The "somewhere up high" could have easily been the stairwell, or the deck, but due to some luck (and a little pettiness on my part), we happened to have a refrigerator box on hand, perfect for making a Rapunzel tower.
The story behind the box is a little funny, so I'm going to tell it. Recently we got a new oven, and the kids and I made an awesome playhouse out of the cardboard box. We kept it in the family room for a couple weeks, until Mike got sick of it and threw it away one evening while I was out. I was so mad that he didn't check with me first, so to spite him, I procured an even bigger box from a neighbor who had just ordered a new refrigerator!
I painted it with leftover latex paint, and decorated it with fake vines. The tower fit perfectly over our coffee table, which gave the kids something to stand on to reach the window. If you ever have a need to paint a cardboard castle this website is very helpful. Or you could just call and borrow my tower. It's still folded up in the basement, unless Mike has thrown it out. ;)
My other big project for the party was making hats for all of the guests. Elise insisted on inviting a few boys, so I came up with a generic Robin Hood type hat for them,
and the girl hats were a simple cone shape with a long yarn braid.
At the party, we started off coloring pictures of Rapunzel or her prince.
Then we played that silly baby/wedding shower game where you cut a piece of string (yarn hair) and have to introduce yourself for as long (or short) as it takes you to wind it around your finger.
The activity that everyone liked best was making a giant tangled web of yarn hair in the backyard. I stole that idea from my friend Stacy, and it was perfect for a Rapunzel party.
After making the web, the kids ran a few races through it. They really liked that part too, especially the boys. If I ever host a Spiderman party, I'll have to remember this.
After that we tried melting ice cubes with plastic rings inside. This turned into throwing ice cubes to break the ring out. :)
For the cake, I decided to make cupcakes in ice cream cones, because they look like little towers. They didn't turn out quite as well as I had hoped, but Elise was still excited about them.
At the end of the party, we played "Let down your hair" to give out the favor bags. For the boys, we sent their prize down with the hair so they wouldn't have to wear a girly hat.
It was a fun day.
At 6 years old, Elise is so energetic and creative, and loves to have Lydia and Tyler follow her around and play along with her ideas. She is artistic and slightly competitive, has her own opinions, loves to be girly, and loves her friends and family. She writes the cutest little notes, and loves to surprise people. Elise is a wonderful daughter and a fun big sister.
