FEATURE: 12 party ideas for young kids

Birthdays are no longer cake and fizzy drinks. Children expect art and craft and cooking classes, puppets, magic shows and even menageries, says John Hearne

HAVE you promised your little darling a birthday party? Post Celtic-Tiger Ireland offers a range of children’s entertainment. Here are 12 of the best alternative parties.

Get on the Bus

Don’t fancy having your house destroyed by 15 six-year-olds? Hire a double-decker party bus and let them mess in that. Absolute Limos in Dublin offer the Kids Party Bus, a mobile activity centre. It parks outside your house and caters for 15 three- to nine-year-olds. Two hours on the weekend will cost €250; or €200 on weekdays. Kidsplaybus.ie runs a similar operation in Limerick. Their weekend rate is €230 for 15 children, or €200 on a weekday.

Cuddle a Snake

If a herd of seven-year-olds isn’t wild enough, up the number of animals with the Animal Madness party package. They will bring Peppa and Toe Toe, the bearded dragons, Millie and Lillie, the giant millipedes, and Rosie the tarantula. They also stock turtles, tortoises, scorpions and snakes, rabbits, guinea pigs and hamsters. Animal Madness serve the west coast, and charge €120 for a 1½ to two-hour session.

GO TO POT

Crafty Hands, in Midleton, Co Cork, run clay-work and ceramic painting sessions for children aged two upwards. It costs €20 per child for 2½ hours, or €18 for ten or more kids. Minimum group size is 8. If you can’t go to their studio, they’ll bring the fun to your house.

Ballymorris Pottery in Cratloe, Co Clare offer similar for €120 for 1½ hours. More than eight children is €12 surcharge per additional child. Creative Ceramic Studio also operate a mobile ‘paint your pottery’ studio based out of Celbridge, Co Kildare. Prices start from €7 per child, with a minimum group size of 5.

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PUPPETS

The ancient entertainment remains hugely popular. Puppeteers are available for parties all round the country — incorporating balloon work and face-painting in their shows. Julie-Rose McCormick operates on the east coast and, depending on travel distance, she charges €100 for week-days, €120 for weekend mornings, and €150 for weekend afternoons.

GET INTO THE KITCHEN

Mini Chefs, operating in the midlands/east, will visit your home and coach the children in creating and decorating party food. They supply everything, from utensils and ingredients to aprons, and give each child a cert and a prize.

Parties run for 1 ½ hours and are aimed at children aged 5 to 13. Groups of up to 22 cost €185 for the first ten, with an additional per-child charge dependent on the menu.

Pizza Parties are in Dublin, but will travel further afield. They teach children how to make pizzas. Best of all, they clean up afterwards. Prices average €150 for 12 kids.

BLOW UP THE HOUSE

Well, hopefully not. Scien-tastic, in Wexford, offer 1½ hours of chemical reactions, explosive experiments and slime. ‘Children become real scientists and discover the joy of science through high-energy, hands-on, interactive experiments.’ Though aimed at 6- to 12-year-olds, activities are adapted to suit age groups within that.

Scien-tastic will travel to your home or venue, and provide all materials and equipment. Operating anywhere within 2½ hours of Wexford, each session costs between €150 and €200, depending on the package. Hands On Science, in Cork, also offer a children’s science party, charging €160 for 1½ hours for up to 15 children — each additional child will cost €8.50.

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GET CREATIVE

Party Pot, which operates around the country, offer a range of art-and-craft activities, which they will co-ordinate in your home. Prices start from €150 for 12 children for 1½ hours.

Artzone, in Dublin, also offer a great alternative for creative party children. They have a range of themed Artzone Party Boxes, each of which contains everything you need to run a party. The themes range from fashion to carnival, and, as part of the pack, you get a hotline number to call, if things go wrong. The packs are priced at €99.

GO OFFSITE

The recession has prompted hundreds of venues around the country to put together a children’s party package. Some — like Thomond Park in Limerick — you wouldn’t think of as a children’s party venue, while others, like Dublin Zoo, have a long history of catering to the needs of small party-goers. In between, there are a wide range of open farms, activity centres, parish halls, gyms, pools, museums, sports clubs and cinemas that have put together competitively priced offers.

GET DIRTY

Sow and Grow, in Limerick, offer children a horticultural experience, tailored to suit the seasons. There are a variety of activities on offer, from making bird feeders, in February, to planting strawberries, in April. Packages start at €75 per party, plus €3.50 per child for supplies, which include plant, pot, compost, labels, stickers, and so on. Instead of a goody bag, each child gets a plant to take home.

THEMED FUN

Pirate parties, princess parties, pamper parties, soccer parties, dinosaur parties … The range of professional entertainers will theme the party to suit the boy or girl of the moment.

For example, Firefly Parties and Events, in Waterford, offer the Popstar Party, featuring nail art, making your own VIP pass, interactive games, disco lights and karaoke. Prices for a two-hour bash start at €120.

GET THEM TO DISAPPEAR

Magic is another perennial favourite at children’s parties, and there are plenty of great options. Veteran magician, Paul Beattie, offers his highly rated show for €150, for one hour.

Cork-based Magic Mark offers a one-hour show that includes 40 minutes of magic, followed by 20 minutes of fun and games or balloon modelling. He charges €125 per session. Dublin-based Paul Redmond offers a combination of magic, puppets, and balloons in his party package, starting from a competitive €99 for a mid-week show.

RUN THEM OFF THEIR FEET

FitKids run a team of entertainers, spread around the country, who’ll transform your home into a mini gym with a variety of props and balls. They’ll co-ordinate about 1¼ hours of fun for your party guests, leaving them fit for nothing, only the bed, afterwards.

HOPEFULLY.

They’ll also theme the party, if required — offering everything from princesses to pirates. Prices vary around the country, but start from €120.