Another year has rolled around and your kiddos have begun to outgrow yet another size of clothing, they’ve learned new and exciting things in school and, more importantly, their birthday is right around the corner! If you’re having a tough time deciding what to do for the big day, try out some of these suggestions for a party that is both low key and easy on the budget, but is jam-packed with fun.
The Wood River Valley has lots of great venues for birthday parties, but when I was searching for a place to hold my three-year-old’s bash, I looked no further than Atkinson’s Park in Ketchum. It has some simple and (hopefully) sunny playground time—perfect for all ages—but especially enticing for my son and his little buds. You can reserve the park as well as the picnic area for $50, which ensures that you’ll have a great place to eat and stage the party, as well as a sheltered retreat in the case of our ever-present inclement weather.
As far as the party décor, keep it easy and inexpensive by bringing some disposable table cloths for the picnic benches to “dress up” the space and provide for an easy clean-up. Grab some balloons at Chateau Drug, which work well with the celebratory theme, and are great to give out at the end of the party to kids for a fun take-home treat. Go for the cheap paper plates and add a cute touch with printed paper napkins in your child’s favorite color or character. Our personal favorite at the moment is “Thomas the Train,” so I used red and blue paper plates to match the Thomas napkins, along with red and blue balloons tied at the ends of the tables to coordinate.
Snacks and food are important at any party, but especially at an active kid’s party at the park. The key is to provide food that both kids and adults will eat, so I bought a few different types of snacks that are appealing for all palates. Healthy chips with a mild salsa are great, as well as hummus with cut-up veggies like baby carrots and snap peas, which are easy and yummy. For a main course, pasta salads are a sure thing for an outside party. I made an easy pesto pasta with peas at my son’s party, as well wraps filled with turkey and veggies. They were a hit with both parents and kiddos, and helped to fuel the active little bellies.
For party activities, low-maintenance is important, so we went with cupcake decorating, which served a dual purpose—dessert as well as a “fun sit-down-and-take-a-rest-from-running-around activity.” I made some simple cupcakes and bought tons of sprinkles in lots of varieties and colors. The kids got to choose their cupcake and went to town with some creative sugar-filled fun. We also had a local gal do some phenomenal face-painting, which added more entertainment for both kids and adults.
To wrap up the party, it’s always nice for the kids to feel included and special on their way out, so inexpensive party favors are great. Grab a few little things—we’re talking miniature plastic Slinkies, curly straws or rubber balls—anything that is silly and small, but will make the party participants feel good as they leave the festivities. Make sure that everyone gets a party favor, an extra balloon if you have them and any other food leftovers—it’s less clean-up for you, and ensures a satisfied party-going kiddo. Happy birthday partying!
Pasta, Pesto and Peas
Ingredients
3/4 pound fusilli pasta
3/4 pound bow tie pasta
1/4 cup good olive oil
1 1/2 cups pesto
1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and squeezed dry
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 1/4 cups good mayonnaise
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1 1/2 cups frozen peas, defrosted
1/3 cup pignoli (pine nuts)
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Directions
Cook the fusilli and bow ties separately in a large pot of boiling salted water for 10 to 12 minutes until each pasta is al dente. Drain and toss into a bowl with the olive oil. Cool to room temperature.
In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade, puree the pesto, spinach, and lemon juice. Add the mayonnaise and puree. Add the pesto mixture to the cooled pasta and then add the Parmesan, peas, pignoli, salt, and pepper. Mix well, season to taste, and serve at room temperature.
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