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<\/p>\nWhat is it about the school holidays that seems to make kids want to eat more? How about using this to your advantage to entertain them?! My children love nothing more than having a \u201cparty\u201d this usually means just putting together some nibbles together (a mix of sweet (junk and fruit) and savoury). Furthermore you can get the children really involved by getting them to help prepare for the party.<\/p>\n
Decide on your theme and get the kids to make cakes to go with the theme. I personally don\u2019t like to make too much of a big deal about Valentine\u2019s day with the kids in regards to presents and cards but who can say no to heart cakes. You can substitute the topping for whatever goes with your half term party theme.<\/p>\n
We use an all-in-one mix to make the cakes; not only is it easy for the kids to do but it is also easier for them to remember. Just literally weigh out the ingredients and whisk them in a bowl.<\/p>\n
The boys love using the hand mixer, and of course licking the bowl afterwards. For an extra treat (and to encourage good behaviour) for our \u201cparty\u201d I allowed them to add some chocolate buttons to the mix. This was a little science experiment as they wondered if they would melt or stay as lumps in the mixture. Of course the weighing and measuring was all good maths skills too.<\/p>\n
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We used pink cases but again this can really enhance your theme. Spooning the mixture out is good for hand-eye co-ordination. Besides when it goes everywhere it teaches them the importance of cleaning up after themselves.\u00a0We buy coloured frosting but you could use icing or butter-icing – again using colours to fit your theme. We then simply used heart shaped cake toppings from the cake aisle in the supermarket to decorate.\u00a0See how just changing the cases and toppings can make such a difference with the dinosaur cakes at my dinosaur birthday party<\/a>.<\/p>\n We love a bit of face painting for entertainment. There are loads of designs online and again can be tailored towards your theme. Or you can just let the children have whatever they fancy. My face-paints actually come with a how-to guide and it is good to let children pick what you can copy. Don\u2019t worry if you do not do a great job because it is just for fun. Or why not let the children paint you! Just remember to have something to help you clean them off afterwards. Plus a little tip is that I always find red hard to get off, so if your child really does want to be a red faced devil think about putting a base layer of white on first. I feel that flowers are a good theme for this time of year.<\/p>\n This was particularly a big hit with our Superheroes party<\/a>\u00a0– where the boys had the choice of being a superhero or villain<\/a>! Obviously you don’t have to have a party to play with face paints – or you can have a practise go before the big event.<\/p>\n Now I know this can sound like a bit of a nightmare but if they are going for the purpose of choosing their own party food things can be really difficult (and you may even be able to pick up those essentials you needed without them playing up!)<\/p>\n If you can get them to walk there then this is even better! This gives them a chance to burn off any excess energy, plus you can talk about things you see on the way. Maybe play a game – who can spot the most blue things, things beginning with the letter S (and so on). Talk about the changing season (how spring flowers are budding early) – and may be even why this might be because of.<\/p>\n Decide before you go what your boundaries are – can they pick one thing each? Is there anything they can\/can\u2019t have? What is your budget? Will you be buying decorations (balloons, how about some bubbles?) Whilst there you may even discover more things that will entertain them whilst at the party (or during the holidays in general) – such as craft activities or why not make it a sowing party!<\/p>\n For example, our LEGO Pirate party <\/a>the boys really enjoyed making LEGO frames to insert pirate pictures, making LEGO juice covers and marshmallow LEGO bricks.<\/p>\n Other Bloggers Take on\u00a03 Things to do at Half Term<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\n
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