Food & Party Planning Ideas

6 Years Circus Party

It's the greatest show on earth, and it makes a great birthday party theme. The birthday circus party fulfills many children's fantasies of becoming part of a circus troop. Music, costumes and props help to create the carnival atmosphere.

Invitations

Send a clown nose along with the party invitation: "Come join the greatest show on earth at my birthday party…become a lion tamer, strong man, clown, juggler or trapeze artist."

Party Setting and Decorations

Set up food "booths" by setting up the treats on small tables with striped table cloths like a circus tent. Decorate them with brightly colored balloons and put up signs indicating the food served at each "booth."
Serve hot dogs, peanuts, popcorn and rent a cotton candy machine. Make your own treat station where children can compile their own candy bag. Fill tubs with ice and set up a soda bar.
Game booths also add to the décor and will provide the activities for the party.

Activities and Games

Ring Toss. Decorate empty two-liter soda bottles and fill them with water. Place them on a table approximately five inches apart. Use a rope to make a ring, or use plastic rings. Let the children take turns tossing the rings at the bottles and trying to catch them on the bottle spouts.
Bean Bag Toss. Enlarge a picture of a clown and mount it on heavy poster board; put the board on an easel so that it stands up. Cut out the clown's mouth to make a hole. Put colorful rope on the floor to show the children the position they must throw from.
Go Fish. Fill a turkey roast pan or large plastic container with water. Use toy magnetic fishing rods and different-colored magnetic plastic fish. Give out prizes corresponding to the different colors of the fish.
Makeup and costume station. Allow the children to make themselves up as clowns or dress-up as a circus performer like the strong man, lion tamer or ringmaster.
Consider hiring a professional face painter - all kids love to have their faces painted.

Cake Decoration Suggestions

The clowns on top of this cake look difficult to make, but aren't. Use the same star tip you use to pipe the border, and follow the directions for wonderful looking clowns.
You will need:

Tip 20: rosette bottom border, star top border, side Xs.

To make clowns:
Tip 32: body - Follow "stars" directions and build up body by squeezing continuously. Tuck tip into side of body, squeeze and pull out to form arms. Repeat for legs. Tip 7: hands - Follow "dots" directions. Tip 12: shoes - Follow "dots" directions.

Add alphabet decoration message.