How do you handle a political issue like a birthday party? It has reached the point where people are hesitant to plan a kid's birthday bash because there are so many ways to offend others without intentionally doing so. Has the idea of girls and boys and all the toys started your head spinning? A gender neutral theme and impressive birthday loot bags are easier to put together than you might think.
In an effort to promote gender equality Sweden has introduced laws that require school teachers to concentrate on reversing stereotypical gender attitudes. Top Toy creates Christmas catalogues in Sweden and Denmark for two major toy stores. In an effort to follow politically correct guidelines, the Swedish edition had some of the pictures, toys and colors switched. Girls in blue shirts, little girls playing with machine guns and boys holding dolls reflected the concept that toys are for children.
Now that the catalogue has adjusted to the most popular side of the gender debate, it is getting chided for going too far and confusing kids over the concept of gender. In addition, the ancient concept of gender-driven patterns of play are being drug out of the closet once again: men are warriors and women are nurturers. No wonder celebrations are losing popularity with the contention that has been caused.
Can a parent give a gender neutral birthday party where the kids can still have fun? Yes, as most of the things needed to make it perfect have been around for years. Start off by having a zoo-themed party. Paper plates and cups usually feature giraffes, elephants and monkeys.
There are some great items for birthday party loot bags, such as hazard-free small stuffed animals that the kids will enjoy. Plastic sunglasses in a variety of colored frames are a hit with all the kids. Avoid pink or blue frames.
You can't go wrong by getting the shrunken washcloth with the cute designs that regain their size when placed in water. It is fun to watch them grow and the cloth can be used for a number of projects besides washing. Stickers are a big hit with kids. Toss in a coloring book and crayons. They will spend hours making the pages colorful and then have the fun of adding ships, trucks, lions and a variety of other shapes. You can find a plastic slinky in all the colors of the rainbow. They provide entertainment for kids of all ages.
"Pin the tail on the donkey" is still a great game for a birthday party. Another idea is a scavenger hunt, looking for items hidden around the party area. Small kid-sized plastic bottles of bubble solution and a wand that creates great bubbles have been fantastic gender neutral party favors for decades. They will never go out of style. Besides having fun, the wands teach kids that they can create wind to blow the bubbles out by waving their hand, or take advantage of the natural wind by just holding the wand in the air. Softly blowing into the liquid creates a large balloon that eventually goes splat, which is also fun.
The purpose of the party is to celebrate a birthday with friends, whether boys, girls or both. The point of the party is for everyone to have a good time. The end result is no one will have to bypass an event because of being a boy or a girl.
In an effort to promote gender equality Sweden has introduced laws that require school teachers to concentrate on reversing stereotypical gender attitudes. Top Toy creates Christmas catalogues in Sweden and Denmark for two major toy stores. In an effort to follow politically correct guidelines, the Swedish edition had some of the pictures, toys and colors switched. Girls in blue shirts, little girls playing with machine guns and boys holding dolls reflected the concept that toys are for children.
Now that the catalogue has adjusted to the most popular side of the gender debate, it is getting chided for going too far and confusing kids over the concept of gender. In addition, the ancient concept of gender-driven patterns of play are being drug out of the closet once again: men are warriors and women are nurturers. No wonder celebrations are losing popularity with the contention that has been caused.
Can a parent give a gender neutral birthday party where the kids can still have fun? Yes, as most of the things needed to make it perfect have been around for years. Start off by having a zoo-themed party. Paper plates and cups usually feature giraffes, elephants and monkeys.
There are some great items for birthday party loot bags, such as hazard-free small stuffed animals that the kids will enjoy. Plastic sunglasses in a variety of colored frames are a hit with all the kids. Avoid pink or blue frames.
You can't go wrong by getting the shrunken washcloth with the cute designs that regain their size when placed in water. It is fun to watch them grow and the cloth can be used for a number of projects besides washing. Stickers are a big hit with kids. Toss in a coloring book and crayons. They will spend hours making the pages colorful and then have the fun of adding ships, trucks, lions and a variety of other shapes. You can find a plastic slinky in all the colors of the rainbow. They provide entertainment for kids of all ages.
"Pin the tail on the donkey" is still a great game for a birthday party. Another idea is a scavenger hunt, looking for items hidden around the party area. Small kid-sized plastic bottles of bubble solution and a wand that creates great bubbles have been fantastic gender neutral party favors for decades. They will never go out of style. Besides having fun, the wands teach kids that they can create wind to blow the bubbles out by waving their hand, or take advantage of the natural wind by just holding the wand in the air. Softly blowing into the liquid creates a large balloon that eventually goes splat, which is also fun.
The purpose of the party is to celebrate a birthday with friends, whether boys, girls or both. The point of the party is for everyone to have a good time. The end result is no one will have to bypass an event because of being a boy or a girl.
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