Kids' Parties with Flair

2012 is a year for celebrations of all kinds and right at the top is Queen Elizabeth of England's Diamond Jubilee. Queen Victoria is the only other monarch in the history of the United Kingdom to have celebrated a Diamond Jubilee. Image: Fancy Nancy Tea Parties. Available on Amazon.

Every little girl dreams of dress-up tea parties - so why not plan one this summer in honor of your little princess and the Queen England? Below you will find suggestions for throwing a Fancy Hat Tea Party. There are ideas for invitations, decorations, activities, crafts, games, eats, drinks, treats and favors. Enjoy! I hope your party will be a magical event!

Invitations:

Make do-it-yourself invitations by drawing a young girl wearing a hat on the front of a folded note card or use some appropriate clip art like the sample above. If your artistic skills are minimal, simply draw a face with some curly hair and place a large flower sticker on top - so your "princess" will appear to be wearing a hat or the modern take on a hat - the fascinator.

Under your "princess" drawing, write something like "You are invited to a Fancy Hat Tea Party." On the inside of the invitation, give the details as to place, date and time. At the bottom add the following: "Wear a Fancy Hat!"

Decorations:

Elegance is the name of the game when decorating for a Fancy Hat Tea Party. Use a lace tablecloth or cover a plain one with paper doilies. Let a vase of flowers become the centerpiece. Set the table with little tea cups and dainty plates. These can be rented fairly reasonably at a party center (in Chicagoland you can rent cups and saucers or espresso cups for $.40 each) or purchase some from an online vendor. Check around to see what is available, but the Tea Cup Gallery has some very lovely children's tea sets starting at $19.95.

As a nod to the Queen of England why not accent your party room with red, white and blue streamers, balloons and paper goods. For good measure include a few Union Jacks. You can find a full line of British Union Jack party goods on Amazon.

Activity:

As the guests arrive, arrange to have someone photograph all of the children in their fancy hats. Don't forget to have someone take a group photo as well. During the party send one of your adult helpers out to pick up the prints. Email the photos to your processor in advance and they most likely will be ready by the time your helper arrives. This way you can give out the photos as souvenirs of the event when the children head home after your Fancy Hat Tea!

Craft:

Have the party goers decorate picture frames found at craft stores using buttons, rhinestones, beads etc. Give each guest a picture frame. In the middle of the table, heap all the trim you have been able to accumulate. Here are some possibilities to add to your stash - assorted remnants of ribbon and lace, assorted squares of felt to be cut into flowers, leaves and other shapes, feathers, and silk flowers. Set out bottles of white glue and scissors and invite your guests to create their personalized frames.

Games:

Hopscotch - If your guests have some excess energy to work off, have a hopscotch competition. Give each guest a pretty "jewel" to toss onto the squares. Oriental Trading Company has a fabulous selection of gems to be used for this purpose.

Jewelry Hunt - For this game you will need a selection of necklaces, rings, hair clips, ribbons etc. Hide the items around the house or party area keeping them within a defined space. Hand each guest a bag or pouch to hold the collected treasures. It might be a good idea to write each child's name on the bag or pouch. Similar to an egg hunt, let the children search until they find as much jewelry treasures as possible.

Tissue Paper Slipper Race - For this game you will need several sheets of pink tissue paper, some scissors, one straw for each guest and a copy of a slipper outline (make one by tracing one of your child's slippers).

Before the party cut slipper shapes from the pink tissue paper using the slipper template. Mark two lines in the party area, about 15 to 20 feet apart.

To play the game, line the children up along the first goal line. Hand each child a straw and place a tissue paper slipper at each child's feet. To start, the children place the straw in their mouths, bend down and inhale on the straw to pick up the tissue slipper. Once the slipper is attached, the children run to the goal line.

If a slipper drops off a straw, the child must attach it again before advancing. The first child to cross the goal line with the slipper attached to the straw wins.

Hula Hoop Race - Before the party, purchase or borrow 2 or 3 hula hoops. Divide your guests into teams of at least 4 or 5 and have each group stand in a line, holding hands. Place a hula hoop in front of each line.

When you say "Go!" the first child in each line bends over and picks up a hula hoop without letting go of his or her teammate's hand. Each child should then pass the hula hoop over his or her head and shoulders, step through, and pass it on to the arm of the next player in line while staying connected. If the children become disconnected, they must start over. The team that passes the hula hoop down the entire line, over the head of, and to the ground behind of the last teammate first, wins!

Eats

Finger sandwiches are a good choice for this Fancy Hat Tea Party. Simply use some cookie cutters on soft bread to make these crustless sandwiches. The sandwiches can be filled with chicken, tuna and egg salad, turkey and/or ham and cheese. Along with the sandwiches serve a variety of fruit kabobs.

Drinks

Although hot tea may seem like the thing to serve, not all children like tea. If that is the case in your home, consider these alternative - pink lemonade, the new Lipton Watermelon Green Tea, hot cocoa or warm apple cider.

Treats

A Fancy Hat Tea Party demands some sweet treats. Prepare two or three items for your guests. Your menu might include items such as, petite fruit muffins, chocolate chip scones, tea breads, fruit tartlets, mini cupcakes, mini brownies, mini chocolate chip cookies, donut holes and chocolate covered strawberries.

Favors
Send each guest home with their Fancy Hat picture and decorated picture frame. The pouches filled with treasures from the Jewelry Hunt make a nice favor too. If you want to add something to this loot, string ribbon through squares of netting from the fabric store and fill with small candies.

Enjoy! I hope your party will be a magical event!

Today the temperature in Chicagoland is going to near 100 degrees F. Hot, hot, hot! We not only have a trip to the pool planned, but we will be cooling down with this refreshing treat. Enjoy!

Ingredients per serving:

1.5 tablespoons of milk chocolate chips
2 teaspoons store-bought hot chocolate mix
1.5 sugar substitute
1.5 cups low-fat chocolate milk
3 cups ice cubes
Whipped cream or whipped topping (like Cool Whip), if desired
Chocolate shavings, if desired

Directions:

Place chocolate chips in the top of a double boiler over simmering water. Stir occasionally until melted. Add the hot chocolate mix and sugar substitute. Stir until completely melted. Remove from heat and slowly add 1/2 cup of the milk until smooth. Cool to room temperature.

In a blender, place the remaining cup of milk, the room temperature chocolate mixture and the ice. Blend on high speed until smooth and the consistency of a frozen daiquiri. Pour into a great goblet and top with whipped topping and chocolate shavings, if desired.

Recipe is modified to reduce calories from the one created by the Serendipity 3 in New York City (Source of the original recipe is www.oprah.com.)

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