A "Striking" Good Bowling Party

I totally loved their little shoes!

We celebrated our son's 5th birthday recently and because we had decided not long after his first birthday not to have big parties for him every year, instead opting for every 2nd or 3rd year, my husband suggested we have a ten-pin bowling party and let our son invite any three friends of his choosing.  That way it would be a small affair with just the four of them but special because they would be doing something a little different to the norm, something interactive and the day wouldn't be lost in the chaos.

What a great idea it turned out to be!  If you're ever looking for a low-maintenance party but high on fun, then bowling really is a good option.  It is an all-inclusive party which means us Mums can sit back, relax and enjoy the moment/s rather than working ourselves into a frenzy, baking like crazy people and organising games & activities requiring military precision.  Yes, the food, decorative touches and the birthday cake were basic but little boys really don't care about that stuff.  They just want to have fun, play and open presents!  Check, check & check.

Although it was all-inclusive and I really didn't "need" to do anything, I wanted to give the boys a little personal something to take home.  I read somewhere about using plastic bowling pins as party favours by cutting off the necks and filling them with lollies, which I thought was perfect - almost.  I didn't like the idea of sending the boys home with so much sugar (boys already have enough energy) so instead I filled them with marbles and included instructions on how to play (just in case their Daddy's were born a bit later than me!).  They also got a "Tom Bowler" (that's the really big marble - for all you Mummy's reading this who may have been born a bit later than me!) which represented the bowling ball.  I really liked the marble option for the whole no-sugar thing but mainly because I wanted the Dad's to go home with their sons and show them how the game was played "back in the day" - bringing back an old-fashioned game that was once a lunch-time tradition in many Australian schools.  I actually think the Dad's were more excited than the kids, which was kinda cool to see. 

The supplies.  Plastic bowling pins and marbles from Big W and bias-binding and cardstock from Spotlight.

I partly cut through the necks so they could be open and closed.

Our almost-5-year-old had fun "plopping" the marbles in.

 

The instructions, which were rolled up inside the pin.

 

The finished product.  I actually made four so that our son could play marbles too!

 

Little mini-pins in the proper big bowling centre :)

So, all in all the party was a success - the boys had heaps of fun together, they learnt something new, they ate cake and they took home something they could share with their family & others.  I loved the way it all turned out. 

 

Our little man, hoping for a strike.

How about you? Any tips, tricks, suggestions or ideas for future low-key kids parties with a difference?