Baby Shower Wikipedia
Baby Shower Wikipedia
Think about this….
“…. a pleasure excursion at which a meal is eaten outdoors, ideally, taking
place in a beautiful landscape.”
(wikipedia.org, 2007)
Wouldn’t you like that type of thing for a birthday party?
food – friends – pleasure – beautiful landscape
Think Picnic. Think amazing birthday.
What?
Too much time to do it? Not sure where to start? Don’t want to make a
fuss…
The BEST short term answer to all these dilemmas??
Think picnic.
Let’s explore 7 refreshingly simple ways to make a Birthday Party sing using
Picnics…
Think….With the Crowd OR Completely On Your own (LOCATION)
Think about it… a picnic can be held just about anywhere. Once safety is
considered and any permissions from local authorities etc, the world is pretty
much your oyster. Find a green oasis in a smoggy city; visit a favourite
beach; discover a spot using your GPS and say: “meet me here”; a lounge
room floor by the fire when it’s cold out;
The choice is unlimited but can be guided by the person you are honoring. It
might be a reference they made to a location they grew up in or somewhere
they’d like to visit. Just have your radar out and think:
is it safe?
do I have to ask permission?
will it have impact ?
Think….Plan Plan Plan or Wing it.(PLANNING)
You may be limited to what you can do given time and or resources. That
shouldn’t be a problem. Here is where you think about you and what you
need to make this happen. If you find the tension building call in some help or
let some “planning” go. If you focus on making a BIG statement with a few
simple but BOLD actions then it’s more manageable and enjoyable for all.
Image your birthday person getting concerned because you are not enjoying
their birthday due to worrying “what’s next” and that all is on schedule.
Forget it! Go loose and relaxed. Save time by using stuff from home, catered
food served up with fancy crockey, have a pizza delivered, get your friends
to “appear ” out of the woods…as long as its clear and simple everyone can
remeber what’s going on.
Think….To Tell Or Not To Tell (PROMOTION)
How are you with surprises? You can do this for any age group and in many
different ways. Choose early and make sure everyone knows to zip it. The
surprise can be intensified by sending them on a treasure hunt to pick up
pieces of a map to reveal the location, or sending things in the mail to alert
them that something is up. Using a picnic opens up a whole bag of ways to
build excitement and anticipation. Use your imagination.
Think…What about the public?(PRIVACY)
A private gathering for a romantic couple or a street party for a
nieghborhood? You must consider the consequences for others. If you have
your picnic on a public space and there are other groups around doing the
same, great! But if the ground gets used for football at 3pm and you are
cutting the cake, world’s may colide.
Think…Weather me timbers! Rain ho!! (CONTINGENCY)
Come prepared but don’t let it dominate your thinking. The preparedness
kicks in when there is a change and subtle suggestions turn the focus from
say, inclement weather and “no sun, no fun”, to “we’re a’ll in this together”
and . The focus of the leader (read organiser, read YOU) is what will see you
through. Have a plan B and mobilise people to help carry stuff if you need to
make a dash for it. Be considerate of peoples needs and watch for
Think…Food? (FOOD)
Remeber the guest of honor. It’s their birthday and showering them with
things they like might be ideal. Of course, you can dress up a big mac with
napkins and silver service to make it “special” and you can go completely
nuts with a caterer.
Condense everything as much as possible and put it into one bag that is
easy to maneouver. The wheelie bags you see at air ports and discount
stores are a great choice. You can pick them up for $30 stuff them full and
wheel them anywhere. Remeber to safe guard against food spoiling and
damage en route. Sharing the load is a good way to go, task others up to
help and even consider a caterer. The good old picnic hamper is still alive and
well these days. Your options are endless. Remember: keep it simple.
Activity? (FUN)
Again…Keep it simple… how about some good old fashion games: Hide and
Seek; I Spy; Cloud watching. They can be age appropriate and location
appropriate. Have a couple of tried and true things in your kit: a frisbee, a
soccer ball, bat and ball maybe. How about a pinata? Or croquet? You could
make the location linked to the activity: picnic on the side of the fairway in a
public golf course.Hit a short 9 holes and picnic after!
Think Picnic.
Using a picnic for a birthday celebration is AMAZING. The more you look at
the idea the more the possibilities. A lot of web info about picnic ideas
focusses on the “stuff” you can buy, but a carefull look at the thinking
around history’s first alfresco dining will lead you to one conclusion:
purchasing stuff doesn’t equal a heart-felt or memorable celebration.
Loving the idea of a Picnic? Go have a chat to an expert picnic-er. Emily from
The-Picnic-Site.com offers a dedicated picnic resource to “expand your
ideas about alfresco eating and let you really enjoy hosting such gatherings,
because, whatever the occasion, a picnic makes the event much more
memorable.”
Did she say memorable? Isn’t that what we’re after?
Try a picnic for your next birthday event. Think about the value of the
gesture, the simplicity of the idea, the freshness of the great outdoors…
It’s a winner.
Oh….and by the way:
THINK PICNIC!
What do you think?
Neal Lohse is the author of http://www.best-birthday-party-idea.com
He describes himself as a Happy Person, Loving Spouse, Cool-Dad, Business Coach, Author, Corporate Philosopher, Event Designer, Education Facilitator…and is in love with a mountain-bike and a pair hiking boots.
The planning tips and suggestions come from his personal and working experience.
LOLCats in Little Duece Coupe Fast Cats Driving Crazy Music Video
