IT’S MY PARTY

KICK THE END-OF-SUMMER BLUES WITH A PARTY IN HONOR OF NEW BEGINNINGS

Its My Fourth Of July Party
BACK-TO-SCHOOL CELEBRATION

It is almost time for the new school year to start.
This means brand-new shoes, sharpened pencils,
fresh school supplies and cool book covers. As a
child, I lived for this time of year. Call me crazy,
but I was happier in school than with all of that extra summer time on my hands. So, for me, I think of this as a time to celebrate this new beginning. If you feel the same way (or you just want to do something fun to cheer up your family and friends from the end-of-summer blues), then I've got the party just for you.

THE INVITATIONS

Hand-deliver a fresh apple with a little tag attached that gives the details of the gathering. You could also cut out red apples or pencil shapes and provide the details as well—and those could be easily popped in the mail.

THE DECORATIONS

Make the party room look like a mock classroom: Set up a chalkboard or white board in the main party area, along with a desk filled with books and school supplies. You could incorporate your child's specific school colors into the theme via balloons, streamers and a homemade banner. For a centerpiece, place bright red apples in vases or bowls.

THE ACTIVITIES

Go for brains and brawn by setting up a combination of fun word/mind games as well as physical activities, including bingo, Trivial Pursuit, 20 Questions, word search, dodge ball, Red Rover, Simon Says, Twister, etc. You could also hold a round of relay races and even stay on theme by having the kids fill their backpack and lunch bag, racing to one end and back for the next kid to do the same in line.

If there are older kids around, you may want to pop in a video like Ferris Bueller’s Day Off .

If you want to get crafty, have the kids make bookmarks and/or book covers.

THE FOOD

Food ideas are easy: Pack school lunches. Include small sandwiches, string cheese, a pack of Goldfish crackers, an apple or a banana and a little candy bar.

THE GOODY BAGS

Send your guests home with paper gift bags filled with school supplies like pencils, notebooks, erasers, locker mirrors, sticky pads and gel pens.

After this party, everyone will be ready (maybe even excited!) to go back to school in September.

Lisa Kothari is the founder and president of Peppers and Pollywogs (www.peppersandpollywogs.com),
a kids’ party-planning company that provides parents with ideas, entertainers and interesting web-based tools (customized rhymes and cards for your invitations!) to make kids’ party planning easy. She has recently written and published Dear Peppers and Pollywogs… What Parents Want to Know About Planning Their Kids’ Parties, which is available at www.amazon.com and www.peppersandpollywogs.com.