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Our two sons, ages 6 and 3, have their birthdays exactly 2 weeks apart so we usually make one party to celebrate both birthdays. They both love Thomas the Tank Engine, so we decided on trains as the theme, not
just Thomas per se. We made custom invitations using PrintMaster software and incorporated a picture of both boys wearing overalls, conductor hats, a bandana around their necks, one playing a harmonica and the
other "chewing" on a stalk of wheat. For decorations, I put up a rustic sign on the front door with our last name as the station and a notice that said that the party was "'round the back ...
follow the train tracks". For train tracks, I cut out long rectangles from brown grocery bags and laid them along the driveway and sidewalk going around the house. To hold them down, I ran two strips
of 2" masking tape the entire length of the tracks. We also used colorful balloons and streamers. The entire party was held in our back yard. We rented a huge (13'x19') train bouncer
(also called a jumper or inflatable) that the kids just LOVED! It was $140 for 4 hours of "jumping" time. It kept the older boys occupied for just about the entire party (they never ran out of
energy jumping in it). I had other activities for the girls and the kids who didn't want to jump. I froze Campbell's soup cans with water a few days before the party and had the kids make
"lanterns". I got a thick towel and a nail with a large head and had an adult supervise the kids hammering holes randomly on the outside of the can. We ran a thick wire from one end of the can to
the other (much like a bucket handle). After dumping out the chunks of ice, we put an unlit votive candle in the can and fashioned a tree branch to the wire so that when the kids lit the candle at home, they could
hold onto the branch and not the wire handle to prevent themselves from getting burned. We also played "pin the number on the train", had a train piņata and played "find the lost cargo" much
like a scavenger hunt. For lunch I offered simple finger foods including hotdogs and buns with condiments (ketchup, mustard, relish, grated cheese, diced Maui onions, chili), fried chicken, potato chips, fruit
kabobs and boxed juices/boxed chocolate milk. For the birthday cake, I baked a dense cake like pound cake, cut them into rectangular, serving-size pieces and decorated each as a train for each child, using
colored frosting, candies and mini Oreo's as wheels. For goodie bags, I thought of a "Huck Fin"/"stowaway" idea. I bought a red bandana for each child and got an assortment of train
related trinkets (stickers, pencil, erasers, harmonica, bubbles and a few edible treats). I opened the bandana, put the treats inside, brought the ends together and tied them to create a little tied up
bundle. I got 2' long tree branches and tied the bundle to the end of the branch. Using brown construction paper cut as leaves, I wrote the child's name on it and fashioned it on the end of the
branch, where the bandana was connected. I stuck all the branches in a large planter filled with sand and as each child left the party, they looked for their goodie bag and took it home with them.
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