Invitations: As a general rule, sleepovers should be limited to eight or fewer guests. Remember not to exceed the space you have for sleeping bags in your party space. Traditionally, kids arrive for a sleepover after the evening meal and are picked up about 10:00 am the following day - be sure to include a definite pick-up time on your invitation.
For the invitations for a Movie Marathon Slumber Party a couple of options come to mind. One, you and the birthday girl can create collages of her favorite movie stars clipped from her favorite magazines. Make the collages on card stock, folded in half. Include all the pertinent details about the party inside.
Two, make the invitations look like theater tickets and mail them in red envelopes decorated with silver star stickers. These can be made on the computer or with craft construction paper by hand. Here are the DIY instructions. For a template, simply trim a rectangle piece of thin cardboard to a size that slips easily into an envelope. Trace the template onto sheets of yellow or orange construction paper and cut out the "tickets". Use a single-hole paper punch or a pair of pinking shears to scallop the edges, so the invitations will resemble tickets that have been torn on a perforation. On the face of each ticket, draw a border one quarter inch from the edge on all four sides. In the center, print with a marker the words ADMIT ONE in large letters. On the flip side, print the relevant invitation information. If you can, incorporate Show Biz lingo, such as "curtain call" for the date and time. If you prefer pre-printed invites, check out options from these on-line vendors: Oriental Trading Company, Birthday in a Box and Birthday Express.
If your child and her friends are new to the sleepover scene, you may want to include a packing list to ensure each guest has all she needs: sleeping bag, pillow, flashlight, PJ's, toothbrush, hairbrush, favorite stuffed animal and anything else you think is important.
In addition, before the party, get a list of food allergies, medications, dietary restrictions, and a home and cell phone number of each guest's parents. With younger kids, a child may ask to go home. With older kids, one may need to go home, because they have gotten out of hand. Kids of all ages, can get sick. So be prepared for these emergencies and get the parents' contact information. You will be glad you did.
Decorations: Roll out the red carpet to line the path to your home up the stairs to your front door. You can purchase an inexpensive one ($5.99) from Oriental Trading Company. Get your kids involved in decorating. Have them cut out large stars from yellow construction paper and tape them to the red carpet with double stick tape. Then as the kids arrive, get them to sign their autograph on a star.
A number of on-line vendors have appropriate party decorations and table goods to round out your theme. Check these options out: Slumber Party Theme at Oriental Trading Company,
Sleepover Party at Birthday in a Box, Movie Night Party at Oriental Trading Company, or Personalized Party Package at Birthday Express.
Activities: Invite the "paparazzi" for the big arrival moment. Take photos of each guest signing their red carpet star with your digital camera and you can print them on your computer. Get some simple inexpensive frames before the party and you can give your guests a fabulous commemorative photo when it is time to go home.
After a few games, a snack and birthday cake, start the movie marathon. It is a good idea to choose a movie series, such as the High School Musical trilogy, The Princess Diaries I and II, The Prince and Me trilogy, Shrek I, II and III (IV is currently in theaters) or Toy Story I and II (III will be in theaters soon). If you want something unique, try Anne of Green Gables and Anne of Avonlea. These delightful films feature the plucky orphan of the Lucy Maud Montgomery books of the same name. These DVDs are produced by the Disney Channel, Kevin Sullivan and the CBC. Set up a snack station, so guests can pick out a few snacks during the movies. Popcorn, peanuts, pretzels and miniature boxes of movie candy are natural choices. Here is a simple recipe for kettle corn.
A good time to open the presents is after breakfast, before the parents are scheduled to arrive.
Games: Host an inside scavenger hunt. Create a list of famous people or current events and have teams of party goers try to find them in a stack of magazines.
Organize a trivia game. Prepare trivia questions about movies and movie stars popular with the kids and play a team trivia game.
Play a version of name that tune. Play segments of popular songs from famous movies and get the kids to guess the movies. Give extra points for naming the song. Play in teams so it will be more fun for the kids.
Crafts: Craft projects are a great way to fill time, and they also give guests something to take home. Kids will cherish autographed pillowcases. Buy solid colored ones from a discount store. Give one to each guest and have everyone sign and/or draw pictures on them, using fabric markers or paints. Be sure to insert a piece of cardboard into each case so the markers don't bleed through. Finish cases per marker or paint instructions, so colors will be permanent and not wash out.
Food: A good light snack for this party will be Kapalua Pizzas and Fruit Kabobs. This fare is delicious and should appeal to all. Who doesn't like pizza and fruit. Have your starlets wash the snacks down with sparkling apple juice in champagne glasses. If you fear for your real glasses, disposables are available at party stores.
Breakfast does not have to be complicated to be fun and tasty. Set up a waffle bar with a selection of syrups and toppings. Let everyone make their own unique creation.
Cake: The perfect cake for this party is the Tub of Popcorn Birthday Cake. This cake is easy to make and decorate with directions and templates from Betty Crocker.
Favors: The red carpet pictures and autographed pillowcases will make terrific favors. If you want to do more, consider movie popcorn bags for goodie bags ($3.99/dozen) from Oriental Trading Company. Fill them with an assortment of items, such as miniature boxes of movie candy, glitter pens, glamour sunglasses ($5.99/dozen) from Oriental Trading Company, lip gloss, kids' nail polish, or other fun items.
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