Candyland Birthday Party

Here we go again!!! 

My beautiful daughter turned 2 and in true Mortashed fashion, I threw an over the top party! The theme this year, CANDY LAND! There were so many ideas that I was a bit overwhelmed. I put all my ideas on paper and began to give them my own twist. I work on a budget of $500 for the entire party so I give myself no more than $200 for decorations. So when I found ideas on Pinterest, I had to figure out how to make them on a fixed budget. Below, you'll see my decorations along with descriptions of materials used. YES, I did make it under budget!

CANDY LAND PARTY!!!

Tables

Every table had a different color table cloth. I wanted it to appear as a rainbow; so I bought the cheap plastic table clothes from hobby lobby. Then I chose a polka dot wrapping paper as the runner down each table. Each table had a main centerpiece and then two smaller ones around it. Each table had the same center piece, just in varying colors. 

I made the tissue paper ball by layering 5 different colors of tissue paper together. I then glued them onto a small dowel rod. Then my fantastic husband cut a cube of wood to glue in the bottom of the pails (I got various color pails from hobby lobby) and drilled a hole to stick the rod in. I filled the pail with rice to weigh it down and topped it off with gumballs. (Less gumballs=less money)

I took a simple mason jar filled it with dyed rice to give it the appearance of sprinkles. Honestly, can you imagine the cost if I were to fill 12 mason jars with sprinkles?! YIKES! I cut the #2 out of card stock with my Cricut. I saw an idea using candles but that would add up since I put a #2 on both sides of the jar. So, to save money I used paper. I then taped it into the jar prior to filling it up with rice. 

Here is the overall look of the tables. I had a total of 5 tables, though I planned for 6. 

CANDY and DESSERT BUFFET

There can't be a candy land party without a candy buffet. So I did one more and added a dessert buffet too! To add pizzazz to the tables, I created ribbon fringe to the edges of the tables to make them stand out. After all, this is the theme of the party. To create the different levels in the buffet, I wrapped boxes in white wrapping paper (I just turned wrapping paper I already had upside down so I didn't have to add to my cost). I threw and extra table cloth over the boxes to hide them. I found that stapling the fringe to the table cloth was the best method in holding it up. Candy: I got candy the day after a major holiday so it was on sale for really cheap. I had a mix of chocolate and sour; blow pops, starbursts, nerds, ring pops, Hershey kiss mix, small Hershey bars and KitKats. Dessert: birthday cheesecake, cake batter dip with animal cookies, Trix crispy treats, frosted sugar cookies, dipped strawberries, dipped pretzels, dipped marshmallows, and the Mother's frosted animal cookies with sprinkles (you know the iconic pink and white ones with sprinkles?)

"Grab a bag, take some treats, enjoy the sugar, life is sweet!"

The Walls

My Husband had a CRAZY idea to paint the back wall in our garage in chalkboard paint. His reasoning? It would be cool to see the kids write and draw on it for the party. My initial reaction was disbelief, but I warmed up to the idea and we did it. The end result was perfect. I was able to write my daughter's name and then decorate around it. I created pieces of candy using my Cricut by cutting large circles out of varying colors and swirls. Then I made lollipops using dowel rods and varying colored circles. I created a sweet shoppe sign for my daughter and the letters to go above the door. I wanted the candy land characters so I printed them on my computer and colored them. The most impressive wall decor was the number two I did out of pictures over the past year. I received a lot of compliments on it. 

The wreath is a fabric wreath with a glitter A

The finished product

Outside Decor

I did a lot of decorating outside in the yard as well. I created 40 large lollipops to line the driveway and walkway. I got large foam boards from Hobby Lobby, painted them and added a survey stake so they could be driven into the ground. I had wooden art decor made for Christmas which easily doubled as decorations for the party. Lucky for me, I love the sweet shoppe theme so I didn't have to spend any extra on this. I had the candy land castle made for the party but of course it will be used year after year for Christmas because it is made out of wood. 

Miscellaneous Party Items

I bought the plates and napkins from Hobby Lobby. I also made silly straw lollipops as thank you's to send home. The oh so clever saying I came up with was "Thanks for 'silly'brating with me!"

On My Honor Book Review

A New Type of Post

I've decided to try something a little different with this post. To say I LOVE to read would be an understatement. As a former  English teacher (now a stay at home mom),  I read books/novels a little different than most. While I read, the wheels in my head tend to turn, and I think of activities and questions as well as vocabulary to go along with the book. Not all books I read lead to this thinking however. When I start a novel, I quickly decide if this would be a book I would read and teach with my class.

Some posts will contain the activities and questions I create with the novel and others will simply be a book review.
*** All opinions and activities are my personal thoughts and not tied to any academic frame***

On My Honor 

Author: Marion Dane Bauer

Book Review

On My Honor is a fantastic and quick read. It spans only over a day thus making it ideal for a quick read with a class. The main characters, two boys, Joel and Tony spend all their time together. Despite growing up across the street from one another, they are complete opposites. Joel, I seemingly reserved individual, tends to butt heads with Tony, a daredevil of sorts. They have decided to take a bike ride to Starved Rock Park. Tony wants to climb the bluffs, yet Joel is a bit nervous knowing how dangerous that is. On their ride to the park, they stop at Vermillion River. Despite everything Joel knows and has been told, he goes against his better judgment and jumps in the river along with Tony. It quickly escalades into a fight for life as Joel realizes Tony cannot swim. The novel takes the reader along the journey of Joel fighting his conscience.

 My Thoughts: This book was a quick read. In fact, I finished it in a couple of hours. It may be a touchy subject for some people and/or students so it may need to be thoroughly thought out before teaching. However, I think it is a subject worth touching on. Because it is a book with the main characters being boys, it may appeal to the male student a bit more than another book. I would definitely recommend this book!

Activities For The Classroom

I have attached 3 documents a teacher may find useful when teaching this novel. They are completely my frame of thinking and are not tied to any academic frame. I used my knowledge as a teacher and what I would use in my own classroom. Please use at your own discretion and feel free to make any changes to the documents as you deem necessary.