Olympic Games -4yr- Olympic Ringed Cupcakes

For my daughter's 4th birthday party, we chose an Olympic Games theme.   

INVITATIONS:  The invitations announced the 2008 Olympics Games, in celebration of our daughter's 4th birthday, with some clip art I found that looked like a child had used watercolors to paint the 5 Olympics rings & a torch.  The invitations listed the location (our home) of the party as the Hosting Country the date & time of the party as Opening Ceremony the ending time of the party as Closing Ceremony & the RSVP information as Qualifying Rounds: Please notify Laura & Kevin of the Hosting Country whether your athlete is qualified to participate by..." 

DECORATIONS:  We purchased an American flag scene setter & taped it to the exterior of our house by the patio.  We had a string of different country flags draped across our front porch.  For the "awards podium" we turned a milk crate upside down and draped a red white & blue towel over it.  It was in front of the scene setter so it made for great pictures when the kids each were awarded a medal at the end of the party!   

FAVORS: When each child entered our house we pinned a sign to their backs which included their name a number and a clip art of the olympic rings and torch.  The each got a small gym bag that was striped and starred like an American flag.  Inside each gym bag was a foam torch (which I had assembled in advance) a foam triangular flag on a small dowel rod and a medal which could be decorated by the child. 

PARTY ACTIVITIES/GAMES: While the kids filtered in they got their name/number pinned on their backs and then were invited to decorate their foam flags with foam stickers.  Once all the kids were there and had their flags decorated I read a story about the Olympics called Elympics (the Olympics for Elephants).  Then we had an opening ceremony where the kids paraded outside around our house to the real opening ceremony song carrying their foam flags & torches. 

Then they split into 4 teams.  Each team rotated through the following events:  Relay - after covering toilet paper rolls with aluminum foil they were used as the relay batons (each child got to put his/her baton in his/her gym bag to keep as a favor) Long Jump - on a yoga mat Hurdles - using cones with foam sticks stuck on the top of them Rythmic Gymnastics - with ribbon sticks Shot Put - throwing bean bags for distance Javelin - throwing foam javelins for distance Discus - using small frisbees which they had first decortated with permanent markers (each child got to put his/her frisbee in his/her gym bag to keep as a favor) After the games were over it was cake time. 

Then we had a "closing ceremony"  & played the national anthem while each child individually was called to the podium to receive a GOLD medal.  We also asked each child what his/her favor "event" was.  We got answers that included every event including eating cupcakes! 

CAKE: Rather than serve cake I ordered 30 cupcakes (6 red 6 blue 6 green 6 yellow & 6 black) and arranged them like the Olympic rings.  This party was so much fun for all we've had kids requesting a repeat for my daughter's 5th birthday party!"