Red and white stripes everywhere, a juggling station, face painting, a tin can knock down, a slackline for the bigger ones, a hopper ball race and a circus show to finish.
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A circus party is the one I always come back to, because it is the most forgiving. Every child finds their station: the shy ones do face painting, the wild ones do the hopper ball race, and the big ones spend forty minutes falling off a slackline and loving it.
You need almost nothing that is actually circus. Red and white striped fabric does ninety percent of the work.
Drape red and white striped fabric from a central point in the garden to make a big top, or hang it behind the food table. Add red and white bunting between the trees and gold star garlands.
A hand painted step right up sign at the entrance and paper tickets handed out at the gate turn the garden gate into the circus gate, and that is the whole illusion.
Popcorn in striped paper cones, mini hot dogs, a pretzel stand, red and white striped candy sticks, and cotton candy if you can get it.
Donuts on a wooden stand, apple slices with caramel dip for the parents' peace of mind, and cupcakes with striped liners and a tiny paper flag on top.
The whole table is really just one thing: a circus print tablecloth. Everything else is food in red and white paper, and a glass drink dispenser with a stainless steel spigot full of red slush.
Fill 3 balloons with rice per child and knot them, or use small juggling balls. Start everyone with one ball tossed hand to hand, then two.
Nobody juggles three by the end of the party and nobody minds.
A chair, a mirror, and a face paint palette in the shade. Offer 4 simple options only, a tiger, a butterfly, a clown nose with freckles, and a star on the cheek, or you will still be painting at bedtime.
Keep a bowl of water and a cloth beside the chair for the child who changes their mind halfway.
Tie a slackline or a wide flat rope low between two trees for the older children, with an adult holding a hand alongside and a soft mat or grass underneath.
This is the station the 7 to 9 year olds will not leave.
Stack clean empty tin cans into a pyramid on a small table and let each child throw 3 soft balls at it. Restack and repeat.
Move the throwing line closer for the little ones so everyone gets the crash.
Mark a start and a finish line and race in pairs.
Hopper balls are the best value party purchase there is, because they stay in the house afterwards and use up energy for years.
At the end, give the children ten minutes to prepare an act, a juggling act, a balancing act, a tumble, a magic trick, then set out chairs for the parents.
One child is the ringmaster with a paper top hat. Everyone gets applause.
We once watched a circus show in Thailand, and right at the end fog filled bubbles came drifting down from the roof over the whole audience. This is the machine that does exactly that, and running it during the show turns the garden into a big top.
These are the boxes we use, red and white striped cardboard candy boxes with a handle that look like they came straight off the circus food cart, and the children carry them around all afternoon.
Inside: a small bag of popcorn, a sheet of circus tattoos and stickers, and a couple of bouncy balls in red, blue and yellow.
Make the rice filled balloon juggling balls with your child the week before, it takes ten minutes and they cost nothing. Keep the face painting station in the shade, and put a bowl of water and a cloth beside it for the child who changes their mind.
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