Mouse Party

(Thank-you to Alexander Schoening, Germany for contributing this theme and most of the activities you see posted!)

Decorations

• Gray and white balloons or confetti everywhere, hang up posters or pictures of mice to the walls, white or gray tablecloth, put mice figures on the table with pieces of cheese.

Games/Activities

• Food Forage: hide candies all over the house. Have the children "mice" go and look for the treats. I recommend having an adult be the "Big Cheese" to whom all the little mice bring their found goodies. The treats can be evenly divided and placed in the loot bags after the mice have had a snack or two!
• Cat and Mouse: the children are the mice, an adult (or adults) the cat(s). The cat(s) must catch the mice. A great game for the outdoors.
• You could have the children come dressed as mice or make mouse ears at the party and face paint on a nose and whiskers - take a picture of the children. Big pieces of foam cheese or the "mice" holding real cheese would make cute props for the pictures.
• Walnut mice: seperate walnuts into 2 half shells, decorate with felt ears, googlie eyes, pink pompom nose and a woolen tail... these are adorable!
• Cheese and Crackers: played like Tic-Tac-Toe except with felt cheese and crackers. Set up a few boards in an area and let the children play
• Mouse Hunt: hide a toy mouse somewhere in the house and have the children follow clues to discover where the mouse is hiding.

Food

• Mice love cheese, some "cheesy ideas" are cheese pizza, cheese and crackers, cheesy garlic bread, etc.
• Cake: Cheese Cake and/or "Icy Mice" - one scoop of vanilla ice cream decorated with a red nose (a cherry), two eyes (small pieces of chocolate) and two big ears (two chocolate cookies). The children could design their own mice for dessert!

Loot Bags

This is where planning ahead REALLY pays off! Visit Party stores and dollar stores frequently and purchase items that relate to your theme for the loot bags. This is one of the most enjoyable part of planning the party and the best part... you get to be there and watch the children's faces when they receive your awesome theme-based loot bags! Here are a few ideas to get you started:

• Mickey Mouse merchandise
• Mice figurines
• Cheese strings
• Mice Feed (candies from the Mouse Hunt game)