measure 10 cups water into a clean 2-5 gallon bucket. Add dishwashing liquid and glycerin and stir gently to avoid froth. A lot of bubbles for a lot of kids, you may wish to use 1/4 of recipe. For longer lasting bubbles, keep cold until ready to use.

Side walk chalk recipe #1
2 tbsp. powdered Tempura paint
1/2 c. water
1 sm. waxed paper cup
3 tbsp. plaster of Paris
Mix paint and water together in the cup. Slowly add plaster of Paris, stirring until creamy. Let set until hard (about 1 hour); peel off cup. Can be used indoors or out.

Sidewalk Chalk Large Sticks #2
1 1/2 cups of warm water
3 1/2 cups of Plaster Patch (hardware store)
6 tablespoons of washable tempera paint
Toilet paper tubes or wrapping paper tubes cut into 6" lengths
Large plastic mixing bowls - one for each color of chalk
Masking Tape
Use the masking tape to cover one each of each paper tube. Pour the warm water into a mixing bowl. Stir in Plaster Patch until the mixture is the consistency of sour cream. Add tempera paint powder to the plaster mixture and stir until well blended. Pour the plaster mixture into the paper tubes. Gently tap the tubes to remove any air bubbles. Let the chalk dry in the tubes for two days.

Finger Paint Recipe #1
1 tbsp. unflavored gelatin (1 env.)
Cold water
1/2 c. cornstarch
4 tbsp. dishwashing liquid
Food coloring
Stir gelatin into 1/3 cup cold water. Set aside. In a saucepan stir cornstarch into 2 1/2 cups cold water until dissolve. Bring to a simmer and stir until fully thickened. Remove from heat and blend in gelatin mixture. Add dishwashing liquid. Cool and add food coloring as desired. Store in Tupperware at room temperature.

Finger Paints recipe #2I
Yields about ¾ Cup of each color
1 envelope of unflavored powdered gelatin
1 cup of cornstarch
1/2 cup of soap flakes
21/2 cups of cold water
Small pea size amount of 4 colors of food coloring paste.
(Food coloring paste is available at most baking supply and large craft stores.)
Pour 1/2 cup water into a small mixing bowl. Sprinkle the gelatin powder over the water and stir until the gelatin is dissolved. Combine soap flakes, cornstarch and the remaining 2 cups water in a saucepan. Stir in dissolved gelatin mixture and heat over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture becomes thick. Remove from heat and strain the mixture into four one-cup size containers. Cool mixture for at least an hour. Use the food coloring paste to make a different color in each container. Note: The undiluted food coloring paste is very concentrated and can easily stain hands or clothing.

Play Dough Recipe
1 cup Salt
4 cups Flour
5 tablespoons Cream of Tartar
1/4 cup vegetable oil
3 cups Boiling Water
2 teaspoons of food coloring
Put salt, flour and cream of tartar in bowl and stir to mix. Slowly add oil, and half of the water and mix. Add food color and the rest of water. Cool enough to handle dough. Knead until dough is formed.
Note: you can add 1 or 2 packages of un-sweetened Kool-Aid type drinking mix for colored or flavored play dough. For cocoa Play Dough add 1/2 cup of cocoa for 1/2 cup of the flour.
Combine the dry ingredients in a jar or other container.

Face Paint Recipe
4 teaspoons of vegetable shortening
2 teaspoons of white flour
5 teaspoons of cornstarch
8 drops of glycerin (drug store)
Gel food coloring (grocery stores)
Cold cream (apply before painting)
Cotton swabs
Small paint brush
Mix shortening, flour and cornstarch until it forms a thick paste. Add the glycerin drops and stir until mixture is smooth and easily spread. Divide the mixture into several small cups. Add food-coloring gel in small amounts to each cup until you've mixed the colors you'd like to use. To make the paint easier to remove, smooth a little bit of cold cream into the child's cheek before applying the face paint. Use a paintbrush or cotton swab to paint on your design. Paint is removable with soap and water.

Rainbow Crayons Recipe
Old crayons (bits and pieces)
Muffin pans
Muffin cup liners or "non-stick" spray
Peel crayons. Line/spray muffin pan. Put crayon pieces in muffin cups. Separate colors for single color chunks. Mix colors for rainbow ones. Bake at 200 degrees until melted. Cool, peel off liners if used.

Goop
8 ounces of craft glue
2 cups of water
Several drops of Tempera or Poster Paint for coloring the goop
1 1/2 teaspoons of borax powder (grocery stores).
Pour craft glue into a mixing bowl. Slowly stir in 1 cup of water. Add several drops of paint and stir until well blended. In a separate bowl, mix one cup of warm water and the borax powder until the borax dissolves. Slowly pour the borax mixture into the glue mixture and stir for 2-3 minutes. Turn the mixture out onto a counter and knead the sticky mixture until it's smooth and stretches easily. Goop can be stored in an airtight container.

Silly Putty
1/4 c. Elmer's glue
2 tsp. Sta-Flo liquid starch
Combine glue and starch; mix well and allow to dry slightly until workable. Store in airtight containers.