The Little Mother has decided upon the birthday party theme for this year - Miyazaki movies!
So far, here are our ideas...
Make a flying machine (Castle in the Sky, Nausicaa, etc.) The kids will make their own flying machines from balsa wood, noodle wheels, etc. Any ideas for good materials? We can fly them in our field.
Wading Pool Bathhouse (Spirited Away)I'll borrow all my friends' wading pools. Each can be filled with a different essential oil scent, food color, and object. Some I've thought of: duckies, radishes, dragons, frogs. Any others?
Ohmu pinata (Nausicaa) I should be able to make this easily from a balloon and paper mache.
Broomstick Relay (Kiki's Delivery Service)Each team has a broomstick and a basket. They must take turns bringing back all the toy kittens.
This is an early July party, and we have a big woods and field. Any suggestions?
Posted by martha (Member # 141) on :
What a great idea! I know a seven-year-old (also with a July birthday, coincidentally) who would love to copy you -- would you mind?
Posted by Jenny Gardener (Member # 903) on :
Go for it!
Posted by Christy (Member # 4397) on :
What great ideas, Jenny! Sadly, I don't have any suggestions, but am amazed by your coolness.
Posted by Sopwith (Member # 4640) on :
How about a Totoro hunt in the woods? Whoever finds him wins!
Perhaps some black cotton candy to be the famous soot spirits?
Posted by Derrell (Member # 6062) on :
Posted by KarlEd (Member # 571) on :
You could have the kids pretend to be Haku as the White Dragon. Get a long bolt of white cloth and put a head and tail on the ends and have all the kids line up under the cloth and run around the yard.
Or you could have some of them be Haku as the White Dragon, and have others chase the dragon carrying paper-doll streamers cut like those little paper figures that chase him in the movie.
As for "flying machine" materials, don't forget colored tissue paper. You can rub glue on a balsa-wood frame and stretch the tissue across it. We used to make kites this way when I was a kid. You can decorate with markers and glitter-glue.
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
For decorations, you could have, or maybe have the kids make? the scare crow from Howl's Moving Castle.
Posted by Jenny Gardener (Member # 903) on :
Good ideas, folks! KarlEd, I'd like to hear more about the kites. They sound so cool.
One of my girlfriends found a website where you can find plush Totoros! How cute!
I think Little Mother would enjoy both a Totoro hunt (our woods is enchanted anyway...) and making the dragon. That would be cool.
Posted by KarlEd (Member # 571) on :
The kites we made were the typical kite shape - two balsa-wood sticks in a cross and string running from point to point making a diamond. We'd glue tissue paper across the front. They never really flew that well, but they were pretty.
I thought of them when you mentioned balsa-wood and flying machines. I imagined a balsa-wood frame with a different color of tissue paper covering each section outlined by the balsa-wood skeleton. It would look sorta patch-work, (or maybe "stained glassy" ) but I bet it would be beautiful in the sunlight.
![[Cool]](cool.gif)
![[Wink]](wink.gif)
) but I bet it would be beautiful in the sunlight.