Nutcracker Ballet -5yr- Ornament Making

My daughter wanted princesses, fairies and ballerinas for her birthday! So we decided that the Nutcracker ballet was the perfect idea for her 5th birthday party!!

INVITATIONS: I made an invitation in the shape of a ballerina costume complete with a real tutu made from tulle. Come dance and twirl with the birthday girl! Day, time, location, RSVP on one side. On the other side was written We'd like to invite your little ballerina to join us in the Land of Sweets to celebrate X's 5th birthday" Please come in leotard and tights- we will supply the tutus!

DECORATIONS: The decorations were a pastel Christmas theme. The entrance was decorated to look like a gingerbread house. Since her birthday is in December it was easy to decorate the whole house with pastel Christmas decorations. A few of the highlights were snowflake ballerinas hanging all over the house beautiful ballet ornaments hanging there was a clothes line with all the tutus hung neatly in a row and the dessert table with was lavendar and silver with a Ballerina Silhouette with a real tulle tutu on a silver background as a backdrop.

ACTIVITIES/GAMES: When the girls arrived they got to put on their tutus and were escorted to a table to color their own Nutcracker ornament (OTC). When everyone had arrived we went and took a group picture in front of the gingerbread house entrance! So cute!

Then they came into the main room where they each got to make their own gingerbread house (one of the highlights of the evening!!). I had tons of different kinds of candies sprinkles cereals cookies decorating gel pens and other things to decorate their houses with. When they had finished their gingerbread houses I read them the story of the Nutcracker (a beautifully illustrated children's book I found. While I read they were able to decorate their own sticker story board (OTC). After the story they had a ballet lesson. I cleared out a room to make a huge open space for them to have a ballet lesson. A friend taught the girls some simple positions stretches and dance moves. They loved it!

They were so happy about this part of the evening! When they were done we took a break for dinner. After dinner we played Mouse King Bowling- they had to knock over the Mouse-pins with a ballet slipper just like Clara had done in the story. Then we played freeze dance. After this we opened presents. After presents they had cake. By then all the parents had arrived.

COSTUMES: My daughters wore black leotards and slippers and the tutus my mother had made all the girls. All the invitees wore the lavendar tutus we gave them. I even wore a tutu apron. My son wore a very simple nutcracker style outfit and a hat I had made him. Snacks: All the food was themed. The colors were pastels. I made candy sprinkle popcorn ballet slipper cookies sugar plum fairy wands (brownie pops with fairy wands as the stick) grapes potatoe chips mouse sandwiches (with almond for ears a cherry for a nose clove eyes and a licorice tail) ballet dress shaped sandwiches and labeled drinks to match. There were also pastel candies in jars. I made forks that looked like little ballet skirts out of cupcake liners and all the plastic ware was silver and lavendar.

CAKE: The cake was actually 3 different sets of cupcakes. I made one set of 6 chocolate chip cupcakes with Ballerina cupcake toppers with ballerina silhouettes and real tulle tutus one set of 6 vanilla cupcakes shaped like gingerbread houses and one cupcake-cake that was shaped like the nutcracker! He was beautiful!!! 

FAVORS: For favors the girls got to bring home their tutu their nutcracker ornaments their gingerbread houses their sticker activity sheet a pack of nutcracker shaped candies (OTC) their sugar plum fairy wand and some gingerbread stickers. The favorite favor was the tutu! They were all so excited to keep them! It was a great party and my daughter was truly thrilled with the result which is the best part!"