Elise Klepach and Amber Wolman

By Scott Klepach Jr, with Jennifer Wolman

Most of us can remember how special birthday parties were when we were kids …  whether we had a small gathering of family and friends or an extravaganza full of party favors, costumes and games. But do throwing parties stress you out?

With all the baking, writing invitations, designing games and activities, cooking and providing food, drinks and cake, making party favors … and spending all that time and money, parents can get overwhelmed before they even begin.

So to get some tips on how to throw a stress-free, easy, inexpensive and FUN kids party, I talked with party-planner extraordinaire (and local mom) Jennifer Wolman.

The first question: What’s the party’s theme?

For girls, try a princess, pink poodle, pink diva, Webkinz, tropical, spa, tea, slumber-sleep-over, mermaid or High School Musical party theme.

Top boy themes include Thomas the Train, construction, bugs and nature, Spider-Man, Star Wars, pirates, Army, scavenger hunt, Survivor, Lego, space and science and cowboys.

Some more fun ideas from Jennifer:

Construction/Bob the Builder

Younger boy

• To Play:
• Pin the tool on the tool belt
• Build a “work zone” obstacle course, so partygoers can crawl through a box, walk on a 2X4 and jump over caution tape
• To Eat and Drink:
• Make a “Rocky Road” cake – include Oreos, pudding and gummy worms – and place it in a toy dump truck. For smaller kids, you can offer blocks or Legos.
• Prepare easy and fun “Cement Milkshakes,” made of Oreo cookie ice cream, milk and black food coloring

Tea Party

Younger girl

• To Play:
• Provide a box of dress-up clothes for the partygoers
• Focus on decorating the table, because this spot will be the center of attention. Put lollipop flowers in one pot for a centerpiece.
• To Eat and Drink:

Make tea sandwiches along with “Sun Tea punch.”

• Sun Tea Punch (recipe)

o   6-8 bags of decaf tea

o   ½ gallon on water

o   4 oranges, 3 juiced and 1 sliced

o   8 lemons, 7 juiced and 1 sliced

o   1/3 cup honey

o   ½ bunch of mint

o   Steep in the sun for 3 or more hours. Remove the tea bags and remaining ingredients and stir.

Party Favors:

• Use white bags and tie yarn with a nametag for party favors, which can include a cup and saucer and costume jewelry.

Star Wars

Older boy

• To Play:
• Use noodles to make light sabers and electric tape for handles.
• Start up the “Jedi Training Academy,” a training course where kids try to keep the balloon in the air on pop bubbles with their light sabers.
• Battle: use Nerf guns on droids and water pistols on clone troopers.
• Have Wookiee Cookies for dessert, made with peanut butter, cocoa and oatmeal; Darth Dogs for lunch, which are refrigerated breadstick rolls around hot dogs, baked; and serve Yoda Soda to drink, which is a combination of green sherbet, lemonade and Sprite

Spa Party

Older girl

• (Note: this theme can work on its own or be combined with a princess theme!)
• When girls arrive, have a cashier/check-in station ready. They will take off their shoes and be directed to a wading pool full of soapy water where they can soak their feet.
• Supply magazines for them to read as they soak their feet.
• Next, play Pass the Nail Polish game, which is a version of Hot Potato.
• Set up four stations. The Hair Station will let girls put glitter and hair clips in their hair. At the Manicure Station, girls will have their nails painted. At a third station, girls will be given hand cream, makeup with lip gloss, and shimmery face glitter. The fourth station, the necklace area, will let girls create and keep their own candy necklace.

Have a cupcake and eat it … in a cone! Ice cream cone cake …

Wolman notes that while cakes will always be a part of birthday party tradition, cupcakes have made a comeback. You can do a lot with these tasty morsels to fit with your theme. A princess stand can display cupcakes, or you can create your own “webbing” to hold Spider-Man cupcakes, for instance.

Or, try making your cakes unique. A princess cake is fun, but you can also try to create your own Rapunzel tower cake!

Other Party Ideas

• Face painting
• Duck, duck, goose. Wolman recommends tweaking this game to fit with the theme, so for a “Wall-E” party, this could be Wall-E, Wall-E, Eve.
• Hot potato. Or, if you’re thinking of a princess angle, make it The Poison Apple Game.
• Musical chairs, with theme song in the background. Make it Thomas the Train, a princess song, or race-car sounds!
• Scavenger hunt. Wolman suggests making these noncompetitive so everyone focuses on having fun, and not just spotlighting the winner.

Sidebar: Save some money

While it’s very easy to spend a lot of money on birthday parties, you can be frugal and still have fun. Emphasize connections and activities over materials such as new decorations. You can make use of what you have at home to make a scene, and you can always be crafty and make your invitations, food and decorations.

Jennifer Wolman is a stay-at-home mom of two children. She plans fun parties and volunteers in the community and in her kids’ schools. In her rare spare moments she loves to read, scrapbook, bake yummy goodies, dive into her Bible and go camping with her family.

Here is a listing of times and locations:

Yakima (Downtown) Library, 4 p.m. January 11. 102 N. Third Street, Yakima. 509-452-8541.

Granger Library. 3 p.m. January 12. 508 Sunnyside Ave., Granger. 509-854-1446.

Buena Library, 3:30 p.m. January 13. 801 Buena Road, Buena. 509-865-3390.

Southeast Library, 11 a.m. January 14. 1211 S. Seventh Street, Yakima. 509-576-0723.

Summitview Library, 11 a.m. January 15. 5709 Summitview, Yakima. 509-966-7070.

Zillah Library, 3:30 p.m. January 18. 109 7th, Zillah. 509-829=6707.

Sunnyside Library, 4 p.m. January 20. 621 Grant, Sunnyside. 509-837-3234.

White Swan Library, 3 p.m. January 24. 391 First Street, White Swan. 509-874-2060.

Wapato Library, 3 p.m. January 26. 119 East 3rd Street, Wapato. 509-877-2882.

Selah Library, 3:30 p.m. January 27. 106 South Second Street, Selah. 509-698-7345.

You can also visit yvl.org or call 509-452-8541 for more information.

It’s time to have a ball!

Really.

The local Kiwanis Club is hosting its annual Father-Daughter Ball on Saturday, Jan. 22, at the Clarion Hotel. This year’s theme is “A Night in New Orleans.”

Dads, now’s your chance to take your daughter or daughters out for a glamorous evening of dressing up, eating a nice meal and dancing the night away.

Russ Roberts, a Kiwanis Club committee member, said the event is more like a “fun”raiser instead of a fundraiser. He has been to the annual ball for the past two years with his three daughters, and they love it because they get to “doll up.”

A silent auction will also be held during the event, with items for girls and dads.

The cost is $65 for dad and daughter (ages 4 and older), and $15 extra for each additional daughter. The price covers dinner, dessert and entertainment that includes a DJ, a dance floor and a smoke machine. Dads can also have a picture taken with their daughters and will receive an 8×10-inch copy in the mail.

Three princesses will be awarded randomly per age group, 4-11 years, 12-18 years, and 18 and older.

Roberts said 150 people attended last year’s event, and the cap will be at 200. Most daughters are in the 7- to 11-year-old range, he said, but many 4-year-olds were there, and even one 72-year-old woman attended with her 90-year-old dad.

The ball runs from 5:30-11 p.m. at the Clarion Hotel & Conference Center, 1507 N. First St., Yakima.

Tickets go on sale in December. For more information, e-mail Steve Emhoff at steve@emhoffgroup.com, or Karl Capron at kcorp@charternet, or you can check out the event’s website at dancewithdad.com.

All that’s needed to start the fun is a blanket on the lawn (or living room floor). Invite the children to bring their fuzzy friends to lunch.

With just a little extra effort, a teddy bear picnic becomes a sweet birthday party for tots. Just remember to keep it simple: Young children are easily overwhelmed by crowds and strict schedules. The classic rule of thumb is to invite only as many guests as your child’s age — or their age plus one. (Bring as many bears as you like.)

BEAR NECESSITIES

Set up a backdrop for photos, which can be tucked inside thank you cards for your guests. Fill a picnic basket with bears and tie on a few balloons to set the scene.

For the girls’ hats, we used a hot glue gun to dress up simple sun hats with artificial flowers and berries. For boys, use fishing hats and lures. Older children might enjoy designing their own. We bought our hats and flowers at the Dollar Tree. Cost: $2.50 each.

BEARY GOOD TREATS

Berries, of course. Gummy bears are great, too.

To create a fun Bear Party Mix, we combined Teddy Grahams, Honey Maid Bees and mini marshmallows. Raisins and other dried fruit would be tasty, too.

Use a bear-shaped cookie cutter to make peanut butter and honey sandwiches. For a breakfast party, pour teddy bear pancakes.

BEARLY PLAYING

A picnic is more fun with games to play. Don’t overdo it, but try these activities if the kids need a little direction:

• Toss the Bees into the Honey Pots: Decorate small flower pots or buckets to look like honey pots. Have kids toss bean bags into the pots to win a prize.
• Teddy Bear Hot Potato: Play some music (perhaps “Teddy Bear’s Picnic” — download a version on iTunes that suits your style). Have children sit in a circle and pass around a bear. When the music stops, the child left holding the bear is out but gets a small prize.
• Read a bear story. There are lots of classics like “Goldilocks and the Three Bears,” or the Berenstain Bears and Paddington Bear.
• Cut fun bear shapes with cookie cutters and dough.

Story and ideas by Sara Bristol. Photos by Destiny Williams.

Can you build it? Yes, you can!

When Michael Ozanich asked for a “Bob the Builder” party to mark his fourth birthday, his parents built a celebration inspired by the construction of their new Selah home.

photo by ANDY SAWYER -- Click for more photos

The family’s not-yet-finished basement — with its exposed framework and concrete floors — set the scene, decked out with a roll of yellow caution tape.

When the kiddy crew arrived at the construction site, a hard hat and tool belt were waiting for them to get to work (partying, of course).

A stack of boxes and a wrecking ball were the hit of the party, so to speak. In fact, the wrecking ball (a volleyball wrapped in black plastic, suspended from the ceiling) was such as smash that Michael’s mom Aimee tells us she left it hanging for over three months.

INVITATIONS: Using her computer, Aimee made invitations with clip art of hard hats, bulldozers and construction-themed word play: Foreman Michael is turning four! Can you help him build a fun foundation for his next year? We will be breaking ground on Jan. 23. Your shift begins at 3 p.m.

ACTIVITY: Before the party, Crew Boss Brent (a.k.a. Dad) made kits for the kids to build their own tool boxes. Then, with a little help from the boss man, the crew hammered together their boxes and personalized them with paint.

TOOL BOX TIPS

Find directions to make your own tool box at lowes.com. Look in the How-To Library.

Or, purchase wood craft kits online for about $8-10 each at ssww.com or woodcraft.com.

• Create a Work Zone Obstacle Course: Crawl through a box, balance across a 2-by-4 and steer a wheelbarrow through traffic cones.

• To provide a safe space for little ones, tuck a box of building blocks or Legos in a corner.

CAKE: No construction required here. This one’s super easy — dish up a heap of mud (actually a mound of brownies, tossed with some gummy worms.) Dig in!

FAVORS: Stock the tool boxes with a couple of real tools from a dollar store and they’re set to go.

Balloons By Design
Designer balloon bouquets and character rentals.
7 N. Seventh Ave., Yakima. 575-8698. balloons4sale.com

The Cake Decorator’s Shoppe
Cake and candy-making supplies and classes.
2606 W Nob Hill Blvd., Yakima. 494-0975.

Fiesta Foods
Piñatas and cakes.
1008 E. Nob Hill Blvd., Yakima. 928-2274.

Flying Hat Ranch
Pony rides.
1090 Cabin Lane, Yakima. 698-4426. flyinghatranch.bravehost.com

It’s a Blast
Superheroes, princesses and other character entertainment.
Yakima. 949-0436.

J & S Jumpers
Inflatable jumpers; table and chair rentals.
Sunnyside. 391-5761.

Jumpers, Inc.
Inflatable jumpers.
201 S. Third Ave., Yakima. 469-5867. jumpersinc.com

Just Ask Rental
Helium, cotton candy, dunk tanks and more.
1722 Morgan Road, Sunnyside. 837-3737.

La Bodega Yakimex
Piñatas.
511 N 1st St, Yakima. 469-6194.

Mad Science
Interactive science shows; make slippery slime, putty or bouncy balls.
966-3015. madscience.org/yakima

Miles of Smiles
Tambow the Clown.
Tammy Danforth: 509-930-4527. clowntoday.com/blog

Noah’s Ark Animal Workshop
“Stuff-n-Fluff” stuffed animal and Bella Bee glamour parties hosted in your home.
Valerie Robinett: 307-7268

Party Connection
Costumes, balloons, decorations and party rentals.
1104 Tieton Drive, Yakima. 453-7877. party-connection.com

Party Palace
Decorations, balloons and rentals.
2011 W. Lincoln Ave., Yakima. 453-0048.

Ruben’s Tortilleria & Bakery
Piñatas, jumpers and cakes.
1309 N. First St., Yakima. 249-1247.

Think & Throw Educational Toys & Sport Store
Children’s gift registry.
101 W. First St., Selah. 697-6022.

Crazy Kids Hair Design
Glamour parties.
3 N. First St., Selah. 698-6967.

Franklin Pool
Outdoor pool with slide.
2101 Tieton Drive, Yakima. 575-6035. www.ci.yakima.wa.us

Hands On Art
Paint your own pottery.
5603 Summitview Ave., Suite 100, Yakima. 966-4248.

Kent School of Dance
Dance lessons and private space; available evenings and Friday and Saturday afternoons.
Glenwood Square, 5110 Tieton Drive, Yakima. Ask for Jean: 965-2768. kentschoolofdance.com

Kids Castle
Private party rooms, games & indoor play structure; pool available Saturdays in the summer.
Inside Gymnastics Plus, 2121 W. Lincoln Ave., Yakima. 453-8126.

The Learning Tree Children’s Center
Private room and facilitator.
3609 Tacoma St., Union Gap. 574-5755. thelearningtree-uniongap.com

Lions Pool
Indoor pool party.
Fifth Avenue and Pine Street, Yakima. 575-6046. www.ci.yakima.wa.us

Meadowbrook Family Fun Center
Reserved party area, arcade tokens and pizza.
7200 W. Nob Hill Blvd., Yakima. 966-3836. yakimafamilyfun.com

Monkey Dooz
Glamour, princess and pirate parties.
Glenwood Square, 5110 Tieton Drive, Yakima. 853-4247. monkeydooz.net

The Museum Soda Fountain
Old-fashioned sodas and ice cream. For playtime, coordinate with a group rate at the Children’s Underground or visit Franklin Park.
2105 Tieton Drive, Yakima. 457-9810.

Nob Hill Lanes
Cosmic bowling.
3807 W. Nob Hill Blvd., Yakima. 966-1070.

Out On a Whim Children’s Bookstore
Party room and planning.
108 S. Third Ave., Yakima. 576-3635. outonawhimbooks.com

Red Art Gallery
Personalized art parties.
30 N. Third St., Yakima. 469-2766.

Selah Gym Kids
709 N. Park Centre, Selah. 698-5437.

Selah’s J. Francis Pool
Outdoor pool, available Saturday mornings and evenings in season.
214 S. Third St., Selah. 698-7306.

Skateland Fun Center
2506 Old Town Road, Union Gap. 575-6442.

Yakima Family YMCA
Indoor pool and party room rentals.
5 N. Naches Ave., Yakima. 248-1202. yakimaymca.org

Yakima Valley Trolleys
Charter trolley rides.
Third Avenue and Pine Street, Yakima. 249-5962. yakimavalleytrolleys.org