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Jersey Family Fun’s 5th Birthday at The Gateway Family YMCA

Jersey Family Fun 5th Birthday Party Northern New Jersey

 

On December 12, 2015, Jersey Family Fun got together with some of our North Jersey readers to celebrate our 5th birthday. This celebration was the last of our 3 birthday parties. We already celebrated with our South Jersey friends at a Sahl’s Father Son Farm in Galloway, NJ and with our Central Jersey friends at iPlay America in Freehold, NJ. This time we invited our readers to Gateway Family YMCA in Rahway, NJ for an afternoon of fun. We had several activities for our readers to participate in. Children made their way around to the craft area, toy try out tables, open story time, the snack table, the HP MyPrintly Pocketbooth photo-booth, the prize table, and activities run by the YMCA. Everyone who came had a great time celebrating our birthday with us.

 

Craft Table

One of the first stops for many visitors was the craft table. There were a variety of crafts to choose from. One of the most popular crafts was the Crayola Thread Wrapper. Girls and boys had a great time making personalized pencils by wrapping them in thread. After they were finished with that craft they could move on to one of the Alex Brand craft kits that we had. There were Ninja Turtle mosaics to complete as well as other types. Also, since it was the holiday season we had a gift making station. Children could decorate a gift bag and then fill it with a Trrtlz bracelet or their photo booth photos.

 

ymca birthday party

 

Toy Try Out Table

One of the most popular areas of the day was the toy try out table. Several tables were full of toys and games that children were welcome to play with and try out. More than one parent commented about how they were going to add a toy to their child’s Christmas list after seeing how much they enjoyed it. All of the toys on the table got a lot of use but there were definitely a few favorites. Sharkey’s Diner game was a big hit among some of the boys, and almost everyone was sporting a homemade bracelet or hair bow.

 

Trying out a new toy at our 5th birthday party.

Trying out a new toy at our 5th birthday party.

 

Scholastic Open Story Time

Another fun aspect of our birthday party was the open story time. Scholastic provided us with a table full of books for families to choose from. They were encouraged to pick a book from the table and find a cozy spot to read together. The great part about the story time was that after they finished reading the book they were able to take it home with them. The table was full of books for any age and everyone seemed thrilled with their choices. Check out Scholastic’s picks for our family story time.

 

ymca birthday party

 

Snack Table

After all of the activities we had going on everyone was in need of an energy boost. That’s when a visit to the snack table was necessary. The big hit at the snack table was the make your own popcorn ball station. We used popcorn ball decorating kits from the Popcorn Company to make their own unique edible creation. Children were able to choose from a variety of candies to stick on to their popcorn ball with icing. Once they were done they could enjoy their treat.

 

 

 

 

Look at all the options for decorating your popcorn ball!

Look at all the options for decorating your popcorn ball!

 

Guests who didn’t want popcorn balls were eager to try one of the many types Crispy Green Crispy Fruit we had.  Flavors were cantaloupe, Asian pear, and tangerine. Even our pickiest guests were indulging in these healthy freeze dried snacks. The Gateway YMCA happily accepted our donation of the leftovers to use at their daycare center. What better place to offer a natural healthy snack than the local YMCA? They’re even gluten free and allergen free.

crispyfruitymca

 

Photo booth

A great way to have some silly fun was with our HP My Printly Pocketbooth photo booth. Guests were able to select from a variety of photo props to prepare for the shoot. Then they got 4 chances to strike a pose. Then their photos were automatically printed in tradition photo-booth style. It was a great souvenir to go home with or a great gift for someone. Learn more about the Pocketbooth app and Photo Strips paper.

 

YMCA birthday party

 

Prize Table

Everyone was eagerly checking out the prize table and crossing their fingers. Throughout the afternoon we selected names  to win prizes. The lucky winners had several tables full of prizes to choose from. Everyone who won went home happy. From scooters to activity watches to chocolate pens. There was a prize to please every visitor. I saw kids going back and forth between the prizes making mental notes of which ones they hoped to win. Leftover toys were donated to Toys for Tots and to the Gateway Family YMCA youth programs.

 

Some of the great prize choices.

Some of the great prize choices.

 

YMCA Family Fitness Activities

Throughout the afternoon guests could circulate between the Jersey Family Fun activities and the YMCA fitness activities. There were games and open gym time being led by the YMCA throughout the party.

 

Thank you to everyone who helped make this great birthday party successful. We are especially thankful for Gateway Family YMCA- Rahway branch for allowing us to hold our party at their center. We are thankful to our readers for their support over the past 5 years and we look forward to finding great Jersey Family Fun for your family for many more years to come!

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