My son was very much into Thomas and trains in general so it was a very natural and easy choice to have a train party. There is a lot of Thomas merchandise available, along with many other licensed brands but I much preferred to decorate and theme the party around a few basic colours.
Above is the invitation I created for Caleb's party and below, the ticket for their entry to the party- with string tied on so it could be worn around their necks. I loved the idea of the kids presenting a ticket stub to be "torn" at entry but with staggered arrivals and having no one spare to be the ticketmaster I went with a different option. These tickets were included with their invitation, to bring on the day but I did have a container of spare tickets at the door just in case!
I loved the combination of the colours in the red, white and blue tones. These colours were carried through into the decor of the party table and other decorations, which made a simple but effective backdrop to the party.
This beautiful bunting was a great addition to the party decor, made for me by a friend who created it to match the colours I had chosen. Obviously if you have the talent and the time, you could easily whip one up yourself to suit your occasion! I am sure my sewing machine seizes up in fear when I walk by and I was pretty time poor when I was needing this done so I took the easy option and got someone to do it for me! Once made, you have a beautiful decorating tool to use again, again and again when it suits. Great item that can also be lent out for friends and family to borrow for their parties too!
Sorry, I know the above photo is a bit dark but don't have any brighter ones of the whole table....only tricky bit about placing your party table in front of a window....I was rushing and didn't realise I needed the flash on for the first few pics!
** TIP** Think about the placement of your party table for things like lighting and photo's but also for your decor items. I would have had my table on the other side of the room with the brick pillars to frame, but unfortunately the bunting wasn't long enough to fasten around them! Darn!! So think ahead! **
Water is a great option for drinks at a child's party as well as an adults. Usually they're running around non stop, so it's better for keeping them well hydrated than other sugary options. And you can add cool, themed labels to the water bottles too. Mell created these graphics for me and I used them on the water bottles (as above) and also on the bubbles bottles. Have a texta handy to write kids names on, give them a funky paper straw and the kids will think they're Kings!
It's great if you can incorporate another level- or even two, into your party table. I picked up this idea from Mell and the first brithday party for her daughter that she created. It was a beautiful table with draping fabric across a window and varying levels to create an interesting and eye catching display. I haven't done it nearly as beautifully but I was still pretty happy with the result! It gives you a place to elevate and emphasise certain elements, like balloons or pictures of the birthday child, or even jars of appropriately coloured lollies.
You can use things from around the house as your "building blocks". I used some toy containers! Super easy and of course no expense!
To suit the theme, I used Station labels to mark the activity areas. A really easy and fun activity to cater for all ages is a colouring table. Pages obviously chosen in theme....for this party I found a great bunch of Thomas character pages- and all FREE!! There are heaps of sites with free colouring pages....just get your google on and get hunting!
Train stamps..........all the way from the USA!! Thanks Nay! We send birthday boxes across to each other each year so it was just a matter of including something else....not a separate expense. These are perfect for kids and they LOVED using them!! I just had the parents help supervise their own kids as they "created" so it wasn't a big drama adding paint into the equation. I had plenty of oversized shirts to protect their own clothing and a plastic cover on the outdooor table. All the paint was the washable kind too.
Also at this station they got to paint some wooden trains that I had stuck magnets on-so they had a nifty fridge magnet to take home if they wanted to.
Story Station!! A great way to bring them all together and calm them down a little before sending them home. Have a story teller picked out beforehand and give yourself the chance to sit back and enjoy watching their beautiful faces as they listen to a theme suited story!
Another station label- "check-in" at the entrance. I just used plain old wooden pegs to stand the signs up with. Super easy and super cheap!
Bubbles! What kid doesn't like bubbles!??!?! Some fun for the party or to take home! Using the labels again here that Mell created. Containers like the ones above can be found for an absolute steal at Red Dot- or for those not in WA, your local dollar or thrift store. They are great to have and I have used them multiple times since, so a great return for a very small investment!
We set this up as an activity that kids could do in between other things or for those that just weren't into the group activity thing! Only limited by the space available and your imagination.
THE CAKE!!
All credit to hubby for creating this one, I barely helped- too busy getting everything else ready this time! Worked out beautifully and it STILL gets talked about by the birthday boy so we must have done something right!
How cool is the train track?! Simply just popsticks and licorice! Easy peasy!
And last but not least, a train style party favour! Get some drink holders from your local fast food outlet ....I got them for free!! YAY! I added a cup to one end (the taller end of the train- I know it has a proper name but I don't know it!!) and a cupcake wrapper for the front part. Popcorn in the cup and a few stickers, blowers, a balloon and a boy/girl toy in the stripey cupcake holder. I added one lollipop but otherwise just a fun favour without too much additional sugar to what's already been potentially consumed at the party.
The Birthday boy blowing out his four candles, on the four carriages of his super cool train cake!
Happiness all round!
