my head and heart have been somewhere else this past week, so i didn't get more party details posted like i promised. lucky for me, you guys are an easygoing bunch and have forgiven me already. (haven't you?)
the party was loads of nerdy fun. we made bookmarks using the photos we took of the guests as they arrived at the party. (heh. all 2 of them--i love a small party for children this age. i treat it like a fancy play date, and everyone's so relaxed and mellow. of course, as homeschoolers we have the luxury of not being obligated to invite an entire classroom of children--i know small parties aren't an option for everybody, and in fact, when our families are around for parties, they are anything but small!)
we competed in relay races like "pass the bookworm" (think gummi worms and chopsticks) and "librarian walk" (everyone tried walking around the room while balancing a book on top of their heads, which, surprisingly, turned out to be a lot more of a challenge than i thought!).
the main event at the party was the DIY library bags that everyone made. i bought some plain canvas totes at the craft store, along with some black fabric paint and sponge brushes so we could freezer paper stencil them. i downloaded this set of silhouette glasses and k turned them into a usable template/stencil. (this is where i tried and failed miserably--something about positive and negative space and cutting and not cutting--it was a disaster, so i handed that task off to the engineer.)
having never tried freezer paper stenciling before, i was a bit nervous about how it would go, but it turned out to be a great (very doable) craft for 8-year-olds. i ironed the stencils onto the bags prior to the start of the party (tip: iron a square of freezer paper onto the inside of the bag as well so paint doesn't soak through) so all the girls had to do was paint them and then wait for them to dry. fyi, they were dry to the touch by the end of the party, but i did send the bags home with the stencils still attached--all the instructions i'd read online had said not to remove the stencil for at least 12 hours.
other highlights from the party:
booklight favors (a booklight has been on olivia's wishlist for such a looong time!)
dad's storytime + fairytale charades
also, grandma sent the perfect shirt for the party, don't you think?
thanks for reading!
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