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Go For The Gold With An Olympic Birthday Party

 By Peggy Middendorf

The Olympics may only come once every four years, but any sports-minded child will appreciate an Olympic birthday party. Here are some tips and ideas to make your Olympic party a success.

  An Olympic party can be adapted to the age and skill level of the guests. For example, older children can participate as individuals, but smaller kids may enjoy being part of a team instead.

  Get everyone in the mood early with the invitation. The party is an "Olympic celebration for "; the time of the party is "World record time "; party place is "Olympic stadium at "; each invited child is "Olympic record holder in ...(fill in an event)"; and RSVP to "Confirm lane assignments." Note on the invitation that children need to dress in gym clothes and shoes.

  Decorate the front door with a picture of the five intertwined Olympic rings and the mailbox with red, yellow, blue, green and black balloons. When the children arrive, have them pick their countries from slips of paper in a bowl. Then the kids can take a few minutes to draw a flag for their country. Staple the flags to yardsticks and let them carry them in for the opening ceremonies.

  Older children may enjoy testing their sports know-how with an Olympic trivia game. Questions could be either verbal or written, giving points for all correct answers. Questions can range from "Where were the 2004 summer Olympics held?" to "Who's the world record holder in the 100-yard dash, usually known as the fastest human on Earth?" Having a sports record or trivia book on hand will help avoid the inevitable disagreements.

  The highlight of the party for the children will be participating in different Olympic events. Events can be set up in the backyard, awarding points for each event: five points for first, three points for second and one point for third. Events can include the 10-yard dash, marathon (five times around the house), hurdles, high jump (over a jump rope), balance beam (2 x 4 board laid on the ground), floor exercises (on a padded floor or mat), swimming (twice across the pool), equestrian race (using stick ponies or rocking horses), obstacle course, cycling race (with tricycles), weight lifting (use two-gallon milk jugs attached to a long dowel), shot put (Frisbee) and relay races. Many of these events can be modified so they do not require extraordinary athletic skill, giving everyone a fair chance. Events that have clear winners instead of being judged might seem fairer to small children.

  Some younger girls may prefer a demonstration-type party. They could try out one of the newer Olympic events: Rhythmic Gymnastics. This sport involves twirling hoops and long, flowing ribbons. Let the girls put on their own demonstration by buying Hula Hoops and making your own ribbon apparatus. Simply tie an 8- to 10-foot long piece of ribbon (2-inch-wide ribbons looks best) to small sections of dowels. Turn on music and let the children swirl their ribbons in different designs to the music.

  Gold, silver and bronze medals (cut from felt or construction paper) can be awarded at the end of each event along with an overall winner and special prizes for the countries that accumulate the most points at the end of the festivities. Remember the Olympic spirit: Everyone who participates is a winner and should have a prize to prove it. Look for sports-related presents at the local sports shop including pencils and note pads with team insignias, stickers, baseball or football trading cards, mini-soccer or volleyballs, Frisbees or swimming goggles.

  Be sure to allow plenty of time for refreshments, depending on the time of year, weather conditions and degree of difficulty associated with the events chosen. Gatorade is the athlete's drink of choice; ice cream or sherbet in red, white and blue would lend a patriotic theme; and the cake should have the Olympic rings or gold, silver and bronze medals. Gold-covered chocolate "coins," silver-covered chocolate kisses and bronze-colored pennies (even though they're made from copper) would make nice goodie bag stuffers.

  A wind-down for the day's activities might be DVD-viewing of the 2004 Olympics or another sports highlight film such as a World Series or Super Bowl game. Children always enjoy watching the professionals.

  An Olympic theme party will be one that your child will treasure until at least the next Olympics in 2012.

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Mobile Fun: Buses Bring the Party to You

By Laura Kujubu

There is a new genre in unique birthday party venues: buses. Based in Sacramento, The Busy Bus rolls up to your house and lets your guests enjoy activities such as video gaming, gymnastics and magic, animal and puppet shows.

  The Busy Bus owner David Carpenter was looking for a "fresh angle" on what had become a highly competitive event rental market. So he decided convert 40-foot city metro buses into brightly colored party venues.

  "I look at it like a mobile education and fitness facility that can adapt to a wide range of ages," says Carpenter, who was formerly an inflatable party rental business owner. The Bus is an interior space that completely mutates depending on the need; it can be a variety of things."

  For example, The Busy Bus "Park & Play" mobile video gaming and slumber party bus includes gaming consoles such as Xbox 360, Playstation 3 and Nintendo Wii, with games played on 32-inch flat-panel LCD televisions. The buses are also loaded with interactive party games including Rockband, Guitar Hero 3, American Idol and SingStar karaoke.

  Then The Busy Bus "Mobile Tumbling Fun" bus features education, entertainment and fitness programs. There is a weekly gymnastics program geared toward local preschools, and classes take place on the bus in front of the school. Equipment on board includes items such as a kids rock climbing wall, a zip line from the front to the back of the bus, foam wedges, monkey bars, balance beams and trampolines.

  In addition to the fun the buses bring to kids and their guests, The Busy Bus presents a huge plus for parents.

  "We bring the party back to the house, but with the convenience of not having the party in your house," Carpenter says. "It's an air-conditioned, fully functioning party space."

For more information on The Busy Bus, go to www.thebusybus.com or call 530-400-6415. _________________________________________________________________________________________________

Twelve Easy Steps to a Great Kid Party Video
by Patricia Jensen

PREPARATION:

1. Familiarize yourself with your camera by thoroughly reading the owner's manual. A complete knowledge of your cameras features will help you to get the most out of your equipment and produce a more professional looking final product.

2. Charge your batteries in advance, one to record the action and a back-up battery as well. Theres nothing worse than being out of juice when the party action starts!

3. Do a sound and video check before filming the actual party activities. Check for distracting noise which could ruin the quality of your video, such as air conditioners, fans, televisions and radios. (The noise of your kids party will be quite enough!) Shoot a minute or so of film, rewind and view it to be sure the camera is operating efficiently.

4. Lighting is key to an attractive and viewable video. When taking the shot, be sure that the major light source is behind you. If the light is behind the subject, s/he will be shadowed. Position yourself and your camera between the light source and the subject.

If there is a large window in your party area, pull the shades or curtains to block out background light. You can also keep bright backlighting out of the picture by keeping the camera zoomed in on your subject. You might also activate the "back light button", if your camera has one, to lessen the window
glare.

COMPOSITION:

5. Compose by using the zoom feature, before you start rolling tape. Set the buttons where they need to be in advance, so you have only to flick the "on" switch to be ready to videotape.

6. Follow the rule of thirds. Dont place the most important picture element in the center of the screen. Position the camera so the center of attention is in the top or lower third of the viewfinder. Be sure to keep the tops of peoples heads near the top of the viewfinder.

7. Keep the background simple to minimize visual distractions. Avoid shadows and other objects that may appear to "grow out of peoples heads".

FILMING:

8. Begin your video by stating the birthday event and date. Continue narration as the video progresses; interviewing guests and talking about the party games, food and other party topics will make a more interesting video.

9. Make sure to hold the camera steady while filming. Hold your elbows close to your body and avoid walking around. Imagine your camcorder is a full cup of coffee you dont want to spill and move accordingly.

10. Keep your average shot length at approximately 10 seconds. This means keeping the shot steady without panning or zooming for a count of ten. Count quietly to yourself as a reminder, until you refine your technique. Similarly, when you do pan or zoom, do so slowly to avoid the videocamera going out of focus.

11. Set up the videocamera on a tripod to record ongoing events when party action is set in one location, such as at the party table for cake and ice cream, or when guests are gathered together for the opening of gifts.

This technique gives the viewer the perspective of being a "fly on the wall" with a panoramic view of all the party events.

12. Capture candid moments by being inconspicuous in your filming. Small "snapshots" of unposed moments the best video memories.

Let shaky videos and shaken confidence become a thing of the past. The more you practice these 12 easy steps, the better the quality of your kid videos. Whether documenting a birthday party or other special event, your videography services will soon be in high demand!

Patricia B. Jensen is a mother of three and kids party enthusiast. She is the webmaster and owner of Kids-Party-Paradise.com - a complete resource for kids party ideas including invitations, cakes, decorations, games, costumes, favors, and food. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Patricia_Jensen