Balloon Sandwich

This race, a feat of cooperation, works on the premise that two back are better than one. This rowdy romp is best held outside or in a spacious room.

Supplies:
-Balloons

Directions:
-Begin by choosing partners and lining them up back to back at a starting line. Place a balloon (not a helium one) between their backs so that they must hold it there and not let it fall to the ground (emphasize no hands!)
-At the sound of a whistle, the pairs must take off in this position, shuffling their way toward a finish line. If the balloon pops or drops, they must return to the starting line for a replacement.
-The first sandwich to cross the line wins.

Always Have Fun,
Rebecca Hurt
Sr. Party Leader
Noah's Ark Animal Workshop

MVP Popcorn Balls

These snacks are great for any party but are perfect for sports themed parties.

Ingredients:
2 1/2 quarts popcorn
1/2 cup corn syrup
1/3 cup water
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup butter or margarine

Supplies:
waxed paper
food coloring (optional)
clear or colored cellophane
ribbon
paper
pen

Directions:
Pop 2 1/2 quarts of popcorn and set aside. Combine 1/2 cup corn syrup, 1/3 cup water, 1 cup sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a medium sauce pan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until sugar dissolves and mixture comes to a boil. Continue cooking until the mixture reaches a medium-boil stage.

Quickly whisk in 1 teaspoon vanilla and 1/4 cup butter or margarine. If desired, add food coloring. Pour mixture over popcorn and toss until well coated. Spread mixture on large baking sheets or pieces of waxed paper and let it cool slightly before forming it into balls. Lay popcorn balls on pieces of clear or colored cellophane. Gather excess at the top, and tie it with a ribbon. Add special MVP tags or draw lines on each to look like a basket ball. For fun, let your child autograph the outside of each ball just like a pro ball player.

This would even be great for kids to do as a craft.

Always Have Fun!
Rebecca Hurt
Sr. Party Leader
Noah's Ark Animal Workshop

Catch The Dinosaur's Tail!

Direct everyone to form a single-file line and hold onto the waist of the person in front of them. The first person in the line is the head of the dinosaur, and the last person is the tail. when the game begins, the head tries to catch the tail. If the head successfully catches the tail, he or she stays at the back of the line and becomes the new tail. The chase continues!

Always Have Fun,
Rebecca Hurt
Sr. Party Leader

Autograph Seekers (Activity)

This party activity is a fun icebreaker and a great way to capture memories of your "star-studded" birthday event.

Supplies:
- Newspaper
- Sheets of White Paper
- Cardboard (1 piece per guest)
- Pen
- White Plain T-Shirts (1 per guest)
- Permanent Fabric Markers

Directions:
Cover a table with newspaper and lay out T-shirts. Insert a piece of cardboard between the front and back of the shirt to prevent bleed-through. Cut star shapes out of paper (one per guest), and write a party guest's name on each; tape one next to each shirt (this is so everyone will be able to keep track of whose shirt they're signing). Have everyone draw a picture on the front of their own T-shirt. When each guest is done, ask them to flip the shirts over. Then, each guest should walk around the table autographing the back of the other guests shirts. Hang dry during remainder of the festivities.

Always Have Fun!
Rebecca Hurt
Sr. Party Leader
Noah's Ark Animal Workshop

Pretty In Pink Diva Singing Contest

Have guests perform in front of your crowd. Let the birthday child award prizes for most real, most brave and silliest performances (this if especially fun to do after the "Rock Star Makeover Contest")

Always Have Fun,
Rebecca
Sr. Party Leader
Noah's Ark Animal Workshop

Flower Cupcake In A Cone

Ingredients:
1 box of cake mix, any flavor
Flat-bottomed Ice-Cream Cones
White Frosting
Large gumdrop disks, such as Sunkist Gourmet Fruit Gems (one 14 oz bag can decorate 5 cupcakes)

Directions:
1.Prepare the cake batter according to the directions on the box. Fill the narrow bottom of each ice-cream cone with the batter. Set the cones in a baking sheet and transfer them to the oven, being careful not to tip them over.
2. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean. Let them cool, and then frost the tops.
3. To make each candy flower, cut 6 wedges from the edges of a gumdrop disk and cut a green gumdrop disk into slices for leaves. Press the wedges into the middle of the cut flowers for flower centers, then arrange the candies on top of the frosted cupcakes. One box of cake mix yields 34 cupcakes (or make fewer and use the remaining batter for a small cake.)

Carrot Scavenger Hunt

Your kids will not only love their vegetables, they'll seek them out.

Supplies:
-Orange construction paper
-Green construction paper
-Scissors
-Glue
-Snacks

Directions:
1. Cut out 20 carrots from orange construction paper and glue on the green construction paper tops.
2. "Plant" them all around the house--under sofa cushions, in the silverware drawer, or taped to the refrigerator door, for example.
3. Then send your kids around the house to gather all the carrots. Let them redeem their carrots for snacks, such as a small box of raisins, a pack of gum, a bag of pretzels, or a piece of carrot cake.

Another great twist is to let each child cut out their own carrot and green top, decorate it, write their name on it and then "plant" them. After all carrots are found, make sure each carrot gets back to its owner. This way, the party guests gets to make a craft and they have a great reminder of the fun they had to take home with them!

Monkey Pops

Ingredients:
- Bananas
- Popsicle Sticks
- Plastic Freezer Bags
- Yogurt or Warm Chocolate Sauce

Directions:
Peel the bananas and cut in half (across the middle). Push a Popsicle stick into the flat end of the banana, until it's at least halfway through. Place in freezer bags until party time. Dip frozen banana pops into yogurt or chocolate sauce and serve to your eagerly awaiting party guests.

Best Monkey Contest

Supplies:
-Prizes (like Monkey pops; recipe in the next few days)
Enlist other parents, older siblings, or neighbors to be judges of the competition. Give each "monkey" (a.k.a. party guest) a chance to demonstrate his or her best monkey call. When every child has had a turn, award prizes for the loudest, squeakiest, mot real, funniest, etc. so everyone wins.

Always Make It Fun!
Rebecca Hurt
Sr. Party Leader
Noah's Ark Animal Workshop

St. Patrick's Day Rainbow Cupcake

1. Top a cooled cupcake (baked from your favorite reicpe) with grass-green frosting.

2. For the rainbow, use a large, heavy knife (parents only) to cut a long, narrow strip from each of several flavors of Airheads candies (this is sticky stuff, so work on waxed paper).

3. Lay the strips side by side, press them together, then cut the ribbon of strips in half to make two rainbows.

4. Curve each one into an arch and trim the ends to make the strips all even. Set one rainbow upright on the cupcake (save the other for another cupcake) and deposit a pot's worth of gold coins to one end. If necesary, place a gold coin behind the rainbow for support.


MMMMMMMmmmmmmmm! Talk about having your treasure and eating it too!

Always Make It Fun!
Rebecca Hurt
Sr. Party Leader
Noah's Ark Animal Workshop

Frog Face Pizzas

You will need half an English muffin for each child. Split muffins and top with prepared pizza sauce and shredded American or mozzarella Cheese. Let each child decorate their won pizza. Use pepperoni, mushroom, olives and peppers to make funny faces. Bake on a cookie sheet at 375 degrees for 5-10 minutes, or until cheese melts.

Always Have Fun!
Rebecca
Sr. Party Leader
Noah's Ark Animal Workshop

St. Patrick's Day Heave Ho Game

In this version of the classic hay sack toss, use a spatula (in lieu of a pitchfork) to pitch a newspaper-stuffed lunch bag up and over a clothesline or makeshift crossbar. Whoever succeeds the most times out of ten is the winner.

Always Have Fun!
Rebecca
Sr. Party Leader
Noah's Ark Animal Workshop

Pretty-n-Pink Punch

Ingredients:
-ginger ale or lemon-lime soda
-raspberry sherbet
-fresh flowers (optional)

Fill a large punch bowl with ginger ale or lemon-lime soda. Add raspberry sherbet at serving time and watch it fizz. Serve in cups garnished with a fresh flower on the rim.

Always Have Fun!
Rebecca
Sr. Party Leader
Noah's Ark Animal Workshop

Puppy Pictures Frames

Purchase flat, inexpensive picture frames and small bone-shaped dog biscuits. Give each party guest a frame, some biscuits and glue for attaching biscuits. Have guests glue their puppy biscuits around the border of the picture frame. Let them dry.

You can insert a picture of each guest for a great party souvenir.

Be creative and you can come up with your own version of this craft.

I like the idea of cutting out small shapes for the dog bones from different colored card stock and using them to decorate the frame instead of actual dog biscuits.

Also, instead of buying actual picture frames, create your own out of craft foam, craft sticks, etc. then decorate with cut out dog bones.

What ideas can you come up with?

Always Have Fun!
Rebecca
Sr. Party Leader
Noah's Ark Animal Workshop

Pincess Wands

Wave a delightful, delicious spell over your party of princesses with candy-coated pretzel sticks that look like princess wands.

Ingredients:
-vanilla frosting
-thick, long pretzel sticks
-edible lavender/purple glitter

Supplies:
-wax paper
-Microwave

Melt the frosting in microwave on medium heat for about 30 seconds. Stir until smooth. Dip half of each pretzel in the frosting. Roll lightly in the edible glitter and cool on wax paper. Chill until set, and then serve to your waiting princesses!

Always Have Fun!
Rebecca
Sr. Party Leader
Noah's Ark Animal Workshop

Dinasaur Egg Hunt

On your child's special day, create a special dinosaur egg hunt in their honor. Use your own surprises to represent "dinosaur eggs," or use the following directions. To make "dino eggs", cook at least one hard-boiled egg for each guest. After the eggs have cooled, crack the shells lightly with the back of a spoon to give them a prehistoric look. Then, place the eggs in dye for several seconds. This will make the eggs look like very old, cracked dinosaur eggs. Hide the "dino eggs" and other theme-related prizes in easy or hard-to-find places, based on the ages of the guests.

Always Have Fun!
Rebecca,
Sr. Party Leader
Noah's Ark Animal Workshop

Rainbow Kebabs

You don't need to spend lots of time peeling and chopping to make these colorful fruit kebabs, and excellent first birthday idea for healthy food. Instead of purchasing whole fruits, you can buy a container of sliced or cubed fruit from the salad bar section of your supermarket. You'll need 6 to 8 pieces per skewer. Firm fruits such as melon, pineapple, kiwi, and oranges work well. For the skewers, you can simply use plastic drinking straws. To make each kebab, pinch the end of a straw and push it through a piece of fruit. Slide the fruit to the other end of the straw. Add more fruit to fill the skewer with a range of colors. Individually cover each kebob with plastic wrap and refrigerate till ready to use.

Always Have Fun!
Rebecca
Sr. Party Leader
Noah's Ark Animal Workshop

Noah's Parade

Supplies:
Face Paint and/or an eyeliner pencil, and lively music.

What to do:
As guests arrive, turn them into animals (cat, dog and lion are some examples) by adding whiskers to cheeks and a dot to noses, with face paint or an eyeliner pencil. Then put on music, find a volunteer to play the "Noah" and invite guests to be Noah's animals in a "human" train that moves from room to room, in time to the music. encourage "Noah" to make creative moves that the rest of the line can follow (crawling, hopping, jumping, twirling, rolling on the ground, etc.). Pick a new "Noah" every few minutes. Play until everyone is ready for a new activity.

This can also be modified for a Circus Animal Party or a Zoo Party......Have fun with it!

Always Have Fun!
Rebecca,
Sr. Party Leader
Noah's Ark Animal Workshop

INTRODUCTION (Who Am I and What Is This Blog About)

Hello,

My name is Rebecca Hurt and I have been a Noah's Ark Animal Workshop Party Leader since October 2006. As a Party Leader, I travel around my county, teaching children and the young at heart how to create their own cuddly creations. I do this by showing them how to hand-stuff Noah's Ark animals, wish on rainbow stars with my special wishing ceremony, help them name their new friends when they fill out their customizable birth certificates and show them how to dress their creations in adorable outfits.

But I do so much more than that........I help children and parents create memories that will last a lifetime. I enjoy coming up with different ways to make my clients have these memories at their workshops.

I also publish a monthly email newsletter that includes fun kids crafts and tasty recipes, among other items. This had led me on a never ending search for fun, easy crafts that children enjoy to do. My recipes come from my own personal files where I have hundreds of recipes I have collected. My oldest daughter and I have food allergies so I usually cook/bake from scratch.

I am a mom of 2 young children and I find myself constantly challenged to hold creative, fun and enjoyable birthday parties for them.

This Blog is my way of sharing the various tips, tricks and creative ideas I have encountered during my Noah's Ark Career as a Party Leader and my experience of being the mom who throws the "Over The Top" birthday parties (inexpensively of course) that our friends have come to love.

One last note - the name WHOOPsie Daisy comes from a wonderful lady that was like a second mom to my husband early in his military career. She stood up as his mom in our wedding (his mom could not make our wedding) and was known as Grandma Jan to our oldest. Jan is gone now but her memory stays with us. She use to love answering the phone of her flower shop because she said WHOPPsie Daisy was so fun to say. Since this is a blog about creating fun......WHOOPsie Daisy seemed an appropriate name!