Check other birthday party locations!
Every year when your child's birthday rolls around, you're faced with
decisions for keeping a group of kids interested in engaged: Should you have your birthday party at home or move the whole thing off site? What options are
available for an energetic crowd, beyond the usual swim or bowling
party? Keep reading, because we've come up with a list of fresh birthday party
ideas to get you started.
Pump It Up.
You know that really active group of kids? The ones you won't let in
your house at the same time? Bring 'em here. At Kirkland's Pump It Up,
you go to the bouncies -- they don't come to you. Kids can jump in the
play version of a padded cell to their hearts' content, accompanied by
the beat of popular music. Optional
birthday goody bags, pizza/soda and balloons are available for an extra cost.
Parents and children under 2 attend for free and aren't included in the
guest limit. 425-820-2297, www.pumpitupparty.com.
All That Dance.
Older kids dig the hip hop and swing dance birthday parties offered by this
dance studio in Seattle's Wedgwood neighborhood. Parents of younger
children can work with instructors to set a party theme for dance,
music and art activities in the studio's airy space, equipped with
performance-quality floating floors. 206-524-8944, www.all-that-dance.com.
Art Studios.
Kids almost universally love the chance to dive into art projects, and
our region boasts plenty of small, neighborhood-based studios with
distinct personalities. At Spill the Paint Art Studio in Sammamish,
birthday parties include a photo for every child with the studio's resident pet
goats (www.spillthepaint.com,
425-269-4703). Ceramics studio Fayezart, in Seattle's Ballard
neighborhood, is located next to a charming neighborhood park where
kids can play after working on a clay project (206-719-4207). At Roaring Mouse Creative Arts Studio, in
Seattle, kids can play
with toys and musical instruments if they tire of their projects.
(206-522-1187, www.roaringmouse.org)
NuCulinary.
A cooking party gives kids a chance to eat, experiment with tasty,
messy ingredients and feel grown up, all at once. The West
Seattle–based cooking school offers cooking birthday parties at your
house, but also has access to off-site party locations in Seattle, on
the Eastside, and in the South Sound. The parties, for gradeschoolers
and up, can be customized according to your child's tastes and
interests; popular themes include ethnic foods, English tea and baking
parties. Pricing is variable, call for quotes. 206-932-3855, www.nuculinary.com.
Whirly Ball.
Guests hop into a nimble, bumper car-like vehicle and try to fling
whiffle balls, using a plastic scoop, into goals on either end of the
court. The three birthday party packages at this Edmonds sports complex include
an hour of the game and an ice cream cake; higher-priced packages
include pizza, soda and other add-ons. Pricing depends on number of
guests and party day; look online for a calculator. Children must be at
least 8 years old or 48" tall. 425-672-3332, www.whirlyball.net.
Imagine Children's Museum.
Parents living south of Everett may not fully realize that the old
Children's Museum in Snohomish County has been transformed into a
spiffy new space complete with a play downtown, tree house and wildlife
clinic, plus activities from PBS' long-running show for kids, "ZOOM."
The bright party rooms feature a throne where the birthday kid can be
king or queen for the day. 425-258-1006, www.ImagineCM.org.
Farrel-McWhirter Park.
If you have a pony-mad kid but can't imagine bringing a horse to your
backyard, check out the birthday party package at this Redmond park, which
includes a children's animal farm. The fee includes a party space -- indoors or at a picnic table
-- plus pony rides for up to 12 kids weighing 50 lbs. and under. Farm
tours (ages 2-10) and wagon rides (ages 2-10) are also available in
place of the pony rides. A "birthday kit," which includes down-home
activities such as a bale of hay and wooden milking cow, is included in
the package. Reserve in person at the Old Redmond Schoolhouse Community
Center, 16600 N.E. 80 St., 425-556-2386, www.ci.redmond.wa.us.
Renton Community Center.
The center offers reasonably priced packages for kids of various ages,
including the "Bounce Around Birthday" for ages 3-6, which includes one
hour in the racquetball court with hula hoops, balls and an inflatable
bouncy, or the "Good Sport Package,"
which gives kids 7 and up an hour in the gym for basketball or
volleyball. Party size limit is 25
guests, and you provide all of the food and decorations. Call
425-430-6700 for reservations, or visit www.ci.renton.wa.us.
Ben & Jerry's.
The ice cream emporium with the hippie vibe is also a cool place to
have a birthday party. Packages include a party room, video about ice cream
production, decorated ice cream cake, store tour (including a walk into
the large, incredibly cold deep freezer), ice cream tasting,
waffle-cone making by the birthday child and a tie-dying activity. All ages. To locate the store nearest you, visit www.benjerry.com.
Sidebar:
Brighter Birthday Club -- Learning about Philanthropy Starts Early.
For many parents, birthday parties present a chance to wrestle with the
dilemma of honoring their child's special day without spoiling them
with too much stuff.
ParentMap National Account Manager Laura Glass was turned off by some
of the displays of wealth she witnessed at children's birthday parties
attended by her daughter Sophie. When Glass began planning Sophie's
fifth birthday last December, she knew she wanted to do something
different. "Sophie has her birthday, Christmas and Hannukah all in the
same month," she says. Glass and husband Kevin Harris wanted to avoid
turning their child into a glassy-eyed robot ripping mechanically
through mounds of gifts. Most important, they wanted her to understand
that their family's abundance is not the status quo for everyone.
Inspired by family friends, Glass contacted the Brighter Birthday Club,
a non-profit that works with six local social service agencies to
harness the power of birthday party gift-giving. Parents sign up and
choose one of the agencies that will benefit; the club provides
invitations that contain information about a child and a list of that
child's needs. Instead of bringing a gift for the birthday child,
guests are asked to bring a present to be donated to the child on their
invitation. The birthday family delivers the gifts to their chosen
agency after the party, and the agency distributes the gifts to the
children.
Glass didn't want to force this type of party on her daughter. She was
prepared to introduce the idea another year if Sophie wasn't completely
on board. Sophie, however, was eager to participate. "We were waiting
for some fallout because a 5-year-old has a short attention span, and we
wondered how she would react when she saw...presents going somewhere
else," Glass notes. There was no problem, however, because she did
receive presents from her family, and she had already seen practical
philanthropy modeled by her parents. The experience has increased her
daughter's awareness of the world and has furthered their family's
discussion about money, Glass says.
There were some negative reactions from other parents. Not everyone
agrees that a child's birthday party should be used to collect gifts
for charity, and some people wondered if Sophie really understood what
she was doing. Sophie, however, says, "Next birthday I'll have presents
just for me and the next birthday (after that) I'll do it again."
For more information visit www.brighterbirthday.com.
