How to Throw a Messy Party for Your Toddler

Throwing a party for toddlers can be a messy proposition. They love to smear cake, finger paint, and generally make a mess. So, throw a messy party! Your toddler will love it, and you for allowing them free mess making reign for a day. Don't worry, all the mess will be outside, allowing your child to have a blast, and ensuring you hassle free cleanup. Let's get started!

Preparing for the party:
1. Purchase materials

· Two plastic kiddy pools
· Flour
· Water
· 5 Cans of shaving cream
· Finger paints
· Butcher paper
· Food coloring
· Finger foods of your choice

2. Send out the invitations
Be sure to note date, time, and most importantly, that this is a MESSY PARTY. Ask parents to bring a change of clothes for their child.

3. Find a location
You will need a grassy outside area, if you don't want the mess in your house. A backyard or park will be perfect.

The day of the party:
1. Set up decorations of your choice, as well as the food table.

2. Fill one pool with shaving cream. Add food coloring to different areas to make a rainbow of colored fluff - very enticing to a toddler.

3. Fill the other pool with several inches of water. Dump the flour in a big bowl, and place it near the pool.

4. Set up a finger-painting station. Use a table to spread out different colors of paint poured onto paper plates. Tear off kid-sized lengths of butcher paper, and roll them up so that they're ready to go.

Let the mess making begin!
As your guests arrive, direct them to the first pool. If you have a large group, you may want to divide the children between the two pools. As they finish with the pools, direct them to the finger-painting station.

Pool #1: Allow the children to smear the shaving cream. Let them play in it any way their heart desires. After all, this IS a messy party.

Pool #2: Encourage the children to get their bodies wet using the water in the pool. Then let them throw flour at each other. The flour will stick, creating a
messy paste.

Finger-painting: Allow the children to smear paint on their sheet of paper, creating a beautiful picture to take home to their parents.

Further ideas:

· Cut each toddler a piece of cake and allow them to eat it with their fingers
· If you have an area of dirt in your yard, hose it down and let the children make mud pies
· Ask each parent to send a plain T-shirt, and allow the toddlers to finger paint on these shirts, then keep
them as souvenirs of their special day.