Sarah's Birthday Party
Sarah's birthday is Tuesday, but we had her party for her and her friends today.
Children's birthday parties in the UK tend to follow a pattern. You don't need to invite people to your house. Instead, you make a reservation for two hours at a warehouse-like building on the edge of town. The inside is stuffed with bouncy castles and platforms and games and looks something like this.
And for a set fee per head, the staff take care of everything for you.
You get a set of invitations, which must be distributed at least a month in advance. The invitations include RSVP forms so you know who will be attending.
On the big day, you arrive and find a table with your child's name on it. As other parents arrive with their children (and many leave shortly after to return two hours later), presents are deposited.
The presents aren't opened on site; always later at home.
As kids arrive, they disappear into the play area. You try to find them. They never stay in one area for more than a few seconds. They swarm from structure to structure. Following one is like trying to follow one bird in a large flock.
After a while, your party's food availability is announced over loudspeakers, and the kids all go off to a room for squash (fruit drinks) and a choice of hamburgers and chips, or chicken bites and chips, followed by ice cream. A birthday cake is brought in.
But as soon as the candles are blown out, the cake is whisked away, to be cut into pieces by staff and individually wrapped to be taken home.
I was impressed by Sarah's group of friends. Margo and I were the only adults in the room and the kids were very well behaved. We didn't have to do any policing.
Afterwards the kids roam and romp about some more. Margo took advantage of this time to prepare the goodie bags that kids take home.
Then the parents return and one by one the kids are taken home until you are left with a birthday child who doesn't want to go home but clearly needs to.
Children's birthday parties in the UK tend to follow a pattern. You don't need to invite people to your house. Instead, you make a reservation for two hours at a warehouse-like building on the edge of town. The inside is stuffed with bouncy castles and platforms and games and looks something like this.
And for a set fee per head, the staff take care of everything for you.
You get a set of invitations, which must be distributed at least a month in advance. The invitations include RSVP forms so you know who will be attending.
On the big day, you arrive and find a table with your child's name on it. As other parents arrive with their children (and many leave shortly after to return two hours later), presents are deposited.
The presents aren't opened on site; always later at home.
As kids arrive, they disappear into the play area. You try to find them. They never stay in one area for more than a few seconds. They swarm from structure to structure. Following one is like trying to follow one bird in a large flock.
After a while, your party's food availability is announced over loudspeakers, and the kids all go off to a room for squash (fruit drinks) and a choice of hamburgers and chips, or chicken bites and chips, followed by ice cream. A birthday cake is brought in.
But as soon as the candles are blown out, the cake is whisked away, to be cut into pieces by staff and individually wrapped to be taken home.
I was impressed by Sarah's group of friends. Margo and I were the only adults in the room and the kids were very well behaved. We didn't have to do any policing.
Afterwards the kids roam and romp about some more. Margo took advantage of this time to prepare the goodie bags that kids take home.
Then the parents return and one by one the kids are taken home until you are left with a birthday child who doesn't want to go home but clearly needs to.
posted by Michael Nelson at 9:35 am
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