Mom Seeking Party Ideas for 5 Year Old B-day in May

check out FAMILY FUN magazine's web site. They have lots of great ideas with fun themes..including food, decorations and activities.

Don't know how much older the sister and cousin are, but if they are all girls, Sweet and Sassy or Libby Lus are fun places to go. My daughter had her party at Sweet and Sassy last year and all the girls had a blast getting their hair, nails and makeup done and dressing up on the runway.

Monkey Island was a big hit for my 5-year-old's party, and for a few classmates before her! It's a giant warehouse of inflatables - jumpy castles and the like - you can bring the kids and pay for each separately, or you can arrange for a party and they give you a table in a party area off to the side, with decorations if you want them.

MyGym in River Forest is a big hit with multiple ages, too - as well as Tri Star Gym which I think is in Berwyn.

Good luck!

M.,

I don't know where you live, but Chuck E Cheese is a great place o have a birthday party for your 5 year old daughter. They have lots of games for her older sister and cousin, and they have "characters" that perform on stage, and they will sing happy birthday.

For my daughter's 6th birthday, we went to Terra Incognita a local pottery studio. They have classes for kids and routinely have birthday parties as well. It was great! the kids loved it and we got to pick up their creations in a couple weeks. Last year we had a pancake picnic and had the kids come over in their pjs and put blankets on the floor and ate pancakes and played games. That was a big hit too. My daughter's birthday is just before Christmas, so we have to get a little creative both with indoor ideas and with $. There's a lot you can do outdoors if the weather cooperates. Build a bear is also a good option with a lot of $ options. - the down side is having food elsewhere. Have Fun!

Hi M.,

Check out my website, www.kidwinks.com. We list over 80 birthday party places in the Chicagoland area in the Services section under Kids Party. Here's the link to the exact url: http://www.kidwinks.com/events/index.asp?SECTION_ID=6&amp....

If you become a member of kidwinks, which is free, you can sort these 80+ results in order of distance from your house.

Kidwinks.com is a resource for parents in the Chicago area looking for kid-friendly events, activities, restaurants, shops and services (like birthday party places!). In the restaurants section, you'll find our Kids Eat Free Calendar, where you can click on a day and get a list of restaurants offering kids' dining deals (like "kids eat free") for that day. Check it out!

Hope this helps,

J.

It depends on the wheather and also where you live. If it is nice out you can always go to a park. Ty Warner is westmont is wonderful. They have two playgrounds, pavillions, nice bathrooms and lots of room to run. Plus they have a concession in the summer months. You can bring your own food, pizza ,etc. It really is a great place. If you want to go indoors you can go a pizza place. Papa Passerro's in westmont has many rooms where you can have your own little group and they also have a game room for the kids and give you tokens. Chuckie Cheese? They have a lot of games for all ages really. If you cannot afford their party package throw your own. That's what I did. Buy your own pizza and use coupons where you get free tokens. However it is still going to somewhat costly. You can always take them to a movie and then out for ice cream or back to your place for cake and presents. When my daughter was little I did a lot of home parties with themes. Good Luck.