Basketball is an excellent theme for a party, especially if your kid plays on the school team and/or loves to watch the sport during March Madness and beyond! Basketball is such a fast-paced, team-orientated game it is sure to bring tons of fun to a party.

This party can be done in your own driveway if you have a basketball hoop and enough room, at a park with multiple courts available, or at a local gym, which may be the best choice if the weather is poor and you are looking for an indoor venue. The YMCA may be an excellent choice as an example.

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On March 12th, the Girl Scouts celebrate their 93rd birthday. Is your daughter a Girl Scout? If so, you may be planning to celebrate this special day with her troop. Check out this article, Five Ways to Celebrate Girl Scouts’ Birthday, for several great ideas. 

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Peppers and Pollywogs has partnered with Birthday in a Box to offer two chapters of Dear Peppers and Pollywogs … What Parents Want To Know About Planning Their Kids’ Parties for FREE! We are thrilled to be able to offer these two chapters to you! They are good chapters all about the party conundrums that arise when planning kids’ parties these days. Looking to download the entire book? Order it as an e-book for $4.95 here.

Birthday in a Box also has an excellent article on planning a birthday party on a budget. It is full of great tips and shows how to pull a thematic party together for under $100!

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Does your child love Hello Kitty? She is such a great character to build a party theme around, and I am absolutely thrilled that one of my favorite bakers, Bakerella, has made a batch of Hello Kitty cake pops. She includes a succinct ingredient list and easy-to-follow instructions for making these darling cake pops. 

Pure genius! Have fun!

Today marks the beginning of Lent, the 40 days leading up to Easter, so my mind has turned to all of those wonderful Easter goodies that make the holiday full of fun and delight for your children. Williams-Sonoma is showcasing some beautiful items this season. Check them out:

These Personalized Easter Baskets are perfect for any child in your life. They have them in an array of pretty spring colors: blue, green, and pink.

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If you have a toddler who is about to celebrate a birthday and you are looking for a fun yet budget-friendly party plan, why not let coloring take center stage? It’s easy, creative, and entertaining. For inspiration, check out these coloring activities:

1. Print out any variety of coloring book pages from the Internet, and have fresh boxes of crayons available so the guests can color the pictures.
2. Spread a large piece of butcher paper out on a wall, large table, or the floor, and have the kids draw a mural scene or happy birthday wishes.
3. Have different sizes of boxes available (large ones will be the most fun!). Have the kids color and decorate their own boxes. They can take their coloring box creations home as a goody. If the boxes are large enough, cut out openings so the kids can climb in. Tons of fun!
4. If it is nice outside, have the kids create sidewalk murals using chalk.
5. If you will be handing out small goody bags, give the kids brown lunch bags to decorate before you fill them with goodies. Good ideas for favors include a coloring book and fresh box of crayons.
6. Play Find the Crayons! Hide crayons around the party area for the kids to find.
7. Play Hot Crayon like Hot Potato.
8. Check out Crayola Creativity Central for loads of easy ideas from crafts to printable color-in party invitations and beyond. This is an excellent resource!
9. Check out these crayon-shaped cakes for added fun.

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Well, it’s still winter out there and many people are actually snowed in and/or digging out from under the snow. Your kids may be developing cabin fever, and are probably looking forward to not only spring blooming, but also summer break. You can give them a little taste of the fun to come by throwing their winter birthday at the local indoor swimming pool. This party can be at a hotel, YMCA, or local gym with an indoor pool available for party rental. It should be pretty easy to find a place to hold your event, and easy to put it together!

In your pool party invitation, ask the party guests to bring their swimsuits, a change of clothes, flip flops, and a towel.

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