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Kite Cake: Bake cake in a 9-by-13-inch cake pan. Let cool and leave in pan. Frost and let the icing harden. With a toothpick draw a kite and tail on the cake. Fill in the cake with icing of another color and decorate the tail with gumdrops.

Ice cream

Juice, milk, punch

DECORATIONS

Use a white paper tablecloth. Set out crayons or markers. Ask the children to draw themselves holding a kite floating in the sky. All the kites should be drawn so the tops come together toward the middle of the table. Put each child's name on his or her kite.

Hang real kites from the ceiling.

FAVORS, PRIZES, ITEMS FOR TREAT BAGS

Kites: Either buy ready-made ones or supply the materials to make kites at the party. See instructions for making paper-bag kites. Look online or in the Yellow Pages for names of kite stores. One example is www.intothewind.com. Also check museum gift shops for kite supplies.

INSIDE GAMES AND ACTIVITIES, NONCOMPETITIVE

1. Make paper-bag kites for the children to fly later.

2. Make real kites if you can find instructions in a book. (Try the library for good books about kites.) It is complicated to make them, but worth the effort.

INSIDE GAMES, COMPETITIVE

1. Pin the Kite in the Sky or Pin the Tail on the Kite. Play like Pin the Tail on the Donkey.

2. Hot Kite String. Play like Hot Potato.

OUTSIDE GAMES, NONCOMPETITIVE

1. Fly paper-bag kites. Hold the bag behind you and run. Let go of the bag but hold onto the string. Let the string out all the way. The bag should fill up with air and fly.

2. Fly ready-made kites.

OUTSIDE GAMES, COMPETITIVE

1. Kite Races. Whoever gets a kite up highest or first wins.

2. Kite Relay Race. The first team to run back and forth holding and passing a kite by its string wins.

Note: Wide-open space - free from trees and electrical wires - and good winds are needed to fly kites. Drive the children to the park or playground for the party if yard space is lacking, or arrange for everybody to meet at a certain place at an appointed time. The Kite Party can also be given inside without flying kites. Make or give kites for the children to take home.