Send craft favor home or do at party?

buggles

My sister is hosting a party next week for her preschooler DC. She purchased favors which are actually crafts that a child could do on his/ her own. However, she wants an opinion on whether or not to

1. hand the favors out during the party (before or after cake eating) for the kids to do there

or

2. hand out favors at the end when the guests decide to leave so the kids could do their crafts at home.

***************   Which option should she go with?   ***************   

Some facts:

- the party is being held in the morning for an hour and a half (10am to 11:30am) and will end just before lunch

- only cake and drink is being served beneath covered benches

- the venue is a neighborhood park with a playground (swings, slides, monkey bars) and she's bringing other items (like a soccer ball) to keep them active and having fun; no other activities are planned

- there will be about 20 children (40 people total) of which the majority are 4 to 5 years of age

kellnbri

I would send them home. I do not think there is enough time to allow them to play and have cake. It might be a fight to get some of them to sit and do a craft when there is the lure of a playground

June2007

With that age group I would do them there. Especially since there's not much else going on in the way of structured games. It's also a good way to gather everyone, like if you had just free activities before hand then I would call everyone to the tables for the craft. Once they're done everyone is already seated do you can go straight to cake and then everyone is set to go and no one has to be chased off the playground.

April37

kellnbri:

I would send them home. I do not think there is enough time to allow them to play and have cake. It might be a fight to get some of them to sit and do a craft when there is the lure of a playground

Ditto.  Send it home. 

Besides, it could be windy and crafts and wind don't mix well.

2dogmom

April37:

kellnbri:

I would send them home. I do not think there is enough time to allow them to play and have cake. It might be a fight to get some of them to sit and do a craft when there is the lure of a playground

Ditto.  Send it home. 

Besides, it could be windy and crafts and wind don't mix well.

JMay

Given all that's going on, I ditto PP and say send them home as the favor.  If there was nothing to do, the craft would be a great thing, but my DD would never stop playing at a park to do a craft, and she LOVES crafts!  Might be a nice calm activity for the parents to provide their kids after lunch, at home. 

jlw2505

Given that the party is at a park and with 20 kids - send them home.  The kids are not going to want and sit and do the crafts.  If the weather is not ideal for the park - I would then give the kids the option to do them there.