favors for 4 yr olds b-day party

[QueenSheba'sMom]

So I went totally overboard and invited lots of kids, and all 15-17 are coming!

I'm trying to do this party on a budget...



I realized that if I spend $3 each on gift bags, it'll run me over $50!!!!!
I don't want to include any cheap plasticky junk. Or candy. I have a pretty small window of time to prepare for the party.

What can I do?
Do I have to give treat bags? Any creative suggestions?

[AndiG]

ok..... I'm heavily into dollar stores... I won't do candy and I won't do crap with little choking hazards...

Things I've put in treat bags (often also called prize bags here)

Homemade cookies (I make killer chocolate chip ones)
Popcorn (in ziplocs, or I suposse you might be able to buy small sized mircrowave packs?)
pencils
notebooks (dollar stores will often have theme ones in three pkgs, sometimes I'd get a princess pack and a sponge bob pack and split them up)
lip gloss (boys and girls get this, again, buy multi pack from dollar store and split them up)
whistles or plastic flutes (again, dollar store multi pack, $1 for four or five... kids love them, parents hate them)
super bounce balls (can I say dollar store multi pack again without sounding redundant?)
Silly putty
containers of GOO
(recipe is here: my daughter got this at a bday party in June and still plays with it.... note, pva glue is just plain old white glue. the mom made it up and used green food colouring and put it in disposable sized snack containers and sent it on home...)
http://www.abc.net.au/rollercoaster/...ipes/slime.htm

good luck!

[QueenSheba'sMom]

the dollar store is currently 95% of my plan.
that and I'm going to shelve my organic vegan tendencies and get a cake from costco
:

[AndiG]

"I'm going to shelve my organic vegan tendencies and get a cake from costco"...

You know, sometimes you've just got to do what you 've got to do to survive. Guaranteed 15-17 4 years olds are going to go NUTS over a disgusting Costco cake and might be slightly less appreciative of the organic vegan 'it took me three hours and cost twice as much in ingredients' cake that you might normally serve your child and family... four year olds can be so unappreciative of cooking somtimes... Dh made a quiche last night for dinner, the kids HATED it. He was a bit crushed... I was like 'honey, its a quiche, Silas is two, Charlotte is four... did you really think they were going to say geee Daddy that's yummy?"....
sorry I'm ranting...

good luck with the gift bags.

[kewb]

I have put in bubbles, small notepad & pencil, small box of crayons, silly shaped erasers, & little tubs of playdoh. The last couple of years instead of giving a bunch of stuff I know I would not want my kids coming home with I went out and bought a $5.00 toy for each kid (although it was a smaller party then the one you are having).

[Willowrose]

Little bubbles are a great idea! We love getting those.
I've been buying our party favors from Magic Cabin, they come in cloth bags and are not junky. They can be a bit costly depending on how many kids you have though. We've had less then 10 the past few times, so it's not an issue.
You can get lots of bulk "natural" candy, honey sticks, etc... at Whole Foods.
Sidewalk chalk is fun.
Watercolor paints(I think you can even get these at the dollar store).
You can always bake something if you have time...cut-out cookies in the theme of the party, rice krispy treats, etc...

[luckylady]

My fiend always puts musical instruments in goody bags. One year it was egg shakers and last year she bought tapping/rhythm sticks (cheap at musiciansfriend.com) and my DD STILL plays with her sticks.

[sovereignqueen]

What about bags of homemade playdoh -- someone on the borads has a recipe I'm sure...

There's also this stuff we made when i was little called "sidewalk chalk" that was made from crushed eggshells and some other stuff...

[mattemma04]

//

[ceilydhmama]

Our friends have been phasing out the goody bag in favour of making little art projects or doing a group activity.

Some of the ideas:

1) Pinata with dollar store items and instead of candy the little bags of welches fruit candies
2) Going on a treasure hunt and finding a treasure chest - this had bags of jewel coloured home made playdough in it
3) Decorating magnetic picture frames - the birthday parent did a group photo then sent the photo as a thank-you card to go in the frame.
4) painting a flower pot and planting a seed in it.

[Fiercemama]

I agree with PP. Choose an activity that they go home with, and that replaces the gift bag.

[AAK]

I am also leaving the goody bag world (for the most part). For my dd's recent party I made all the kids their own t-shirt with their name on it. Got the iron on template from familyfun.com we did a bowling party. Last year for my dd 5 yr party the kids made their own pizza and decorated their own cupcakes. I got durable colorful paper aprons from Oriental Trading Co. and some rolling pins (3 for a buck at Target) and some large spoons (3 for a buck) and a paper chef hat. The hats were a bit pricy at a buck each. But it was so cool and the group picture was great. They all used their stuff and got to take it home. This was almost a year ago and I know of some kids who still have it all (mine included).

One party that we went to gave each child a small puzzle to bring home. This was for 4/5 year olds and they only had like twenty five pieces. They were a buck a piece (dollar store) but it was the whole take home package. We still have it.

I don't mind spending some money if the kids will like/use/be able to find for more than a week. If you can plan ahead, oriental trading does have some cheap stuff. Not all of it is plastic. I hate paying shipping so I order once in a while and stock up--I combine my order with a friend. (Often $60 or more = free ship).

Have fun!

Amy

[NYCVeg]

Has no one mentioned stickers? Little kids love 'em and you get bulk packs from office supply stores pretty cheap (teachers buy them to put on homework and such)--i.e., dozens of sheets for $1.95 or so. A couple of packs of those and some homemade cookies, and I think you could easily do the whole thing for under $10.

[KarmaChameleon]

For my daughter's 4th b-day party, we played a treasure hunt game and the kids divided the pennies and went to the penny candy store (the one I set up in my kitchen. that is ) and filled their own goody bags. It was a huge hit ...

[mamababamba]

For my ds' 4th I ordered polished rocks and denim coin purses from Oriental trading. They loved hunting for the rocks in the yard and stashing them in their coin bags. I have also ordered nice wooden jacob's ladders from them and their puppets are pretty decent too. Another time I found Gertie Balls on sale at Target....they were color changing, very cool but closer to $3 a piece.

[ehsclt]

Amy, I LOVE your ideas. Am going to try to remember them for dd's fifth b-day party. thanks everyone for the good ideas on this thread.

[busybeemommy]

I don't particularly care for goody bags- they're a hole for money, and the kids in my neck of the woods seem to feel entitled to them after a while, and start comparing who's is "best".


That said, I have done things in the past like a bottle of bubbles with a personalied label, a pack of Crayolas with a personalized label, picture frames the kids made with a Polaroid in it, and personalized sippy cups.

I love when there is a pinata, especially when the prizes are cute. One mama had Bazooka bubblegum, scrunchies, toy soldiers, little superballs, etc.