How to Host an Inexpensive Candy-themed Kids Birthday Party

Pre-party decorations

You don't need to spend a fortune to have a memorable kid's birthday party. Here's the how-to on a candy themed party I gave for my 6-year-old a few years ago.

Things You'll Need

• Sheet cake with plain white icing (homemade is just fine)
• tubes of different color frosting or decorating gel
• variety of sprinkles
• several packages of Pixie Stix candy
• small clear plastic containers
• toothpicks
• bag of mini-marshmallows
• 3 cookie tins (or other objects)
• construction paper
• clear plastic giftwrap

Instructions

1. Prepare your basic sheet cake from a mix. Cover a piece of cardboard, larger than the cake, with aluminum foil and tuck the edges under. When cake has cooled, carefully transfer it to the cardboard and frost plain white. Set up cake, with tubes of decorating gel and sprinkles somewhere you don't mind a mess and where all the kids can reach. I used a small kitchen island.

2. Decorate your party room. Since things would get messy, I got one of those 99 cent sheer plastic tablecloths in a bright color to use on the dining room table. Hang streamers and balloons if you wish. I always save the Happy Birthday banner from year to year to reuse.

3. 

   As a centerpiece I made up 2 different sized cookie tins and an empty oatmeal canister to look like over-sized hard candies. Cut out colorful construction paper to fit each object and tape it down. On one write "Happy," "Birthday" on the second and your child's name on the third. Then wrap with cellophane wrap, tying with ribbon to complete the effect. Arrange in the center of the table. I also sprinkled Jolly Rancher candies around the table for further decoration.

4. 

   The cake itself becomes an activity with this party -- let the kids go crazy. In my experience, they don't really end up eating that much anyway, and you can always scrape some icing off after your photos are taken.

5. Another activity is building with toothpicks and mini-marshmallows. This works best if the toothpicks are broken in half. They can work individually or create one big creation.

6. Pixie Stix sand art was my final brainstorm. I forgot to save a photo of one of the finished projects, but the picture kind of gives you the idea. I purchased tiny clear plastic bottles at Michael's. Each kid gets a few different color Pixie Stix and a toothpick. Layer the colored sugar into the bottle and gently push the toothpick down the sides of the bottle to create designs. Seal them up when completed. I saw an example of this project using baby food jars -- but that would take way too many stix -- the smaller the container the better, or just let them draw with it on a small plate.

Tips & Warnings

• Once you start thinking about candy as an art supply there are all kinds of games and projects you could do. Candy necklaces or bracelets as favors,etc.

• To save money, don't worry about buying matching plates and party cups -- even gift bags (the cost of which can really add up). The kids really don't care. From this party, each child went home with a fist full of candy, the projects they made, an extra piece of cake and one of the helium balloons that decorated the room.

• Tell parents in your invitation that this will be a candy themed party - they may choose to have their child stay home if they are overly sensitive to sugar.

• If you are working alone, keep the guest list down below 8 children.

• Be prepared for children pin-balling off the walls.

Resources

• Candy Crafts from Family Fun Magazine
• my eHow and home blog