Kids love bean bags chairs.  Juggle, toss, or sit in bean bags because a day with bean bags can be a day of full of beanie fun.

Circus Party

Decorations

1. Set up a big top using 3 hoola hoops for the rings of a 3-Ring Circus
2. Have balloons and streamers
3. Set up booths with games for children to play including a food booth for meal time.

Games/Activities

I am going to print up tickets for each of the games and have children hand in their tickets when they play each one. This way, I can purchase prizes for each child for each game and everyone will get one prize from each station. When children arrive, they will be given an empty loot bag with their name on it to collect their prizes in. After playing the games, the children will give me the loot bags so I can add candy floss and a candy apple to them before they take them home when parents arrive.

1. Set up activities in the different rings such as bean bag toss, making balloon animals, face painting
2. Get a large table and set up guessing games such as how many jellybeans in the jar, how many water balloons in the jar (if doing this in the summer, the balloons can be taken out and counted and used for water balloon toss)
3.Games of Chance -
Lucky Ducky - set up a water table, bin or small pool with bathtub ducks. Mark the bottom of the ducks with a number that corresponds to a prize or mark only a few of them with a coloured dot and if the child picks one with a dot, they win a prize.
Pyramid Knock Down - Decorate 5 Pringles cans and weight them down slightly with sand. Build a pyramid tower with the cans and have children toss a tennis ball to try and knock them all down.
Penny Pitch - Set up small plates on top of plastic cups and children pitch pennies trying to land them on the plate.
Ping Pong Toss - Set up small bowls and children try to toss ping pong balls into them.
Ring Toss - Set up a ring toss game - you can set an amount point that children need to reach to claim their prize.
Bean Bag Toss - Create a large dart board shape on bristle board creating the 'bulls eye' the prize area. Cut out and place on the floor. Children toss bean bags until they hit the bulls eye and win their prize.
4. You can have a professional clown perform, or have props available for the children to make up their own shows (they will already have their face made up)... give them time to rehearse in groups and then have each group perform their show for the rest of the guests.
5. Make a photo board from plywood by painting a circus scene with clowns and/or animals that children can put their heads through and you can take pics of your guests with the birthday child.
6. Break a pinata - a balloon pinata is very easy to make with a large balloon and paper maché.
7. Fortune Teller - have an adult dress up as a fortune teller and read palms or tell children their future with a crystal ball.

Food

1. Set up a food booth and have children "buy" their food with tickets. If you are serving a meal, make sure that they all purchase that at the same time - hotdogs and french fries are easy to distribute this way. After the meal, the children can go earn more tickets for treats
2. The cake can be decorated with clowns, circus animals or into a big top by using triangle shaped ice-cream cones
3. Popcorn and treats can also be "sold" at the food booth. It is easy to decorate paper bags to look like authentic popcorn bags. Candy or caramel apples can be made easily with kits from the grocery store (or you may want to put them in the loot bags)

Loot Bags

This is where planning ahead REALLY pays off! Visit Party stores and dollar stores frequently and purchase items that relate to your theme for the loot bags. This is one of the most enjoyable part of planning the party and the best part... you get to be there and watch the children's faces when they receive your awesome theme-based loot bags! Here are a few ideas to get you started:

1. balloon shaped erasers
2. plastic circus animals
3. Circus pink popcorn - yes, that stuff is STILL around
4. candy or caramel apples
5. stickers
6. clown stampers and stamp pad
7. spinning tops
8. puzzles
9. candy floss

*NOTE - If you are going to be purchasing prizes for the children to win at the Games of Chance, you won't need to fill the loot bags. I am planning on purchasing prizes from the party and dollar stores to go with each game.