I must admit though, all this sports related activity that has been going on around here reminds me of a party I planned for a friend’s son last year. This party was done on a very tight budget, though Charlie is not a child. As a matter of fact, this party was for his 18th birthday. However this is a theme that can be adapted for any age group and was a huge success so it bears mentioning!
Charlie LOVES sports and is seen quite often out in the neighbourhood playing with the younger ones, showing them a technique or two! But his passion is baseball! He’s a little obsessed! So for his 18th birthday we choose a baseball theme! We wanted to include all his friends and family so we were planning for a wide age group (6 and up to adults) and this theme seemed perfect!
Invitations:
To keep costs down, we creeped Charlie’s Facebook account and grabbed a few of his close friends information. Then, we set up an “event invite” with the following wording, “Charlie is rounding third and headed toward his eighteenth birthday! Come help us cheer him on!” and followed that with all the party information. We then added a picture of Charlie pitching at one of his games and photoshopped to include balloons and streamers in the background. For those that we could not use Facebook for, we printed the same information on to baseball themed paper (from the dollar store) and mailed themßtotal cost $4.00
To keep costs down, we creeped Charlie’s Facebook account and grabbed a few of his close friends information. Then, we set up an “event invite” with the following wording, “Charlie is rounding third and headed toward his eighteenth birthday! Come help us cheer him on!” and followed that with all the party information. We then added a picture of Charlie pitching at one of his games and photoshopped to include balloons and streamers in the background. For those that we could not use Facebook for, we printed the same information on to baseball themed paper (from the dollar store) and mailed themßtotal cost $4.00
Location:
Fortunately, a good friend lives directly across the street from a school with a great baseball field; so we had everyone meet up there. There was a nice field and playground area for anyone not wanting to play baseball.<-- FREE!
Fortunately, a good friend lives directly across the street from a school with a great baseball field; so we had everyone meet up there. There was a nice field and playground area for anyone not wanting to play baseball.<-- FREE!
Activities and Party Games:
This was an easy part! We planned to simply PLAY a game of baseball. But recognizing that not everyone would be able (or willing) to participate at this level, we also planned some fun baseball related activities in the field by the diamond.
Pitching Contest – I placed a basket of balls at one end and set up a hockey net with targets tied on it, a little distance away. The kids, (and a few adults! Lol) then had a contest to see who could hit the targets the most! ß used materials already on hand so FREE!
Ball Toss Relay --I lined the players up in two lines facing each other. Each player was then given a baseball cap. The object of the game was to toss the ball back and forth using only the ball cap (no hands!) and without letting their ball drop. For the Adults, after each toss, I had the players take one step back. Teams who missed their catch were out until only one team was left! ß Collected hats from friends so again FREE!
BUBBLES – This is pretty self explanatory. We had bubbles for the kids to play with and told them they had to catch them before they popped! This was a big hit and even some of the adults got in on it! ß $3.00
Decorations and Party Supplies:
We decided to decorate the ball field in addition to the house since the party was to take place at both locations.
For the field - we simply tied 2 bunches of balloons (blue and white for the Toronto Blue Jays) one with a mylar baseball balloon and the other with a mylar sports themed 18th birthday balloon. And tied them on either sides of the dugouts. ß $30
At the house we had blue table clothes, blue and white streamers, all from the dollar store and small bunches of blue and white balloons placed around the room. ß $40
We also brought over the balloon bunches from the field and placed them around the food table. We bought plates, napkins, cups and dishes that looked like baseballs also from the dollar store. ß$20
Using an idea from
http://www.creative-partythemes.com/baseball_theme_party.html#axzz1TENEQXW4
For a centerpiece we decided to use some of Charlie’s old gear!<-- FREE!
Menu
Hot dogs!!! Roasted Peanuts!! And Cracker Jacks!! Of course! And for good measure we added a macaroni salad, a potato salad, a cheese tray and a veggie tray. ß $60 (Salads and Trays were brought by guests)
For dessert - we made three cakes (Chocolate, Vanilla and Lemon) and on each one we had a scanned picture of Charlie (on edible rice paper printed at DQ) in his ball uniforms; one from his first year, one from his mid years and one recent. With the cake was a side of ice cream served in a small plastic baseball helmet from the dollar store. ß $50 (homemade cakes, printouts from DQ and helmet costs)
Hot dogs!!! Roasted Peanuts!! And Cracker Jacks!! Of course! And for good measure we added a macaroni salad, a potato salad, a cheese tray and a veggie tray. ß $60 (Salads and Trays were brought by guests)
For dessert - we made three cakes (Chocolate, Vanilla and Lemon) and on each one we had a scanned picture of Charlie (on edible rice paper printed at DQ) in his ball uniforms; one from his first year, one from his mid years and one recent. With the cake was a side of ice cream served in a small plastic baseball helmet from the dollar store. ß $50 (homemade cakes, printouts from DQ and helmet costs)
Loot Bags
Since this party was actually for an 18 year old boy, we decided to forgo the loot bags. However for the few kids that were there we did have small bags with baseball themed pencils and erasers, little chocolates wrapped in foil to look like tiny baseballs and a pack of collectible baseball cards. ß $20
And we had extras for anyone who wanted a treat!
This party was so much fun to plan! It was very inexpensive, and everyone, especially Charlie, had a blast! Total Cost: $167
