Hoppin' Into Spring
We wanted to get our youth excited as we transitioned from winter into spring! We figured there was no better way to do so than to HOP into spring with a 50’s party! This event was held to create a bonding experience for the youth and give them something to look forward to. We also used this experience to bond with the church as a whole through a hot dog fundraiser and games. It went over so well and we all had such a good time! I didn’t know I would love root beer floats so much!
The Food
The food was kept simple and classic:
- Hot Dogs
- Ruffles Chips
- Root Beer Floats (We served these floats with different pop options like Fanta, Coca Cola and Root Beer. We also had a diet option with Diet Pepsi and No Sugar Added ice cream)
Decor
- Balloons and tablecloths – Hot pink, light pink, purple & turquoise (These can be purchased at Dollar Tree or Walmart.)
- Amazon Scene Setters like this mock soda shop table and stool set up
- Decorative cutouts to hang or tape around the walls
- Super cute ice cream centerpieces for the root beer float table
- Ice cream cone shaped napkins from Dollar Tree
- 50’s inspired table with a record player, glass bottles of Coca Cola, 50’s candy (Pixy Stix, Double Bubble, Smarties), 50’s games (Old Maid cards, Yahtzee, Risk,) hula hoops, Godzilla, and a paper listing the top things from the era! The exact paper I used can be found below. I created it using Canva.
The Entertainment
Selfie Station
I ordered some cute 50’s decorations from Amazon and set up a selfie station with lots of Photo Booth style props! I used a 50’s diner scene setter as the backdrop along with foil fringe curtains. This was a nice way to break the ice by having everyone start the party off with some fun pictures before they potentially messed up their hair with games.
Music
You can’t have a 50’s party without 50’s music! I brought my bluetooth record player to add to the the ambiance. I spent weeks filtering through old songs from the 50s to make sure they were appropriate. Some of the favorites were Puppy Love, Don’t Be Cruel, Put Your Head on My Shoulder, Stagger Lee, and so much more! I’ll share my full playlist below.
Learning the Hand Jive
I added Willie and the Hand Jive by Johnny Otis to my Apple Music 50’s Playlist and synced my phone to a bluetooth record player. I played this song while teaching the kids how to hand jive. It was loads of fun for me and the kids alike! I learned how to hand jive via YouTube with the below video.
1950's Trivia
The 1950’s Trivia was one of our favorite ways to include the rest of our church in this event since we had it directly after Sunday school. Sometimes the adults want to have fun too! We have an older congregation, so it was nice that they knew a lot of the answers to this trivia that our youth struggled with. I even heard some of them trying to share answers and had to tell them no cheating! haha There was a small prize of a candle and a journal at the end for whoever got the most right.
Basket Raffle
The 50’s party ended with a basket raffle. The proceeds of this raffle went to our general youth account. I purchased an Easter basket from Walmart and filled it with lots of 50’s goodies from both Walmart, Amazon, and the Dollar Tree. The contents of the basket included:
- Pixy Sticks
- Bubble Gum
- Peanut M&Ms
- Ruffles Potato Chips
- Cheez Whiz
- Hot Tamales
- Dum-Dum Pops
- Old Maid
- Go Fish
- Pioneer Woman Storage Containers
Games
Egg Game
Divide your youth into two groups. Every child will receive a spoon. Pick a person from each team to go first. That person will put the spoon in their mouth and put an egg on it to go around an obstacle course. This could be as simple as making a path around a few tables. Whoever gets back to their team first has to transfer their egg onto their teammates spoon without touching the egg with their hands. I used plastic eggs from the Dollar Tree to avoid the mess of eggs dropping, but you're welcome to use a real one!
What you need: Eggs and Spoons
Winner: The team that makes completes the obstacle course first
Clothes Pin Game
Have the youth kneel on a chair facing backwards. They're going to place their arms on the back of the chair and look down. On the ground below will be a vase, milk carton, bottle, etc. to drop clothes pins into. Whoever gets the most clothes pins into bottle wins. You can start your youth out with 10 clothes pins or up it to as many as you feel is necessary. I ended up using a little green milk bottle from Hobby Lobby and purchased mini clothes pins from the Dollar Tree. It was a fun time and it was harder to do that the kids thought it was going to be!
What you need: Clothes pins and bottle
Winner: Whoever gets the most clothes pins in the bottle
Bubble Gum Blowing Contest
This one is exactly what it sounds like! Get some Double Bubble and have your youth blow the bubbles away. Whoever blows the biggest bubble wins!
What you need: Bubble Gum
Winner: Whoever blows the biggest bubble
Sundae Cherry Pitch
Grab a few sundae dishes and line them up a few feet away from the youth. They should take turns tossing their "cherries" into the sundae dish. The "cherries" are actually shaped marbles unless you want to clean up real cherries. The real challenge with this game is the marbles don't like to stay in the dish! If you want to get creative, you can add some ice cream into the dishes to try to keep them to stay in. Just be careful! It's highly likely to make a mess and create a real splash.
What you need: Sundae dish, non-circular marbles
Winner: The player who gets the most marbles into the dish
Hula Hoop Contest
Gather all your old hula hoops and get ready to have a blast! All participants of the hula hoop contest will be hula hooping at the same time. Whoever can do it the longest wins! If you want to spice up the game, try having people walk forward or backwards.
What you need: Hula hoops
Winner: The player who hula hoops the longest
Game Prizes
- $5 Dunkin’ Gift Cads
- $5 McDonald’s Gift Cards
- Prize box with small options from the Dollar Tree
Both Dunkin’ and McDonald’s came out in the 50s so it was a good option to keep it in the era.