You make some food, yah. You have a lot, yah.
You add some friends, yah...and you mix them all about.
They put a skit together for the sixteenth birthday girl.
That's what the fun's about!
We don't have a hot tub or a pool. We don't have a fire pit to roast marshmallows. We don't have foosball, ping pong, pool or air hockey. We don't have a volleyball net, tetherball, or a basketball court. We don't have a trampoline. We don't have a theater room or even a fancy entertainment system. However, we do have creative minds and the ability to make good food... and a lot of it. When you put those two things together, you can have a fun and successful party without all the frills that many people think you need.
Now imagine 20-25 boys and girls (ages 14-17) at my daughter's 16th birthday party. What do you do with them? Well, first you feed them. Hawaiian Haystacks - perfect. They didn't even put away half of what we had prepared. Oh well, leftovers for the whole family the next day!! Once everyone is sufficiently stuffed, we need an activity. Here's my favorite activity at a party...the birthday roasting skit. No, not a roasting stick, roasting skit.
Here's a little background...when I was a senior in high school, our church group had an activity called "The Senior Roast". First, there was a dinner and then the program commenced which consisted of the Juniors getting together a roast of the seniors. It was a planned skit that poked fun at personality traits, emphasized talents, rehashed funny memories, or entertained with inside jokes. It was an activity we all loved and looked forward to. Fast forward 20 years and I'm now using this same idea for my children's parties; just recently, my daughter's 16th.
We split the attendees into 4 or 5 groups, depending on how many people you have to work with. We tried to mix them up into groups from different walks of life...church friends, school friends, life-long friends, neighborhood friends. When you have a group of 4, 5, or 6 kids that know the birthday girl from different angles, you get a fun twist. Plus, people that don't know each other get to know each other and that's always a plus at a birthday party.
Give the groups 15-20 minutes to put together a random skit about the person-of-honor. They are allowed paper if needed and any prop that can be found in the house. Everyone in the group needs to participate. After the prep time, the groups take turns performing the skits in front of everyone. Of course, I record them so my child has this special gift from her friends. The skits are hysterical and fun. They are randomly varied. Some may sing a familiar tune, penned with their own words. Another may be a game show or a newscast. Or, one ends up being just a silly skit full of inside jokes and commentary. Whatever the case, it is a fabulous way to involve everyone, take up a good chunk of time, and provide a feeling of love and support for the birthday girl.
Happy 16th Birthday, Sweetie!
More to Come...but until then, Stick-to-it!
