Your Birthday Best

Birthday bashes for preschoolers shouldn’t require a professional party planner (except in our wildest fantasies, of course). You can still celebrate in style and originality with these Toronto resources.

Mistaking it for Cabo is a stretch, but we know a place with year-round sand and tropical temperatures. (How many tourist destinations can promise us that?) Warm them up at North Beach Volleyball in North York with beach party birthdays that include digs in an enormous sandbox, searching for buried loot bag goodies, playing beach games and more. There’s no question, the kids will dig it.

There’s the usual kids’ party items: balloons, candles, hats. Then there’s the unusual: nails, hammer and safety glasses. Our ongoing trips to Home Depot may have inspired something if kids love the idea of this UCanDoIt! Woodworking Party in your home. UCanDoIt! has been putting programs on in preschools and schools for years, and they offer birthday parties as well. Mr. Richard, well-versed in working with young children and blunt objects, will come to your house with everything needed to build an age-appropriate item (there are dozens of options to choose from including a wooden fire truck or butterfly) and will harness the kids’ energy and creativity for two hours. Guests take home their creation and some handyman skills. This party definitely nails it.

Kids naturally develop a fascination with fire trucks and heroes (including you, super mom) from the start. For your budding firefighter, a trip to one of Toronto’s many fire stations will be a thrill. Members of the public are welcome to visit their local fire hall any day of the week from 9:30 am to 10 pm. No prior arrangements are made for these visits and they are conducted on a drop-in basis, if the firefighters are available. A visit to the station and a chance to see the trucks up close will definitely be a hit for the guest of honour and a few friends. Before you go, check out the fire department’s website for kids to get them all fired up for a visit.

If you are a ‘modern times calls for modern measures’ kind of host, the Paperless Post offers an appealing, online invitation selection for kids’ birthdays. These elegant and whimsical personalized invitations come in an envelope and will rival any custom-made or off-the-shelf invites for a much lower fee.

We’ve been to countless birthday celebrations, and learned one important thing—a happy birthday (party) is one that is enjoyed by everyone…including the hard-working mom who planned it.

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