The Mad Tea Party

It was a roaring success (photos!)! I was half-afraid that only the children of the folks who helped plan the party would show up, but there were so many kids and parents that I hadn't met before, and I had a wonderful time getting to know them all.

Our dress-up box full of play silks, leftover pieces of material, my husband's old sport coats, and odds and ends was very popular. The kids had fun dressing up as clowns and princesses, and they mixed and matched the play clothes in charming and imaginative ways.

The food was wonderful, and everyone really came through, helping out through donations, preparing wonderful food and drink, and helping set up the table beforehand, and clean up afterward. We ended up with some leftovers, but remarkably few, considering the amount of food we had on hand.

We also had loads of activities available for the kids. We had a coloring area where the children could color "stained glass" scenes from Alice in Wonderland, a musical instrument area, a train set for the smaller children to play with, chess sets available for children, whether they already knew how to play, or wanted to learn, and Alice in Wonderland tattoos were applied by one of the adult planners. Another planner helped the kids play Pin the Tail on the Cheshire Cat. My husband also set up a projector on the stage which played the Disney version of Alice in Wonderland throughout the party, with the sound very low so that it didn't dominate the kids' attention. I think they all had a wonderful time.

It was lots of work, and I was exhausted by the time the clean-up was done, but the rewards were sweet. I'm already thinking about a fall evening party out in our yard. I must be crazy.