Party Idea: "Let's Have a Picnic At Home! "

Let the child choose the "place" for the picnic, perhaps a spot already a favorite, perhaps a new place to which the family has always wanted to go-even though this picnic will be atop the bedspread. As in the previous week's plan, preparations will consume the entire time because possibilities are limitless.

The trick is to dress up the child's room so that it will be festive and remind everyone of the outdoors. As each room decoration or picnic "prop" is finished, it should be put away in a suitable box for safekeeping until the day of the picnic, when the final transformation takes place.

Monday

Begin with the scenery which will be used to decorate the walls. Paint or draw in bright colors on large sheets of paper-brown wrapping paper is good -as many country scenes as you will have room for on the walls of the "picnic room. " The pictures should show hills, trees, roads, lakes, farms, flowers-anything you might see in the country. Remember that these pictures don't have to be great works of art. Let your child block out the main outlines of the pictures (he probably has fewer inhibitions about drawing than you have) and you can finish the details. If neither of you has a very definite idea of what kind of scenery to draw, use a magazine picture as a guide.

Another way to "set the scene" is to make signs showing the name of the place selected: "This way to the Picnic Grounds, " "The Ole Swimming Hole, " "To the Parking Lot, " and so on. You can also make road signs for the trip to the picnic, mock billboard advertisements, and a big yellow "sun" for the ceiling to make sure of good weather.

Of course, this can just as well be a beach picnic with entirely different kinds of scenes.

Tuesday

Now that the place is taken care of, better make sure of your guests. Today write invitations to the family asking them to the picnic.

These invitations are fun to prepare if they are made in the shape of a maple leaf, a picnic basket, a bam, or some other simple object that suggests the outdoor motif.

They might read:

There's to be a picnic Next Sunday sharp at fourTo reach the picnic spot Just come to Johnnie's door!

An added touch would be to mail them to each person. If not, Mother could act as Special Delivery mailman.

Wednesday

Today make some of the picnic accessories more festive, so that they are good as party favors. While your child decorates plain white paper napkins by coloring them, or pasting small, suitable pictures in one comer, you can label each person's name on paper bags. These will be used on the day of the picnic to hold each person's lunch.

Other favors might be figures of animals or insects made from clay or pipe cleaners. If the picnic is at a beach, a beach umbrella could be made by fastening, with cellophane tape, bright crepe paper in stripes on a regular umbrella.

Thursday

Today plan and make the games to be played by the family at the picnic. There are many games that can be used. Here are a couple of examples. One, with a fine outdoor touch, is to try to identify silhouettes of birds, animals, or fish. A coloring book or nature magazine is a good source of pictures to copy. Use black construction paper to cut out a silhouette of each animal and paste it on white or colored paper. The object of the game is to see who can identify the greatest number of animals.

Or you can play a variation of "Truth or Consequences. " Write on slips of paper a number of questions which will be drawn from a box by the players in turn. (Or the questions can be selected and asked by the child. ) Sample questions: What is the capital of Maine? Who was the girl in the nursery rhyme who had trouble with a spider? How do you spell pneumatic? In what sport are wickets used? The questions can be simple or difficult and can deal with any special subjects in which the family is interested. Prepare a list of forfeits-funny things that must be done by the people who miss questions-like: Pat your head with one hand at the same time you rub your stomach with the other; or sing I Love You Truly like a donkey; make a noise like a cat and dog fighting-and so on.

When you have decided on the games and other events, make a big sign showing the schedule or "souvenir program" for each guest at the picnic.

Friday

It's high time to plan the menu. Discuss the kind of sandwiches you will take, and how many of each. Decide on the other refreshments. Try to allow the child as much "say-so" as possible-shall we take potato chips or pretzels? -shall we have celery or carrot sticks? Deviled eggs or hard-boiled eggs? Milk or root beer?

Either make individual menus or one large menu to be hung on the wall, as is done in a cafeteria. Be sure the shopping list is complete: what is to be bought at the butchers, at the grocery, at the fruit-and-vegetable stand. Don't forget you will need paper cups and plates as well as waxpaper!

Saturday

Let the child help you in every possible way in preparing the food for the picnic. His bedside, or a large bread board, will provide space for him to help make and wrap the sandwiches, which will be stored in the refrigerator over night. He can wrap up a bit of salt and pepper for each person in paper packets, and do any other necessary packaging.

If there is time-or if it isn't feasible for the child to help prepare the food-he can make a picnic tablecloth for his bed. If you have an old tablecloth or sheet which has seen its last days, the picnic cloth can be made quite elaborate by drawing designs on it with crayons. A simpler one can be made from crepe paper, or from two sheets of wrapping paper joined together to make a large square. On this paste a few of the paper napkins that were decorated on Tuesday, or paper doilies made at home or bought at the store.

The "picnic basket" should be made, unless you already have one. A lightweight wooden box may be used, or a carton. The basket should be decorated and painted with poster paint, in solid colors or in stripes to resemble a woven basket. Add a handle made of a strip of cardboard-for decorative purposes only!

Sunday

The big day, and a busy one! Together you fill the individual paper bags with sandwiches and pack the picnic basket. Put up the scenery, the signs, the menu, and any other decorations that you have made. One last touch if there is time: turn the floor lamp into a tree. Wrap the shade with green crepe paper, the stand with brown crepe paper; if that is too elaborate, just hang a sign on the lamp, saying: "This is a Tree! "

Needless to say, the game equipment should be on hand ready for use before the "guests" arrive for the festivities.

If there is a camera hobbyist in the family, what better way to complete the day than by taking a few flash-bulb photographs of the picnic and the guests?