The Family Groove | It's My Party | Party Planner Lisa Kothari gives you her easy and fun "Make a Cake" Playdate Party

IT’S MY PARTY
THE FAMILY GROOVE’S RESIDENT EXPERT KIDS’ PARTY PLANNER LISA KOTHARI
GIVES YOU A REASON TO CELEBRATE WITH HER EASY-TO-PULL-OFF AND
OH-SO-MUCH-FUN FETE OF THE MONTH

MARCH: MAKE A CAKE PLAYDATE PARTY
Playdates are a perfect way for both parents and their
children to socialize. Often, playdates are unstructured and
simply a time for the kids to play together while the adults
catch up on their own. Why not try something a little different
during your next playdate like this Make a Cake Playdate Party? It’s for the kids and the adults, but maybe most importantly, it’s fun for the adults to do with the kids and vice versa.

The Invitations
There is no need to send out a special invitation to this playdate. Just follow your regular notification process for letting people know that the playdate is on, but do let the parents know that the kids will be making a cake.

The Activities
When the kids arrive, have all the ingredients out in your kitchen for easy assembly. (An easy store-bought cake mix works perfectly fine for this gathering.) The children can break the eggs, add the ingredients and mix it together. Let them choose the type of cake they want to make together—square, round or cupcakes. The kids can then help place the batter in the pan and into the oven for baking.
While the cake bakes, the kids can play together, just as they would at any regular playdate.

When the cake has baked and cooled, let the kids frost it and decorate it with candy sprinkles. Pour glasses of milk for the kids and let them enjoy their delicious cake as their playdate snack. Yum!

The Menu
Have on hand a few goodies for the parents to enjoy during the playdate: crackers and cheese, veggies and ranch dip, and fruit smoothies.

The Goody Bags
No goody bags needed for a playdate, of course, but a nice memento of the day is always appreciated. During the baking action, take pictures of the kids making the cake. These pictures will capture all the fun and can easily be e-mailed off the next day with a thank-you to the parents for a great playdate.

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.

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