Plan a fun birthday party for your little one.
Giggling and learning about the world around him, Elmo is one of the most popular characters on the PBS children's program, "Sesame Street." Elmo-loving children will delight in an invitation to your home for an Elmo-themed party. Indulge a birthday child's fascination with the fuzzy red monster by including aspects of Elmo's life and personality in every detail of the celebration. Does this Spark an idea?
Party Decorations
Post a sign that reads, "Welcome to Elmo's World." Hang red, yellow and black crepe paper streamers from the ceiling of the party area. Spread a lemon-yellow plastic tablecloth on your food table. Place a stuffed Elmo toy in the center of the table. Place two helium-filled red and black balloon bouquets beside Elmo. Scatter red, yellow and blue curling ribbon and a sprinkling of fish or star-shaped birthday confetti on the table. Include Elmo's pet goldfish, Dorothy, in the decorations. Cut four or five 10-by-6-inch fish shapes from orange poster board, and then suspend them with tape or tacks from the ceiling. Cut 10-inch-high upper-case letters from primary-colored poster-board to tape to walls. If you have yellow or red bedsheets in your linen closet, toss them over the chairs and couches in the party room.
Party Activities
Direct party guests to a craft table in a corner of the party room. On the table, have child-size red baseball caps or red foam visors and adhesive-backed foam shapes to make Elmo hats. Help the children stick yellow foam circle noses and black and white oval-shaped eyes to the front of the hats. Direct those who are finished with their hats to a basket of Elmo and Sesame Street books and stuffed toys.
Give a nod to Elmo's pet goldfish in a birthday game. Play a fish-tossing game with beanbags or plastic dollar-store toy fish. Buy or borrow a fish bowl so the children can line up one yard from the bowl and take turns throwing the fish into it. Give a plastic fish prize to each child after he plays.
Buy red craft dough and plastic cutters in the shape of Elmo and his pals. Look for Sesame Street cutters where you buy kitchen or kid's-craft supplies. Move back to the craft table and let the children play with and cut shapes from the dough. Make sure so no one eats the craft dough. After the activity, place a blob of dough and one of the cutters in a zipper baggie for each child to take home.
Party Food
Make Elmo-face minipizzas for your guests. Place black olive slices for eyes and a pineapple-piece nose on sauce-covered crusts. Make minipizzas with cheese and pepperoni too, and present them on a platter with the Elmo pizzas. Serve cups of cranberry or tomato juice. Give guests a choice of pretzels or goldfish-shaped snacks. Offer red fruit salad made with sliced strawberries, grapes and cherries.
Make Elmo cupcakes, frosted red and adorned with a yellow gumdrop nose. Pipe two white frosting circles for Elmo's eyes and place a chocolate chip in the center of each one.
Tags: Sesame Street, craft dough, craft table, each child, Elmo goldfish, from ceiling, party room