Sock Hop Tea Party 8yr - Name that Tune

All the food, games/activities, decorations, and prizes were created in the 1950's. The colors for the party were pink, black, and white.

INVITATIONS:  I bought pink Frisbee-type flying discs from the Dollar store.  On my computer I created invitations that read:  Hey you Cool Cat, you're invited to a rockin' 1950's Sock Hop Tea Party.  Dust off your poodle skirt and brush up on your Hula Hoop skills' cause it's gonna to be like crazy, man! Don't be a Square, be there:   date and time Pad:  address I added 1950's themed clip-art, cut it into a circle, and glued it into the outside of the frisbee. 

DECORATIONS:  My party was held in a party room.  This was a tea party, so half the room was set up with tables and the other half was open space for party games.  There were 4 round tables that each sat 4.  On each table:  a tea pot as a centerpiece that was filled with pink flowers, one pink table cloth, 4 black square plates, 4 pink plastic margarita glasses filled with Cocoa Puffs (created in the '50s), 1 pink plate filled with Pillsbury cookies (refrigerated, rolled cookie dough-'50s), 4 pink napkins with a candy necklace as the holder (candy necklace created in the 50s), 1 pink champaign glass filled with pink M and M's ( The M was printed on the candy in the 50s), and 4 favor bags. 

Each chair had a pink, black, and white balloon.  I bought a record player garland at the party store and hung it in the entryway.  I framed pictures of popular singers and hollywood stars to the walls and lined the walls with  a black and white pennant garland. I put a jukebox cut in the corner. 

GAMES:  The first game we played was Name That Tune-a popular TV show in the 50's.  We played while the girls ate at the tables.  Each table represented a team and in the tea pot, amongst the flowers, I put a styrofoam square in the bottom the the pot, stuck a wooden skewer through it and taped a homemade paper record to the skewer.  On each record was a different team: Team Elvis Presley, Team Buddy Holly, Team Little Richard, and Team Jerry Lee Lewis.  I played snippets from current songs and they had to guess the song.  The winning team received slinkys.  The second game was a bubble gum blowing contest.  Once again, they did this at their table.  I gave them 5 minutes to chew the gum, then each table went one at a time.  The winner from each table competed, and the winner received Chicklets (created in the 50s).

The third game was Hot Rod Four Corners.  I taped one of 4 classic cars created in the 50s in each corner.  I made a giant fuzzy die out of a box and furry fabric.  On four of the sides, I glued a the same car that was taped to the corners.  On the remaining two sides read, Roll again. I played 50s music and the girls danced.  When the music stops, they must run to a corner.  I roll the die and the car I roll matches a corner, the girls in that corner are out.  You play until there is one winner. 

We played 3 games and I gave out a Mr. Potato Head, a Whiffle Ball and bat, and a Barbie.  The next game we played was a dance contest.  I taught the girls some 1950's dances such as:  The Mashed Potato, The Twist, The Hand Jive, The Pony, The Swim, and the Cha Cha.  They girls could dance in pairs if they wanted.  They were told to dance the best they could, but if they were tapped on the shoulder, they were out.  The winning couple received a trophy and a Tea Set.  I video taped the dance contest.  The final game was a Hula Hoop contest.  The girl who could Hula the longest was the winner and received Legos.

ACTIVITIES:  We played two non-competitive activities.  First, we did the chicken dance.  I downloaded the hamster chicken dance on my ipod and played that one.  The kids like the hamster version, but if you can't find it, the regular one is fun too.  The second activity was called, If I was a kid in the 50's I bought the nastiest candy made from the 50's that I thought these kids probaby haven't eaten.  I got enough for 16 kids and we sat in a circle and taste tested the candy.  The kids voted if they liked it or not but the best part was their reactions.  The candy I bought was:  Good n Plenty, JuJubees, Neccowafters, Cherry Bombs, Sixlets, and Nik L Nip-those are the juice filled wax bottles. 

PARTY SNACKS:  All the food was created from the 50's in some way.  I had 3 table covered in black table cloths.  I also had platters that varied in size and heights.  I served crustless cheese sandwiches that were sliced in half.  (Wonderbread was popular in the 50's and presliced cheese was introduced in the 50s).  I served Cheez Whiz and crackers (Cheez Whiz was created in the 50s), chips and dip (the chip and dip bowl was created in the 50s).  I found black and white polka dot cupcake liners at Michaels and made pink cupcakes (Dunkin Hines created box cake mix in the 50s). 

I made a waffle appetizer with the mini frozen Eggo waffles, apples and bananas, and redi whip (Eggo frozen waffles were created in the 50s).  I skewered dunkin donut munchkins (Dunkin' Donuts was founded in the 50s).  I made Twinkie Sushi by cutting Twinkies in half, sticking sliced Swedish Fish in the cream center, and wrapping them in a fruit roll up (Japanese food was introduced in the US in the 50's).  I found some small pink glasses and filled them with Tang.  The kids drank Coke, Dr. Pepper and Lipton Iced Tea ( All were popular or created in the 50s).  On the third table, I had a rootbeer float bar with redi whip, rootbeer float sauce found at Walmart, cherries, and sprinkles.  The kids drank their floats while they watched themselves doing the dance constest.  I decorated the tables with the food I served with their relevance to the 50's such as: the Cheez Whiz bottle and the Dunkin Hines box.  I used real vinyl records and coasters and balloons.

FAVORS:  At their place setting I had pink gift bags with black and white polka dot tissue paper found at Target.  On my computer, I found pictures of famous actresses from the 50s.  I copied the pics to a word document and wrote a brief caption under the picture, and cut and glued them to each bag.  Some actresses included: Lucille Ball, Sandra Dee, Dorothy Dandgrige, Lena Horne, Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor, Katherine and Audrey Hepburn, Greta Garbo, Vivien Leigh, Judy Garland, Sohpia Loren, Rita Haywood, Bette Davis and Joanne Woodward.  The bags consisted of:  a mechanical pencil, Crayola crayons, wax lips, silly putty, play dough, Bazooka Joe gum, sugar daddies, Atomic Bombs, Now Laters, Pez, totsie rolls, salt water taffy, and rootbeer barrels.