Wacky Wheels Party

Ingredients: Take one driveway, add assorted Traffic Cones, a packet of jumbo chalk and some homemade road signs...

Add multiple ride-ons, a sprinkling of bunting and some energetic pre-schoolers. Mix well.

When the volume rises, add a dash of party food in traffic-light colours...

Top off with birthday cake and send them home before all hell breaks loose. Enjoy!

Scrag's Whacky Wheels party is over. We collapsed on the couch when we'd finally packed the kids off to bed and cleaned up the worst of the debris, too tired to even make a cuppa - but happy tired. The little man and his friends had a great time, nobody came to blows over choo choo trains and we avoided any outbreaks of road rage (although there were a few tears over whose bike was whose - but only at the end).

Using chalk and traffic cones (legally obtained!!) I marked out a race-track/road down our driveway.

We hung up the cheats bunting over the table and a string of checkered flags across the driveway (so easy; click here).

I also made some "road signs" out of coloured card and electrical tape.

Being a party for pre-schoolers (mostly aged 2-4 years) we didn't have any planned "games" as such. What we had was... a road, a (hired) "rollercoaster" and ride-ons (B.Y.O.)

There was a toy petrol pump. And a toy cash register.

And a series of minimum-wage petrol pump attendants (we paid them in cake).

Some people thought they could have their own private tea party in the Brand New Treehouse that Daddy built. Hmmmm...

There was a slide, the sandpit, swings, trampoline and Scrag's giant toy car ramp. But I didn't get many pictures of those. The action was all on the road. But I didn't get many pictures of that either. I was shooting video. And running around being a mother. Eeeeeh! But it was great fun.

When the noise rose to a crescendo we brought out the food.

It was all served in toy trucks and trailers, with lots of traffic light colours. I was proudest of...

My traffic light jellies...

My "community kitchen" cupcakes (iced with friends while doing coffee)...

...and my Choo Choo Train Cake. It aint perfect but the Birthday Boy loved it.

This little burglar kept stealing the wheels!! Darn it, he's so tall there was nowhere out of his reach I could stash it!

The party kicked off at 3pm; the kids were ready to eat at 3.45 (you could tell by the amount of wailing errupting in various corners).

We quickly brought out the cake at 4.20 when it became obvious that the little people were getting tired and ready for home. An hour and a half is a lot of fun when you're only small. Especially at our parties!!

A Big Happy Birthday to Scrag and his buddy Ben (who shared the joint party; they're a day apart in age). Two cute and cheeky two-year-olds. Watch out world!

Footnote: If you're wondering why Scrag has a Vincent Van Gogh-type bandage on his ear, he had an accident today. He banged his ear on the trampoline and required stitches. He's OK though, and was very brave. And he still had a wonderful time at his party.

• Click here for Behind the Scenes of the Wacky Wheels Party
• Click here for my FREE Printable Wheels Party Invitation
• Or get it personalised from my Etsy shop...

[Personalised Wheels invitation]