Carnival Party

When I was younger my mom did a carnival themed birthday party for me. She hired my babysitters and their friends to run the game booths and set up about 10 games - ring toss, balloon/ dart, etc. Instead of favor bags she had prizes at each game, like those little army men with parachutes, candy, sparkly pencils, etc. She also had several girls doing face painting, and rented a cotton candy & sno cone machine. My birthday's in the summer so there were lots of cool drinks and umbrellas set up. She'd also decorated the whole yard with streamers and balloons so it really did have a carnival theme. The cake was decorated with balloons/clowns/"confetti" and lots of sparkly candles. I'd love to have the same party for my kids when they're old enough, possibly with a clown or magician (so typical, I know!) or pony rides to give the kids even more options. It was a really great party because even though there were probably like 30 kids, she'd arranged for enough games that there weren't big lines and there was something for everyone to do. The adults kicked back with sno-cones and enjoyed the sun, so they were happy too!