Don’t panic, we can help! Let us take the stress out of your special occasion, from party bags to decorations, we’ve got it all covered…
Theme Set a theme for your child – for example, Unicorns, Dinosaurs, Dora the Explorer or Thomas the Tank Engine etc .. Mindful Bakes can supply all of the paraphernalia: plates, cups, serving plates, cake candles, decorations, party bags and cake toppers – all to match your desired theme.
Baking session Our baking sessions are led by Laura and her trusted helper. We will will provide all the ingredients, equipment and aprons. Think about what you may want to cook – sweet or savoury? Are there any allergies to consider? Do you want a baking session that involves an active demonstration followed by a table set-up to decorate cupcakes or cookies? Cooking sessions are no longer than one hour and adult participation is required. We can accommodate up to 20 children ages 2 and above.
A couple of examples from previous parties we have held are: “Pizza Party” where the children rolled out the pre-made dough and decorated them with various toppings. This party was held outside in a marquee in the families’ garden. “Gingerbread Man” Christmas party, where we decorated pre-made gingerbread people to hang on the Christmas tree. We then placed them in cellophane bags for the children to take home or give away as gifts. When the children had finished decorating their biscuits, they enjoyed an activity worksheet with gingerbread people on to colour and a word search.
Set a venue, date and time Make sure it doesn’t clash with any special occasions e.g. Mother’s Day. Saturdays allow you to enjoy the rest of the weekend and Sundays give you more preparation time (but less recovery time!). 11am -13:00 seems to be a popular time. Mindful Bakes can book a venue for you and take care of all the cleaning up afterwards, as well as the setting up at the beginning. Village halls, scout huts and leisure centres are popular venues and save you from breakages and spillages in your own home. Mindful Bakes can even send invitation s to all your friends and thank you letters afterwards, what could be easier! Chase RSVP’s via social media.
Accident station Set up an accident station for life’s little mishaps, to include wipes, anti-bacterial gel and spray, cotton wool, sponges and a first aid kit for accidents and spillages. Ensure you place bin bags around your venue to make clearing-up at the end easier. Remove breakables if you are hosting in your own home. Avoid spillages by serving children drinks on cartons or drinks with lids.
Present station Set up a table for presents and encourage your child to open them all after the party rather than during to avoid embarrassment and arguments.
Set a budget Simple, avoid unwanted stress by sticking to a tight budget.
Photos To avoid any mis-communication ask parents first if they are happy for you to post photos of their child on social media. Assign the role of chief photographer to a friend or relative to ensure you don’t miss those special moments.
Contact details Ask parents for their contact details in the event of an emergency or if they are late in collecting their child from the party. Not all parents will stay at the party but ensure you have soft drinks and enough food to cater for adults and children. Set out a tea / coffee bar for parents to help themselves.
Share you party with another friend? You can then share the costs and the workload! Ask close friends and relatives to help you set up and clear away the party. Assign tasks to individuals.
Invite list Obviously, smaller is simpler but to keep things fair you may want to invite your child’s whole class at school or nursery and a few close friends and family. Think about ages, genders and any special needs or food intolerances.
Menu Look at our Occasion’s Brochure for a whole host of party delights and goodies. If you want something that isn’t on the list, just ask. Do you require food and drink for adults too?
Party bags Ensure you have party bag favours that are suitable for both boys and girls and are age appropriate. We provide party bags from £5 per child. You might like to cut up some cake a place a slice in each bag.
Games and entertainment Parties usually last between 1.5 to 2 hours so ensure you have plenty of activities and entertainment for children. Book your bouncy castle, bubble machine or disco in plenty of time. You may decide that you want quieter activities such as a box full of fancy dress, an arts and crafts area or a few soft play items – instead of bigger, noisier items. You could also play a few old-fashioned games such as pin the tail on the donkey, story-telling, or pass the parcel. Let Mindful Bakes know if you’d like us to cater for this.
Cake Let us make a cake to suit your theme as a tray-bake, set of cupcakes or Victoria sandwich. Think about how many people you need to feed and if any guests have any food intolerances. We can provide candles and cake toppers.
Music Create a Spotify list or similar on your phone and link up to the PA system. Music is great for old-fashioned games and to get the children in the party spirit!
Further Inspiration Visit www.dreamdayslocal.com for ideas.