Barbie and the Diamond Castle Party - 3yr  

After watching this movie (which I admit I actually enjoyed as well), my youngest daughter decided that her next party should be a Barbie and the Diamond Castle party.  The first place that I checked was this site, because I've used many ideas for previous parties.  However, I found nothing specific to this movie (it's just out this month). I'm on my own for this one, which will be co-ed (boy cousins and friends). Here's what we've decided to do.

INVITATION: For the invitation, we are making a small (4 in x 5 in) birthday coloring book out of light-weight card stock using script on left side and printouts of free online coloring pages (mostly Barbie) on the right (we'll include an 8 pack of crayons decorated with diamond castle stickers).  The front page is a full-color picture from the movie and says in script: Join (birthday girl's name) on a birthday adventure to save the Diamond Castle from the evil Lydia and her flying serpent, Slider.  Next page a picture of Barbie in a garden: The quest will begin at (time) on (date) at the (last name) Gardens, (address).  Next page (picture of Barbie and Ken dressed as royalty): Please come dressed in your royal or knightly garb. Last page (picture of knight slaying a dragon): and be prepared to battle an evil troll and dragon!   

DECORATIONS: my dad is using a large carpet roll cut in half and heavy weight cardboard to create a garden gate to his multi-purpose room, where many of the activities will occur.  I will decorate the gate and room with tissue flowers and butterflies and use plastic flower table clothes for the craft activity.  While we are out finding the dogs, friends will replace the gate flowers with a tavern sign and remove the flowers & table clothes from the room. Later while we are outside fighting the troll and dragon, they'll replace the gate with paper maché stones and place blue table clothes on the tables. 

COSTUMES:  I typically plan my daughter's parties from 6 months to a year in advance, so that I have time to check seasonal clearance racks.  I will check after Halloween sales for Liana and Alexa costumes for my daughters and adult costumes for my helpers and myself: Lydia, 2 muses (1 blue & 1 purple Greek goddess), innkeeper, waitress, troll, and Melody (I'll also make a large hand-held type mirror frame to wear during most of the party).  

ACTIVITIES:  The activities, food, games, cake, and even present opening will follow along with the story line of the movie, and I've chosen some key scenes for these party events, with some minor adjustments so that both boys and girls will be able to participate in all of the games and activities. 1ST: I will play Melody, and will open the scene describing the magic stones that Liana and Alexia found and made into necklaces that would help protect them from Lydia's spells. I tell the boys that, like Jeremy and Ian, they will also need swords for their protection.  The girls will receive heart necklaces and boys will receive swords as their first favors.

2ND: I'll then tell them that Liana and Alexia shared their lunch with a poor, hungry woman who in return gave the girls this mirror, unaware that I was hiding inside of it!  I'll then say that my name is Melody, and I will give the guests a synopsis of Melody's description from the movie (in first person, since I'm playing Melody). I'll tell how Lydia wanted all power and music for herself and so turned the muses to stone, how I became trapped in the mirror, and how I believe that playing the muses' instruments will undo Lydia's spells.  I'll then ask for their help in the quest.  When they agree, I'll tell them that they'll need a basket to carry the treasures and tools that we find on the way.  They'll decorate a premade heavy-weight cardstock basket with foam stickers (flowers, princess, knight & dragon stickers) and glitter pen for names. 3rd: We'll take our baskets and leave the party room on our quest (while helpers transform it into a tavern), I'll tell them I hear something and ask them if it's a snake.  They'll look under a log made of brown butcher paper, to find little stuffed puppies, one for each guest. I'll ask them if they have room in their baskets for a little traveler, and I'm sure they'll agree.   

PARTY SNACKS: Next, we'll go back to the door of the party room, where they'll smell drumsticks and mashed potatoes (the dinner Barbie and her friends sang for in the movie).  I'll ask them if they're hungry, and then I'll tell them they have no money to buy the food.  Just then, my father as the tavern owner will come to the door and offer them a job singing in exchange for their dinner. They'll sing the God is great blessing and will be served by the tavern keeper and waitress (my mom and dad).   

GAMES: After dinner, we'll go outside for the games. 1ST: We'll find a bridge (a slide) that will take us to the seven stones.  My husband will play the troll (with a sword) who will tell the guests that thy must answer his riddle before crossing his bridge, and if they get it wrong, he'll eat them and their dogs for dinner! He'll ask the kids the troll's riddle from the movie, they'll give the answer, and they'll all slide down (the boys may want to battle him with their swords first to completely destroy him, & we'll have some water balloons filled with poison potion for the girls to use).  2ND: We'll come to the dragon piñata, and I (Melody) will say, oh no there's Slider. Everyone take turns and try to destroy him! I'm not a big fan of piñatas, the tears over she/he got more and the whole idea of a six year old blindly swinging a large bat, but my daughter's been begging me for years, and one fits so nicely here, I've caved.  This dragon will hold Blue and Purple Easter eggs (large and small of each color) for the two muses.  The large eggs will hold fruit snacks (purple ones will hold Barbie princess & blue ones will hold dinosaur i.e. dragons of old if I can't find dragon fruit snacks). The small size will hold stickers (purple: diamond castle & blue: dragons). The piñata bat will be a stick sword, and instead of a blindfold, we'll use a toy knight helmet with the flap down and all eyeholes and cracks closed with duct tape. Once Slider is defeated, the guest will be able to get one egg of each size, purple for girls & blue for boys. 

CAKE: After slaying Slider, we'll go back to the party room, which now has 7 paper maché stones at its entrance.  I'll say here's where the diamond castle is hidden, and my song holds its key!  Let's all sing happy birthday to the birthday girl, and see if it will reveal the Diamond Castle. As the kids sing, my mom will bring out the sheet cake with green and blue frosting for grass and waters, with a blue castle toy with diamond jewel stickers as the topper.  Then my mother will show them a basket with recorder flutes, and we'll tell the kids that those are the muse’s instruments.  Lydia (a friend) will enter, and I'll tell everyone, Oh no, quickly play the muses instruments, so we can defeat her.  Lydia will pretend to turn to stone as they play, I'll shed the mirror frame, and the muses (2 more friends) will enter.  The muses will thank the guests for their help in defeating Lydia and freeing them and pronounce them princesses and princes of music. We'll serve cake as the guests take turns being crowned by the muses as the birthday girl opens each child's gift, after which the two will pose for a picture with the muses, the next child will come up, etc.   

FAVORS: heart necklace (girls), swords (boys), basket craft, stuffed dog, Large and small dragon eggs with fruit snacks & stickers (purple - girls - Barbie fillers, blue - boys - dragon fillers), flute, & crown.