Celebration! A guide to planning the perfect party

It's one of the most stressful events of our lives up there with moving house and financial management but with our guide we hope to take the mystery out of planning a celebration and save you time and money.

Please find listed a few pointers on what to consider when planning a party.

• Venue - Recommendations are very important, always look around before you book and don't be scared to haggle. Make sure that you are confident that your booking is for the right date and that you have the contact details of the person that will open up the hall if it not staffed full time. Check for fire exits and first aid kits. 

• Food - Work out a price per head and if you are planning a wedding or a high standard celebration and are hiring caterers or using on site catering make sure you are offered a tasting session. Delegate a member of your family to help prepare or collect if you are self catering.  

•  Cake - Are you buying from a local baker, or from a supermarket or making one yourself, what is your budget and can they send samples, get recommendations.

•  Entertainment - Are you hiring a DJ or a children's entertainer or will you be doing some activities yourself, the old favourites such as pass the parcel and musical bumps are great for children 4 years plus and younger children love a few balloons and toys, be creative and do some research to see what other people have done, sites such as Pinterest are great for ideas. Make sure you book early as the most popular entertainers are booked well in advance.

• Venue decoration and themes - Would you like a jungle party or an over the rainbow celebration, there are lots of organisations that can transform a space, or you could attempt at doing the decoration yourselves, remember to use your printer, there are lots of free printable resources, Disney printables has a good site.

• Party bags - There are lots of shops that offer party supplies, from pound shops to department stores and there are lots of options, a popular favourite at our parties is a bottle of bubbles,lots of sweets and a balloon animal.  Prices start from £1 upwards depending on how exclusive you want your party to be, we offer personalised fabric back packs at the top end.

• Finishing touches - Are you going to hire a chocolate fountain or a caricaturist or will you  be having a candy buffet, there is lots on offer to make your party very special.

Good luck with your celebration and if you have any tips or idea's then please leave a comment.

Out with the old and in with the new!

How did I become a Children's entertainer, it was certainly not a career I had in mind when I started working for myself, who does! Here is a potted list of how I got to where I am, from Brownies to parties.
Michelle Peters CV
 2002 - 2006 Brownies 
2006 - 2010 Rainbows
2007 Bluey & Baloo starts trading with Saturday Art Club at the Oxton Green Community Shop and we also did recycling crafts at Wirral Play Day and entertainment for children's parties.
2008-2009 Smarties Art Club for preschoolers (Funded by Wirral MBC)
2010 Smarties Play out, free play out sessions. (Finalists at the Spirit of Merseyside Awards)
2010 Clair House Summer Festival
2010  Amy and Friends international retreat weekend.
2011 Wirral Change Women's BAME group, We provided a créche for the groups children.
2012 Minnie's - Self funding all of our previous projects through a not for profit play centre and créche and many more.
2014 Brown Owl at Brownies.

The battle between Bruised knees and playing safely!

I was walking past a parent the other day that was saying to their children, "walk sensibly or you will fall over". This made me think about my childhood of adventure, cuts and scrapes and exploration. I  also had the problem of having very poor balance due to a hearing impediment.
My parents could have kept me indoors for fear of some terrible accident but thankfully they did not and as a result I have many good memories and certainly gained many valuable skills because I was able to take risks. Would it be the end of the world if a child fell over and hurt themselves?

There always should be a limit to the freedom a child should have, it would be unwise to let a 5 year old go wandering unaccompanied but a 10 year old is certainly capable of following instructions of where not to go and stranger danger etc.  I think it is more limiting to restrict your child, they will grow into adulthood having never taken any risks, how scary that must be.
It is a matter of only giving them the trust you know they are capable of handling, it is very satifying to see your children becoming increasingly sensible, accomplished and reliable individuals. I have 3 children aged  18y, 13y and 7 months, I began by giving each of the older ones tasks and responsibilities that would encourage independence such as letting them venture out, tidying up after themselves and making decisions. it's the simple things that work best. Other things worth trying is letting your child wander around the playground without being glued to them, of course you will need to let them know about the dangers (swing in face, slippery floor etc.) or you could encourage them to use equipment that they find slightly scary, like jumping off the fireman's pole or climbing a large climbing frame,  you could join in instead of watching!

You may recall the game British Bulldog,  it has been banned after the government told schools to stop the game due to fears of compensation claims. check out this BBC article and the comments below it, what do you think about our risk adverse society?

Other interesting articles:
Fair play for children.
Are you allowed to play out?

I don't believe it, parents enjoying events!

I cannot tell you how many thank yous and various positive comments we have had after entertaining little ones at weddings and christenings. A couple of Mums recently (Sefton Cricket Club, Liverpool) admitted it was the first time in ages they had been able to have a decent uninterrupted conversation.

There is a lot of choice for entertainment options at a wedding or christening, we may entertain the children but they certainly are not the only ones that benefit, gone are the days when a parent is so busy entertaining their children that they don't manage to have a sensible conversation or enjoy an event as an adult. Even those that are not hiring a mobile creche or children's entertainer can do much to help the time pass more enjoyably, check out my article below about good activity ideas.

The mysteries of marketing!

As you all know, I am trying to promote my first fundraising event for the créche and playcentre. Despite sending information to various networks such as: The Social Enterprise Network, University of Liverpool and T-shirts and Suits creative network, I have had absolutely no response whatsoever.
It occurred to me that maybe e-mailing is not the most effective promotional tool, imagine my surprise when after only a few phone calls I had sold a good number of tickets and many more had promised to look into it. It appears that a personal touch is the ticket.

Another surprising result is how much easier it has been to obtain prizes. I have obtained a lovely swirls Dress from Amanda Seaborne, her range Damsel in a Dress is one of the lines that John Lewis stocks, I have also been given a gorgeous exclusive cheese board and knife set that Angela of  ARK Contemporary design has made.

If anyone has any other pearls of wisdom, short of dressing up as a christmas tree and walking round Liverpool

Christmas Party Fundraiser

Help the team at Bluey's Community raise funds for a very worthy cause - Claire House Children's Hospice and Children's right to play. Whether you're having a girls night out, want to network or are celebrating with colleagues, we can promise a fantastic night.

We have a fantastic menu, great entertainment and lots of auction items.

Bluey's Community Christmas Party

Contemporary Urban Centre

16th December, 7pm - 1am

4 Course Dinner

Entertainment by Annie Long Trio  and a disco till 1am

£35 per head

Menu:

To start

Spiced parsnip and apple soup

Ham hock and black pudding terrine with home-made piccalilli

Smoked salmon and Morecombe bay brown shrimp mousse served with artisan bread

Blossom honey glazed goats cheese salad

To follow

Roast breast of Cheshire turkey with all the trimmings

Roast loin of pork with a winter pork and apricot stuffing

Fillet of salmon topped with a herb crust in a pink peppercorn beurre blanc

Stuffed roasted aubergine

All served with seasonal vegetables and potatoes

To finish

Dark chocolate torte

Christmas plum pudding with brandy sauce

Ginger and bourbon trifle

Fresh fruit salad

Coffee and Mince Pies

to secure booking an Initial deposit of £10 per person can be made, (by cheque, payable to Bluey's Community) or BACS, Please contact Michelle Peters on 07724 600211 for account details.

Bluey's Community CIC, 82 Parkside Road, Bebington, CH63 7NR.

 

Children's Party Activities

If you are having a celebration that involves children and are considering entertaining them yourself then hopefully this list should make any event run smoothly.

1. Toys - every family has them, ask friends and family to bring a couple of items that they are happy to share,  make sure they are fairly robust to avoid breakages.
2. Bubbles - these can provide lots of fun for little cost, use cookie cutters, pipe cleaners and hands as well as bubble wands.
3. Party games - These are as popular now as ever, you could also get an inexpensive parachute.
4. Arts and crafts - children love glitter glue and painting,  colouring with pens and crayons is another option.
5. Storytime - act out a favourite story.
6. Treasure hunt - hide anything from clues to prizes, make sure you hide things at the last minute so prizes are not found before the hunt begins.
7. Fun with Food  - Cookie or cake decorating are a popular favourite.

  Remember to ask friends and family for assistance, alternatively, hiring an entertainer would enable you to relax and enjoy the celebration knowing the children are catered for.

For activity options please see Bluey & Baloo's arty fun page or our Facebook site