Blue's Clues Party -3yr- Decorate Sugar Cookies

3 yr old Blues Clues Birthday Party  I can't draw, can't bake, and using Word on the computer is pushing it, but thanks to this site I was able to put together a really fun birthday party for my son!  The party was in our home on a Saturday afternoon from 1-3.  There were 19 kids with their ages from 3-8. 

I made the invitations using blank postcards.  Each guest received a 'clue' three days in a row in the mail.  The first one said 'Blue left us a clue, do you see? A birthday hat for you and me!  Two more clues we need to find, to figure out what Blue has on her mind!'  On the front I put stickers of birthday hats, confetti, and ribbon.  Then I stamped it with a blue paw print.  I put the verse on the other side next to the address.  The second postcard read 'It's clue number two!  There are so many balloons I see, now we need to look for clue number three!'  This time I used balloon stickers etc.  The final postcard had two verses.  On the front was 'You found another paw print.  A birthday cake is the last clue!  So sit down in your thinking chair and think, think, think. What could Blue want you to do?'  I put a birthday cake sticker next to it with the paw print.  Then on the back said, 'Come to a Birthday Party!  But for who? Matty \*\*\*\*\*\*\*!!  And he loves Blues Clues!!'  Then I put the date, time etc. 

Now for the party.  After all the guests  got here, I went around and put a Blue Clues character sticker on each of them, then I told them to go the the living room and sit down.  We talked about Blues Clues and how the game works and I told them that WE were going to play Blues Clues for what Blue wants to do a Matty's party.  I explained that we were going to do 3 fun things and at each place there would be a clue.  I made each kid a thinking pad to keep track (I'll explain that in a minute).  So I sent everybody who had a Blue or Mailbox to one section, everbody who had Periwinkle and Salt and Pepper to the second etc.  Once they got to there, that's when I gave them their thinking pad. 

I made Joe's - red, and shaped like the chair (traceable!}Basically, I used heavy red poster paper and sponged it tan with a plastic kitchen spongie, came out looking like the original. (ok - so the parents noticed it more than the kids!)  Then I traced the original to get it's shape. Then used a black crayon to draw the chair (thank goodness it's not suppose to look perfect).  I used regular doodle pad paper for the pages inside. I put the cut out top, inside, and bottom pages all together, paper clipped them then punched 5 even holes across the top. I found the big fat crayons at the dollar store, so I wrapped a red pipe cleaner around it 6 times.  Then ran it through the holes from right to left. I will admit I was finishing these 1/2 hour before the party. Well worth the time. I wanted to keep the playroom free in case somebody got bored.  So I used my son's bedroom, basement and kitchen for the stations.  They were on 3 different levels of the house so it wasn't THAT noisy to the older adult guests!! 

Anyway, we played Blues Clues Bingo in the bedroom.  I decorated his room with ballons and streamers.  I got the bingo at a party store.  Great game!!  Fun for all ages!!  I had taped a penny on the back side of each marker, just in case I was able to have the party outside.  The markers wouldn't blow away.  But it actually made it easier for the little ones to pick them up while they were playing.  Winner of the game picked and called out the next game.  The clue was my son's red  foam thinking chair.  On the back of one of his coloring books were 3 paw prints so you could play at home.  I just cut them out.  I attached the clue to the chair with  a safty pin.  Once they found the clue, they wrote in their thinking pad. 

The next station was birthdy hats.  Again, I decorated with streamers and balloons.  This station was in my basement.  The kids got to choice a birthday hat,then they decorated it.  Dollar store had 8 for a buck.  I used solid, foil like, ones.  I had pompons, stickers, pipecleaners,jewels,etc.  One of their favorite things to glue was Christmas Tree garland.  They used glue sticks - they were able to wear the hats for the rest of the party. While they were making their hats, a big bowl of candy was put in the center of the table.  They were told they could have one.  In the bowl was a 'clue'.  Candy was the 2nd clue. 

The final station was decorated cookies.  This was in the kitchen.  Each person was given 2 plain sugar cookies.  1 for now, 1 to bring home. I used the sugar cookie mix that's found by the boxed cake mix's - you only need to mix a stick of butter and egg.  I made 3 batches.  I just rolled  the dough into meatball size balls, and pressed them down with a bottom of a wet glass and baked them.  They were the size of sugar cookies found in the bakery.   They got to decorate with different shades of blue icing, sprinkels, mini m & m's, choc chips, etc.I offered them juice to drink.  I put the extra one on a small plate, wrote their name on the plate, then slid the plate into a quart size ziplock bag (go with the cheapy ones for the dollar store).  The 3rd clue was taped on to balloon strings that were their for decorations. 

So now the stations were done. I had a long table set up for cake with a Blues Clues table cloth on it. I threw a plastic table cloth over a section of it while the kids did the cookies.  Once everybody was done with the cookies, I only had to pull off the one messy one, and my table was ready for cake. I had printed out pictures of Blues Birthday from some where on the net.  So I had those and crayons spread out. On the 'good' table cloth.    I let the kids play for 15 minutes, some colored while others played.  I Bribed them back to the table with icecream cups and juice boxes. Sang Happy Birthday to my son (while they where eating their icecream) talked about the 3 clues.  Figured out that Blue wanted to do a pull string, thinking chair pinata.  (note:  why is it somebody always get hurt or didn't get enough candy in this game?  And why is it ALWAYS my 6 yr old son????)  Anyway, I took plain brown lunch bags and stamped them with paw prints, curly's, star print etc.  All different shades of blue.  I wrote each kids name on the bag - so nobody loses it. The pinata had little tootie rolls, little soft lifesavers, pixie sticks and sweet tarts.  The kids did the pinata. 

As soon as that was over, I handed out the goodie bags.  I told them to put it in with their candy bag so noneone losses it.  For those I used blue striped, plastic goodie bags.  I got the stuff from Oriental Trading dog stuff.  Dog stickers, dog pencil, dog little scratch pad, dog tag necklace, little robot looking dog key chain, dog bone candy's and a blue lollipop (got that at grocery store).  So when they went home they had their hat, cookie, pinata candy, and goodie bag. The time was 3:15. Party was officially over - but people could stay if they wanted. 

While planning the party, I kept going back and forth about opening the presents during it or not.  I decided to see how the day went.  My son was a good sport with all of commotion, but I decided during the party to wait and  just open them after the party. I advised the mom's and everybody understood.  So that was his party.  I guess the secret is to start planning early!!  Even if it's for 3 kids, and you are having cake and icecream.  It's ok to decorate the house 2 days ahead of time (well, not the balloons..). It's ok to make and freeze cookies, cupcakes etc.  It's ok to open the supplies.  When I purchuse supplies for the party, I separate as I go.  For example, all the supplies for the hats, such as pompoms,I opened the little baggie they came in and put them in small plastic containers. Then I put all of the supplies on a serving tray - so it's all contained.  Easy set up and clean up.

Also, I asked a couple of mom's ahead of time if they would mind if I put them to work at the party.  They ran the stations while I made sure the party was running smoothly.  Often there one or two new ones and this makes them involved. With that said, the only regret I had was not giving the kids name tags.  Because there were different kids from different 'groups', the mom's didn't know who everybody was.  So for their sake, I wished I had done name tags. Other than that, I was happy with the party!!  Most importantly, Matty was happy!!!