Ever since the recent news of the Roadmap out of lockdown, we have been getting more requests than ever before for live parties. This is the reason why will be reintroducing our Garden Party Package. The entire package has been design to adhere to Government Guidelines. Even though everything has been designed with social distancing in mind, the party is still super fun and everyone has an amazing experience. From our point of view your children will be safe and have a fantastic time.
Navigating a Pandemic: A Comprehensive Guide for Parents Planning a Children's Garden Party
However, a lot of parents have been asking for our advice. They want to know what they can do when planning the party to ensure everyone is safe and Government Guidelines are followed. Because we have had so many requests we have written a blog all about what parents can do to ensure that their child’s birthday party is a massive success even with people’s movements being restricted.
The Kids Will Be Safe
Make sure that the parents you are inviting are aware their children will be safe. Some parents will be worried that a party won’t be a safe place to take their children. However, if you educate these parents then it won’t be an issue. Make sure they are aware you are taking their children’s safety very seriously and that everyone will be adhering to social distance guidelines.
Avoid Food & Buffets
Do not have a buffet when planning the birthday food. A buffet can be very ‘hands on’ and it would be very easy for someone to pass on the virus without even realising. Instead, use cardboard party boxes. In each box put a pack of crisps, a cake bar, a piece of fruit and a sandwich. You could even use pre packed sandwiches from the shops. This is a lot more hygienic and also it means you don’t have to spend as long preparing food before the party!
Regarding party food, the other thing to consider is what the children are going to drink during the party. The problem with paper cups is that the kids tend to drink out of each others cups. There are a couple of solutions to this problem. Firstly you can buy in lots of fruit shoots or cans of pop. The other option would be to take a leaf out of Starbucks book and write the name of each child on their own paper cup. This way they will know which cup is theirs. The final way of dealing with this is to ask parents to make sure their children bring their own water bottles. This way they know for certain which is their drink.
At the end of the party you will obviously have the birthday child blow the candles out on the birthday cake. The problem is that most parents will not want their child eating cake another child has spat all over! There are a couple of solutions to this problem. Firstly use sparklers instead of candles. These look just as good and there is nothing to blow out. The other idea would be to have individual cupcakes for the party guests. This was an idea from one of our customers. They told us what they were going to do and we thought it was brilliant. Your child can still blow the candles out on the cake and it won’t affect your party guests at all. It also means that your family get to eat the entire cake on their own - bonus!
Maintain Social Distancing
Make sure you have considered social distancing. There is a very good chance for the next couple of months that you will be planning your child’s party in your back garden. From our point of view we can ensure that our entire package is socially distanced. In other words the children will be at least two metres away from the entertainer. The show we have developed is awesome, it’s very interactive as well as keeping everyone safe. However you need to work out how the kids and parents that you are inviting are going to be kept away from each other.
The best way to do this is to preplan where everyone is sitting in the garden. Have a kids area and have an adults area. You don’t have to worry too much about the adults. They are old enough to socially distance without encouragement. With regards to the children the best idea is to put something on the floor they can sit on. This could be beech towels or even pieces of carpet. We spoke to one client who was planning on using hula hoops and having a hula hoop for each child to sit in. The entertainer can help to ensure that the kids stay within the designated space but it’s really important you plan the layout of the garden beforehand.
Follow Government Guidelines
It’s very important to keep up to date with Government Guidelines. As of the 29th of March only 6 people can gather in gardens. Things are changing on a day by day basis. The Government are allowing all non essential shops to reopen next month. If you are planning a party a few weeks in advance things will probably have changed by then. Make sure you don’t invite more people than the Government allows. You might want to consider only inviting immediate family and very close friends and as the Government allows more people to gather, you can invite more people. When clients book us for a Garden Party we do not need to know the amount of people attending when you book in. Just let us know nearer the date when everything has been finalised at your end.
Regardless of Government Guidelines you might want to consider limiting the amount of kids you are inviting to the party. This depends on the size of your garden and how many people you can fit in safely. If you have a massive garden you could invite more people. If you have a smaller garden you will not be able to invite as many. Make sure that you have planned where everyone will sit so that you don’t overcrowd your garden. Remember it is important that all your guests feel safe when they are at the party.
If you are wanting more children than Government Guidelines will allow you might want to consider having the parents drop the children off at the party and leave them there. Then afterwards they can pick them back up. This is a great idea but you will need to ensure that the children are kept safe. If your garden is enclosed this is easy to do but if not make sure all gates etc are closed. Another idea would be to place a limit of one adult per child. Although this sounds harsh it’s a great way to limit numbers of adults. Also most parents would understand why you are taking this approach.
Have Hand Sanitiser Ready
Have bottles of hand sanitiser available for party guests to use. Let's be honest there is a good chance that parents have brought their own but having them available helps reassure everyone and shows that you are taking hygiene seriously.
Think about what is going to happen with toilet trips. If the party is taking place in your garden you will need to consider what happens when your party guests need the toilet. If you are luckily enough to have an outside toilet that is obviously the best option. However if this is not the case you will need to make your guests aware of how they get to your toilet. Government Guidelines do state that if you are gathering in a garden people can use the toilet which is good because asking a child to ‘hold it’ for a few hours would be impossible!
However you want to clearly mark the route from your garden to the toilet so that your guests aren’t wondering around your house. Also you need to work out what you expect your guests to do after they have used the toilet and make sure they understand. Government Guidelines state that if someone uses the toilet they need to clean it throughly. Make sure there are cleaning products to hand and that your guests understand that this is their responsibility. Putting up a notice on the toilet door would be a good way of letting people know what you expect.
Plan The Route For Your Guests
Consider how your guests are going to get to your garden. Government Guidelines state that visitors can walk through your house if necessary. However the best option would be to use a side gate or a back gate because that way you haven’t got lots of people walking through your house. Whatever you decide, make sure that your guests are aware of the plan beforehand. If you plan on people coming around a side gate, tell them ahead of time and perhaps have signage up pointing to the way they need to go. This way there will be no confusion.
Don't Worry And Have A Good Time
One final piece of advice - don’t worry too much! We understand that planning your child’s birthday in a pandemic isn’t easy. However as long as you think about it beforehand and plan accordingly everything will be fantastic. After all the most important thing is that your child has a great time! Just relax and everything will be correct.
We hope this guide has helped! As we mentioned at the beginning of this blog we specialise at adapting our packages to ensure that no matter what the circumstances we can still provide entertainment. If you would like to find out more about our Garden Parties simply go to our contact form and fill it in. We will get back to you with an no obligation quote. Alternatively we can go through some options and give you some advice over the phone. Just give us a call on 0333 301 3002.
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