Birthday Party Ideas (website)
December 2002
My son turns 11 in January, and we're searching for
indoor birthday party ideas. In the past couple of years
we've done small-scale sleepovers, so we feel he's
overdue for a big, fun party. He really enjoyed playing
laser tag down at the Santa Cruz Boardwalk. Does
anyone know of a laser tag facility within 45-minutes'
drive of Berkeley? Any other ideas for a fun party place
that can handle pre-teen boy energy (other than the
over-used Albany Bowl)?
Maria
To the writer seeking laser tag for 11-year-old party:
Q-zar has laser tag places in Concord and in Pleasanton. We
have been to both. I prefer the one in Pleasanton--there's
a world of shopping out there if you are not participating
in the games yourself--but they are both pretty similar in
terms of what you get. The Concord place has a web site at
http://www.theentertainmentzone.net/Welcome.htm.
Cynthia
For my son's 13th birthday we took him and a small group of
friends to the Spaghetti Warehouse in Concord, then walked
the one block to the Q-Zar laser tag place. It was lots of
fun and at least cheaper than the Metreon in the city where
we had gone the year before. The Metreon is fun, but very
much designed to suck as much money out of you as possible.
I don't have the address info for the laser tag place, but a
web search should turn it up. Good luck
Dianna
We took our 11 year-old boy and his friends to the batting
cages in Emeryville for his birthday and it was quite a hit
(ha ha). They have several different ''cages'' with different
speed balls, etc. and they also have a indoor basketball
court and balls which we used for an adult against kids
game. They have other stuff like an air hockey table and
some video games, and there is a ''party room'' for doing
cake and presents. I can't remember the exact name of the
place but I'm pretty sure it is on Hollis St. in
Emeryville, a little past the Emeryville Public Market and
movie theater area.
Suzi
There is Q-Zar at 2295 Willow Pass Road in Concord. Their
phone number is (925) 521-9663.
Annie
we once had a party for my son at pt. pinole regional park -
- asked kids to bring bikes to ride, and we had a picnic.
they had a great time riding off that energy!
another idea -- take amtrak down to san jose, and visit the
tech museum of innovation. the kids love the train ride,
especially once they find the snack bar! it is fine for
them to wander around, and there are seats with tables so
they can play games etc. on the way. and the tech museum
has lots of very cool things to offer. it's maybe a 1/2
mile walk from the train station. the whole trip makes for
a long and satisfying day.
or, berkeley iceland is a good place for energetic kids,
even if they don't yet know how to skate -- most can get
the gist of it pretty quickly! and most kids who have
skated before also fall. add some hot chocolate from the
vending machine, and a good time had by all.
but albany bowl is also wonderful, especially if you get
adults involved -- the kids can look pretty good next to
some of us, you know?
kathy
Not long ago my younger son had his 11th birthday. My sister was complaining
about throwing toddler parties, so I thought I'd give her an idea of what she
has to look forward to. This easy recipe makes one sleepover birthday party.
6 boys (aged 11-13 years)
Food:
- 4 sixpacks of sodas
- 2 quarts orange juice
- 2 gallons milk
- 1 cup coffee (this kid was weird)
- 1 package pretzels
- 2 packages chips
- 1 dozen apples
- 4 peaches
- 1 large bag of carrots
- 1 med size jar peanut butter
- 2 large pizzas
- 1 large birthday cake
- 1 dozen fudgesicles
- 2 dozen pancakes
- 4 frozen waffles
- 1 dozen bagels
- 1 large pot of leftover spaghetti
- any other leftovers on hand
Entertainment:
- 3 packages of water balloons
- 8 squirt guns (preferably supersoaker variety - have kids bring them)
- 2 garden hoses with faucet connections
- 8 towels
- 1 gory movie (rent)
- 2 Japanese animation videos (rent)
- computer and games - at least one
- video game system and games (borrow)
- birthday presents (kids will bring)
Directions:
Party will run itself! Just do the following:
- Leave food out where they can find it.
- Make sure outdoor entertainment doesn't come inside, and vice versa
- Deposit food, entertainment, and sleeping bags as far away as
possible from where you plan to sleep.
- Next morning, withhold all food and entertainment for 30 minutes
before departure time (for clean-up).
--Ginger
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