Parks, picnic tables and wide open spaces are great for birthday partie

If you really want to host a unique (yet inexpensive) birthday party, consider a combination of picnic tables, a park and plenty of hard-to-hurt open spaces.

Parents know how it is nowadays when it comes to extravagant birthday parties. The old days of just inviting a handful of kids to come over for an hour has changed dramatically. Now the pressure is on to make a kids birthday party a major event, like the Macy's Day Parade.

People dish out big bucks for parties with activities such as bowling, laser tag, makeovers, gymnastics, trampolines, game rooms, etc. And then there is the standard party at Chuck E Cheese, where you can never, ever have enough quarters. How can any parent ever win in this escalating battle to put on the greatest birthday bash of the year?

For something different, less stressful and less expensive, why not take the birthday party to a park? All you need are a few picnic tables, a bag of toys, a few pizzas and Mother Nature supplies the rest.

Picnic tables at a park can handle kids effectively

Perforated metal picnic table

Some of the best parties we've hosted and seen have taken place at parks. Here are several reasons why you might just opt out of the nuclear birthday race and reserve a few picnic tables instead.

1. No need to clean the house. Twice. That's right, when you plan your party for a park, there is no need to spend countless hours cleaning your house. Not for the kids of course, but to impress the parents. And after they leave, there is no need to clean the house again, this time because of the kids.
2. Room to Run - kids, like dogs, were built to run. If you host a party in your house, they are going to run around your house. Up the stairs. Into the bedrooms. Around the dining room table. Take them to the great outdoors in a park. Let them run around the picnic tables and the trees all they want. There are no vases, pictures or priceless Hummels to knock over and there is plenty of room so they don't knock over each other.
3. Trashing the Tables - picnic tables in parks are built sturdily to handle large numbers of users over the years. That includes the horde of little monsters you will be bringing to the area. Let them spill, drop and smash all the food they want on the picnic tables instead of your furniture. Let them get up and down from the picnic tables all they want instead of scraping and sliding your dining room chairs all over your floors. And let all that food make its way down to the grass underneath the picnic tables, as it eventually will, and not your carpet or wood floors.
4. Go Crazy with Arts and Crafts - because you are using commercial grade picnic tables, you can also take this opportunity to break out the arts and crafts, something that would give you a nervous breakdown if you did this in your own home. Naturally, you don't want to deface park property, so bring plenty of plastic table cloths. But then let the kids get creative. Break out the water colors, the clay and even some plants for flower pots. They will love it.
5. Big Toys - people say the ideal length of time for a birthday party is 90 minutes. Sixty minutes of play and 30 minutes of cake and goodies. That 60 minutes can seem like a lifetime if those kids are in your house or even your backyard. They will want to throw things, attempt to catch those things and run around everything. You certainly don't want them throwing a ball or Frisbee through your kitchen window or into your neighbor's yard where Bubba the pit bull waits anxiously. With a park, you have wide open spaces to keep them occupied. You can also bring out giant bouncy balls, big soap bubble wands, hula hoops and get this, even water balloons. Stuff they usually don't see at enclosed birthday parties. How about a piñata? Smash it all you want. Spread the candy everywhere. Who cares? It's not your house. It's a park.

   Happy kids gather around a picnic tabl

6. Easier to Mingle - no, you cannot expect children hopped up on cake, soda and other sweets to sit mildly next to each other and calmly discuss world events like a dinner party on Downton Abbey. With a park and a few picnic tables, kids can get up and mingle all they want. Talk to Judy for two minutes, time to move on to Jane. Or Paul. Or Johnny. Or Tim and Jane. You get the picture - in a park, children can easily circulate.
7. A Lesson in Littering and Recycling - okay, at a park, you don't have to worry about creating a mess in your house. But hey, this is a public place. You certainly don't want to leave a mess behind for your fellow citizens. This is a great time to impart a lesson to kids on how not to litter and how to recycle. Have the kids form a line and walk around the area, picking up all their garbage and placing it in a trash receptacle (but not someone else' trash, like discarded cigarette butts). Have the kids place the recyclable soda bottles or cups in bags or recycling receptacles designated for that purpose. What would be even better is if your park featured plastic picnic tables made with recyclable plastic. Not only could you teach the kids a lesson about recycling, but you could also show them the end results of sorting all those milk jugs and plastic bottles. That lesson in how to be a good eco-citizen will be a hit with their parents as well. (So will their exhausted children).
8. Do it for the Grownups - parks can also be a great location for birthday parties for non-kids as well. Think about it. How many times have you been to the same neighbor's house, over and over again? They probably feel the same way about your house. Take it to a park. Everybody gets to still go out, but they don't have to spend money at a restaurant. They get to be outside in the fresh air. Cook something interesting on a park grill. Throw a Frisbee. Watch the sun go down. If there are children, they have a place to have fun instead of getting parked in front of the television. (And, again, you don't have to clean the house. Twice).

Reserve your picnic tables early

Aluminum picnic tabl

While a park has several advantages, it has several disadvantages as well. First, be sure to check with the local parks and recreation department to reserve a table or covered pavilion. They can also give you some helpful party tips you might not have considered. Usually there is no fee to reserve a table, and if so, it's just a small one. (Certainly not like reserving Larry's Lazer Tag Emporium for two hours).

This is also critical. Get there early to secure the table, pavilion and park grill. Especially on weekends. Some people may totally disregard the rules regarding reservations. Be sure you have the right paperwork and a number you can call to clarify the issue. If park officials tell you all the picnic tables are booked when you try to reserve one, then maybe they need more picnic tables. A few phone calls and letters from parents can help support a usually-strapped parks department or help them find sponsors to purchase more picnic tables.

Also, be sure to get volunteers to help you keep an eye on the kids so they don't use all that elbow room to roam out of your view. Establish a perimeter. Those volunteers can also help with breaks to the bathroom, which should be inspected before a party.

Be prepared and think about an alternative location for bad weather. Maybe the park has covered pavilions in the event of rain. Or, find a place nearby you can direct parents to quickly in the event of a storm. Add that location to the invitation.

Other than that, have a blast. A birthday party in a park gives you the opportunity to be creative…without busting a budget. Plan a unique experience for the children. A unique experience their friends will be talking about for months and your birthday boy or girl will appreciate.

We have attended many successful parties in parks. You don't need to rent Disneyland for a day to have fun. All you need are a few picnic tables, wide open grassy areas and Mother Nature smiling down on you.

Here are some additional tips on how to plan a birthday party.

Note: The Park and Facilities Catalog offers a large array of picnic tables for parks, schools, stores, restaurants and office buildings. With our ParkExpress program we can ship some tables in just 1-3 days.