Rimily Living
Focus
MARY ANN K.
OYLER
Franklin Co. ■
Cooperative Extensioi
CELEBRATE
WITH BIRTHDAYS
When was the last time you ask
ed your child if they would like to
haveSparty? Undoubtedly, the re
sponse to this question would be a
resounding YES!
With three children in our
household, we have experienced
our share of birthday parties as
well as pretend parties where the
only attendees were stuffed ani
mals and doll babies.
Celebrations often center
around such special holidays as
Christmas, Thanksgiving, Hanuk
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kah, New Year’s Day, and so
forth, but birthdays in the eye of a
child is a special day for them to
“celebrate.” To a child, it is so im
portant to be one year older. We
adults don’t seem to have quite the
need to keep as close a watch on
the birthdays!
When celebrating birthdays
with children, family traditions
can be easily formed. Whether it is
a get-together with family mem
bers or a party with school friends,
we seldom stop and think about
the traditions we are forming with
our families. Traditions can be
anything that occurs with some
regularity and holds special mean
ing for a family. It can be as
simple as reading bedtime stories
or as elaborate as an annual trip
across the country to grandma’s
house. The existence of family tra
ditions can help make a family and
family members feel special and
unique. Because the meanings of
these occasions and activities are
usually understood and enjoyed
by the family, they can create feel
ings of closeness and shared
meanings. Traditions provide sta
bility and continuity in a changing
world.
If young children are part of
your family, why not consider es
tablishing some birthday tradi
tions? Consider starting to build
traditions by including the chil
dren in the development of these
special times:
• Allow the child to choose the
kind of cake and icing. Let them
work with you to make and decor
ate the cake. Remember, perfec
tion is not necessary!
• Let the child make their own
party invitations with stickers and
Robbie Brooks Band
Don't miss the show at the show.
Be sure to stop by the Morton
building to catch the dynamic
style and the mesmerizing sounds
of the Robbie Brooks Band.
Check the Morton Buildings
display for show times.
800-447-7436
# MORTON
BUILDINGS
P.O Box 399, Morton, IL 61550
www.mortonbuildmgs.com
©1999 Morton Buildings, Inc.
WV Contractor’s License #WVOO7B4B
Version ED
stamps or design them on the com
puter.
• Involve the birthday child in
helping to plan party games or let
them invent new games. Libraries
have lots of books that include
creative games.
•Children delight in making de
corations and also enjoy decorat
ing for the special event Don't be
too quick to take decorations
down. Let the joy continue for a
few days.
• Decorating party bags can oc
cupy young hands for several
hours and can be vety cost effec
tive. White lunch size paper bags
work great for this project.
• Consider involving the birth
day child in making party favors
for guests.
Themes for birthday parties can
be fun if friends are being invited
to attend. I remember two parties
that were especially fun at our
home. One year we had a Detec
tive Party were the party guests
caroused the yard following clues.
Learning
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There were bags of junk mail to go
through, secret messages to figure
out, hidden keys to And, etc. The
final station was a bag of candy
for a candy scramble. Another
party for our daughter centered
around a carnival theme. Children
tossed bean bags into clown faces
drawn on cardboard boxes, decor
ated ping pong balls and then
threw them into bowls, experienc
ed face painting, and played bal
loon games. Themes can make the
planning fun for the parent as well
as the children. Anything from a
Pirate Party for young children to
a Hair and Jewelry Party for older
girls adds a special flavor to any
party.
Whether the activity is fun or
serious, the anniversary of one’s
birth is a special opportunity to
honor each individual whether
child or adult and create
cherished family traditions and
memories. Why not start some
new birthday traditions this year?
Gardens
Invest as many or as few
hours as you would like. If you
are interested and would like to
participa
and ask
Gettysburg-New Oxford
(717)624-3639 (717)624-4188
te, call (610) 489-4315
for Mary Concklin.
Lancaster
Farming
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