8 is great! Ideas to celebrate

My son turned 8-years-old last month! For our family, 8 is a very special birthday, because that is when our children are old enough to be baptized in our church. For that reason, I do 8 year-old birthdays a little differently. I don’t throw a big friend party (like the robot, rocket, pirate, etc., parties I’ve done in the past) but focus instead on the baptism and the dinner for friends and family afterward. I’m excited to show you what we did for the baptism dinner in my next post! When my daughter was baptized a few years ago, her birthday and baptism were really close together, so her big rainbow celebration, covered it all. My son’s birthday, however, was early in the month and his baptism was at the end, so there was a need to mark the birthday in a few ways before then.

Last year was his camping birthday on a real camping trip. We went camping over Labor Day again with the same friends as last year, AND another six or seven families. Interestingly enough, there were three kids on the camping trip that were turning 8 within the following week (and another a couple of months later). So we didn’t want it to just be about him.

We sent them on a GPS hunt like last year, but this one included scriptures (it was on a Sunday) and treats for everyone. Bubbles, glowsticks, gum–things that could be split easily between 30 children. When they got back I had this display set up as the end of the hunt.

Hopefully your eyes can see that the two donuts stuck together on a skewer look like a number 8! I stuck the skewers in a log with a buch of holes that we found while setting up the hunt, and the rest of them on fun green polka-dotted plates from the dollar store. I made a quick sign out of a plate to help make it obvious that we were celebrating the number 8.

From the messy faces that followed, I would say they were a hit. These were just store-bought mini-donuts from Walmart. They made a repeat appearance when it was time to take treats to school the following week:

I have several posts on creative classroom treats. I’m always trying to some up with a unique way to bring in a meaningful treat, even though they can’t be homemade. Donuts have proven a fun way to play on the age of the birthday child. These would also make fun favors.  For the school treats, I put two donuts in a plastic bag and stapled on a tag I designed that said: “8 is great! Thanks for helping me celebrate!”

And that might have been enough celebrating, until the baptism, but we had a birthday present or two to give him that didn’t have to do with the baptism, so we had a little family celebration the Sunday after his birthday. It was a pretty last-minute thing, so it was easy to do.

My 11-year-old, came up with a treasure hunt for her brother all.by.herself.! Hooray! I have a partner in my insanity and I can delegate more and more to her. She had a bunch of clues, and made him look up stuff he didn’t understand in the dictionary. She even wrapped the present in brown paper, to make it part of her “Top Secret” hunt.

Want to make a super easy cake for an 8-year-old? We were just going to whip up a quick cake for dessert and looked at the mixes available in the pantry. My son wanted red velvet. His dad wanted carrot cake. They both go great with cream cheese frosting, so we made them both, in the bundt cake pan, and frosted them side by side on a large wooden cutting board to make a number 8 cake!

Super simple! With eight colorful candles.

And one happy birthday boy!

 

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UPDATE: 1-14-13

 

I have heard your pleas, and I have finally been able to get the Printable tags up for your benefit! I am offering the tags as a thank you to my Facebook followers. You can access them here, or if you do not have a Facebook account, you can email me for the file.

UPDATE: 5-3-13 Due to demand, I am no longer able to individually email the file to those who aren’t on Facebook. I am getting way behind on your requests, and feel bad that you guys are waiting on me. If you are having trouble getting the file, please make sure you are accessing it from a PC and not a mobile device (several have emailed me that the couldn’t get it from their tablets.) If you are not on Facebook, please ask a friend who is to get it for you. And please only share with friends who aren’t on Facebook. Thank you! And sorry I can’t be more help at this time.

I made two versions, one is the same one that you see in the photos above. The other is a more generic tag that just says “8 is great!” I was thinking that version would work better for LDS primaries and the other makes a great birthday party/classroom gift.

 

 

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Comments

  1. Your “8” cake idea is about to make me one popular mom to my soon-to-be 8 year old daughter! I never would’ve thought of this. I loved your party theme and the meaning behind the special occasion, so neat.

  2. Just found your blog & love it. Wish my daughter was turning 8 so I can make her this cake. Any catchy sayings/ideas for a girl turning 9 ?

  3. Love your donut classroom treat! Do you have a printable to share for your tag? I love it and would love to use if…we can to send in homemade either so I would love to make the treats personal.

  4. Would you share the printable for the 8 is Great! tags on the donut bags? Love them!

  5. I would love he printable too for the 8 is great donuts!!!!

  6. Shellie Rowberry says

    Just another request for the “8 is great” donut tag printable. What a great idea! Thanks in advance 🙂

  7. I would also love to use this printable for my son’s 8th! Thank you!

  8. Celeste Perkes says

    I would also like to have the printable tag. I am the Primary Pres in our ward and in January we are doing a “It’s Great to be 8” get together at our Stake House to orientate the kids who are turning 8 in 2013 about what will happen the day of their Baptism and I think this would be a great treat to give them afterwards. Hope to here from you soon. Thanks.

  9. I would love it if you could share the eight is great printable. I’m in the Primary Presidency and think that is such a cute treat for our eight year olds!

  10. if you’re sharing the 8 is great printable, i’d love one 🙂 super cute!

    • Hi everyone! I’m hearing your requests, but the file wasn’t quite formatted right to share as a printable yet. I’m buried with Christmas at the moment, but if you can give me until January I wall get the printable ready.

      Thanks!

  11. Bummer, just read your comment about after Christmas. My son’s baptism is this Saturday and I wanted to give the doughnuts as favors.

  12. Laura Hasson says

    I would a printable form of that tag if it’s available. We are having an “Eight is Great” program for all the kids turning eight in our ward next Sunday. Thanks!

  13. I would love your printable of “8” is great if possible! I’ve been almost stalking your cute blog for when you had them available. They will be perfect for our primary. Thanks so much for sharing your talents and creativity with us all! Thanks again!!!!!!

    • Hi Andrea. Are you on Facebook? The link above takes you to them. If you aren’t on Face book, send me an email and I will try and get them to you. Please let me know how soon you need them.

  14. The Domitian printable link says it doesn’t work. Can you please email me the generic one? Its tomorrow. Haha short notice.

    • Which link isn’t working? They seem to be working for me. You just need to like my page on Facebook. Are you on FB?

  15. Hello,
    I love your fun ideas, I’m hosting our 2boys baptism in may2013.. H will be 2and K will be 6 Any ideas? Themes maybe to combine the 2..
    Thank you in advance

  16. I don’t have a fb acct. can I get the file for 8 tags?? Thanks!

  17. Can you please send me the printable tags for the 8yr old birthday party

  18. My son’s birthday and baptism is this Sunday….could you please e-mail me the 8 is great donut tag templates?
    Thank you!

    • Hey Linda,

      I am swamped with my son’s b-day party at the moment, and very behind on those emails. Do you have any friends on Facebook who could access it for you?

  19. I love your 8 is great!!!! Thanks for helping me celebrate tag. I clicked on the link for facebook and I can’t find the tag anywhere, or at least it is not taking me to the link. What do I need to do.
    Thanks

  20. I know this is an old post… But what size plastic bag did you put the mini donuts in?

    • I don’t remember exactly, Shenna, but it was not a typical sandwich bag. Look in the bakery/cake decorating section for smaller favor bags. You can also fold the bags over when you staple them, if you need to make it smaller so the donuts don’t slide around. Good luck!

  21. marnie parker says

    HI. I am putting together an “8 is Great” fireside this Sunday for all the kids in our primary who will be baptized this year. I was trying to access your cute printable via the link and facebook page, but it says the page is under construction. Is it possible to access it another way? Thanks so much.

  22. marnie parker says

    Hi. I am putting together a fireside for all the kids in our primary who will be baptized this year. It will be this Sunday. I have been trying to access your cute printable on facebook, but it says the page is being updated. Any chance I can access the image another way? Thanks.

    • Hi Marnie,

      Would you mind trying one more time? I just made some adjustments to the Facebook page, hoping to make it easier to access the printables. I hope it didn’t backfire. When I try it, it works. Maybe reload the page? If it doesn’t work, let me know so I can see what I can do on my end. Thank you!

  23. Hi. I tried using the facebook link but it said page unavailable. I would love to use these for our eight is great program!

  24. Can I get the Great to Be 8 printable

Trackbacks

  1. […] the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I’ve shown you the fun ways we marked his 8th birthday earlier in the month, but now I am going to show you what we did for his special baptism day. I […]

  2. […] little something for his big day and had remembered seeing a cute idea on my friend, Kendra’s blog. She had made cute little 8′s out of donuts and made favors from them. I decided to make a […]

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