Parent Education Lesson Plans

To prepare for the discussion, please read through the information on the website about the causes and consequences of out of control birthday parties.

For a DVD with the video clips referred to in this lesson, please send a self-addressed stamped envelope suitable for a DVD to Todd Kolod, 586 Holly Ave #7, St. Paul, MN 55102-2267 USA.

Lesson One

Background and introduction

There is a parent-lead project in St. Paul, Minnesota called Birthdays Without Pressure.  Their mission is to raise awareness of the problem of out-of-control birthday parties and to offer alternatives.  Let’s piggyback on their work today.

Group discussion

(working in groups of three…and designate a person to report back to the whole group)  Do you struggle with this issue yourself with your own children’s birthday parties? [If yes] How is it s struggle for you?  What have you tried—what’s working, not working?

(continue to list ideas on the board)

(whole group watch video…the running time for Martha Stewart’s “The Perfect Gold Birthday Party” is 5:23)

(set-up the video)  Ask parents to consider the following (and take some notes if you find that helpful):

For next week

Think about the following:  Why do you think birthday parties have gotten so out of control?  What do you think we can do about this as parents?

To do at home (provide slips of paper with the questions…report back next week).  Please interview your child with the following questions:

Lesson Two

Follow-up on at-home conversation with children:

List on the board favorite birthday parties and what was fun and not fun.

Do you see any themes in what the children said?

The next video clip will help us focus in greater detail on why birthdays have gotten so out of control.  (Julia Louise-Dreyfus sit com-- with a running time of about 12 minutes)  Julia’s character proclaims:  “I am putting an end to this craziness.”  Does she succeed and how did things get this crazy in the first place?

(To help supplement discussion, please see website for further details…Why Birthday Parties Have Gotten Out of Control)

Now, let’s conclude today by beginning the process of generating a list of birthday alternatives.  (List on the board.)

Closure

Invite parents to go to www.birthdayswithoutpressure.org for additional information including a list of birthday alternatives.

In the weeks and months ahead, please report back to this group as you develop new thinking about birthdays.

Supplemental video clips