Sublime To The Ridiculous Attic Studio Handlye Farm, Cooksbridge Rd Lewes East Sussex BN8 5TJ 01273 400116
Party Food
Good tips for party eating.
I have never yet been to a party where all the food was eaten. Party kids are usually not starving, and in many cases will have had a large meal shortly before leaving home. Try to set out the food in advance and cover it with cling film or a tablecloth. Keep to bite sized pieces, cutting sandwiches in eight,- Kids love food they can get in their mouth in one go. Balance sweet and savoury treats. Some children may be vegetarian. Make the tables look special using matching paper tablecloths, napkins, and cups. Have the food in a separate room, or covered at the back of the hall, until the time comes to eat. Do try not to mix the focus, such as eating during the entertainment. Buffet food Where the children collect their food and drinks and sit randomly around the room. Transporting food and drink successfully from one location to another is a recipe for disaster and you could end up with a lot of drink and food on the floor (and it can make wooden floors really slippery which can turn into a funny but disastrous impromptu party game). Food while sitting on the floor An alternative to those with small tables is to lay table cloths on the floor and have everyone eating on that. Cups of drink can be knocked over so buy cartons and disposable plates and table cloths mean you can dispose of them more easily. Don’t let them get up until it’s all finished though. Time to eat (how to avoid descending hordes all at once) There are several ways of getting children to the party table. ‘I think we should have tea now’ ‘Who’s going to be first to sit down’ or ‘Come and get it’ all of which translate into ‘CHAAAARGE!!!’ Any phrase like be careful and ‘stop running ‘ will have little effect as have the table is knocked over etc. What you can do is finish the last game and then ask ‘Who is sitting the best?’. They should all sit there very nicely with backs straight arms folded etc. and then you can choose one at a time to go to the table finishing off with the last five together. It is a good idea to start with the party child as they can then get their place at the head of the table. You could also ask if anyone needs the toilet. On the subject of going to the toilet enlist an adult helper to aid’ those who want to go to the toilet ‘to find their way’ in order to avoid wanderings off.A second question after tea of ‘who needs the toilet’ may solve the problem until the end of the party.
Games Galore Loads of great fun party games - some you will well
remember!
Don’t play lots of games one after the other. If you are a bit nervous you might run through the games a bit too quick. Take your time and choose music that they know and they will all enjoy bouncing around for a bit longer - get them to jump in different ways - sideways etc. Don’t inflict badly organised games onto the children - have all the music set up and ready to go. You can always make up a spare tape of party tunes to fill any unwanted gaps. Try not to play games where they sit around doing nothing - sweets between wrappers of pass the parcel can make it last a lot longer and give the children something to do in between. Games where some are caught out early on and then have to watch the others enjoying themselves. You could make the ‘out’ children judges or you can not catch anyone out - just give a small prize to the child who does whatever first. If one child says they don’t want to play they all will- even if it’s the best game on earth so tell them they have to play - you know they’ll have a great time - Sorry but if you were invited to the party so you have to play’ should work. Avoid phrases such as ‘would you like to play’ or ‘who wants to play’ - all of these give the option of saying no. Calling games competitions makes them sound more exciting and also calling them by their names. Use the count to five thing - can we all sit on the floor by the time I count to five. This can work wonders.
Hunt the Thimble
Lollies are a good substitute for thimbles and the game starts with the children hiding their eyes while the organiser hides the first item. The children then are allowed to open their eyes and hunt for the first item. The winner who finds the prize gets to keep it and then round two. You can also hide one or two extra ones before the party starts and then if you spot anyone peeping you can pretend to be hiding it in one place while they will find it in another. If you are worried about the state of your room you can always tell them a few rules - ‘it will not be hidden in the books etc. You can also tell them that part of the prize will always be visible so that they don’t have to open or move anything.
Musical Chairs
A good game but requires plenty of space with two rows of chairs back to back- maybe more suited to church halls than front rooms, or you could play with mats in the garden. When the music stops they all have to sit down on a chair and each subsequent round sees one chair removed until only one chair remains. The ones who are ‘out’ could become judges.
Pass the orange
Arrange two teams to stand in a line (boy / girl maybe) one behind the other. Give each team an orange which the first person should tuck under their chin. This should be passed to the person behind and so on. If anyone drops it they need to run to the start of the queue and start again. The first team to finish wins a prize.
Ring on a String Tie a long piece of string in a circle and have the children sit down holding it. On the string is a ring. One person is placed in the middle and closes their eyes while the ring is hidden in someone’s hand. Then s/he opens his/ her eyes and the children rhythmically move their hands along the string, trying to pass the ring round but hide it from the person in the middle. When the ring is found the person holding it goes into the middle.
Chocolate or jelly game Sit everyone in a circle and in the middle place a tray with hats, scarf, gloves and a knife and fork and a wrapped bar of chocolate. In turn players throw the dice and if they throw a six they have ten seconds to put on the hat, gloves and scarf and the try to unwrap and eat the chocolate with the knife and fork. When their go has finished go onto the next person. You can use two dice and require a double six if you like or as a variation use jelly instead of chocolate. The game finishes when the chocolate (or jelly) has all gone.
Chinese Whispers Sit everyone in a circle. Whisper a long phrase to the next person, which they whisper to the next person and so on. The last person announces what they have heard. Party Game - Consequences There are two versions of this game. In the first the guests sit in a circle and all have a piece of paper and a pen folded into five and then unfolded. Each guest has to draw a hat, foldover the paper so that the next person can’t see it and then pass it onto the next person to draw the head, fold, pass it on for the body and arms, down to the knees and then the rest of the legs and feet. The sheet is passed on again and then everyone opens their sheets. The second version is the story - chapters one to five in a line each perhaps.
Mousetrap Formation: Players (the mice) form a ring. Two of the players are chosen to be a mousetrap. They face, take hold of both hands and hold their arms high. The rest of the mice march around in the ring -- either to march music or a familiar tune -- while going under the mousetrap made by the two players. When the leader blows a whistle, all mice stop and the trap comes down and catches any mouse that happens to be under their arms. The mouse who is caught goes to the
centre of the ring and the game proceeds. When the next player is caught, these two make a new mousetrap at the opposite end of the circle from the original one. Game proceeds until all mice have become traps.
Guess the Picture Collect a set of pictures (famous picture, local pictures taken at funny angle etc.) and get the guests to identify them on a sheet of paper. The winner is the one with the highest score or you could play in two teams.
Listen and Move Place party shapes on the floor. You could do this in a theme for example if you have a knight party it could be castle shapes. Children walk around them while listening to music and when the music stops they have to stand on one. One is removed each time. When the music goes fast they have to go fast and when the music is slow they have to go slow - maybe some classical music would be good amongst the pop.
Port and Starboard. Best played in a big hall but will get them worn out before tea. On the command each child has to do the following with the last child being out (becoming a judge) until one remains. Port Run to one side Starboard Run to the other side Captains Coming Stand to attention and salute Submarines Lie on the floor Hoist the Mainsail Run on the spot like climbing the rigging Mess Deck Sit cross legged on the floor waiting for lunch Davey Jones Stand on anything so you’re not on the floor Up Periscope Stand straight up and act like you are looking through a telescope
Paper Bag Guess Label paper bags with each letter of the birthday child's name and put objects that start with the corresponding letter in the bag. For instance, for AMY you could have a bag
labelled "A" with an apple in it, a bag labelled "M" with a mug in it, and a bag
labelled "Y" with a You Yo in it. Players guess what's in each bag by feeling the outside of the bag.
Old Clothes Relay This game is really fun to make a movie of and watch later. Especially if your projector or VCR allows you to run the movie backwards. Divide players into two equal teams. For each team have a suitcase or box containing a large shirt, shorts, boots and hat. In turn each player must put on old clothes and run to a certain point where they take the old clothes off and put them back in box, then run back to start where the next player repeats the process etc. until one team finishes and wins.
Good Guessing This is a good party game that guests can play as they are arriving. Fill 4 or 5 jars with candy, nuts, raisins - anything edible counting the pieces as you put them in. Then let the children guess how many are in each jar. Whoever guesses closest wins the jar.
Coloured Eggs One player is chosen to be the fox and another player is chosen to be the hen. All the rest of the players are the coloured eggs. The fox must stand far enough from the hen so that he can’t hear them. The hen assigns a colour to each egg by whispering the colour in their ear. The eggs line up to face the hen. The fox comes up behind the hen and pretends to knock on the door. The hen responds ‘who is it?’. The fox says ‘it’s the fox’ the hen says ‘what do you want?’ the fox says ‘coloured eggs’ the hen says ‘I haven’t got any’ At this point all the eggs laugh loudly. The fox says’ I can hear then laughing’ the hen says’ OK what colour do you want’ The fox says a colour and continues to guess colours and then when he has guessed a colour that is assigned to an egg that egg begins to run. to the hen. If the fox catches the egg before it gets back to the hen a new hen and egg are chosen. If he doesn’t then he must guess another colour. The conversation must be repeated each time between the hen and egg.
Sleeping Pirates All the children except one - the pirate - sit cross-legged on the floor in a circle. The pirate sits cross-legged in the middle of the circle, blind-folded with a large bunch of keys in front of him. A child is nominated (by silent pointing) to go up and collect the keys and return to their place without the pirate hearing them. The pirate has three goes to point out where he thinks the raider is. If the raider is successful he becomes the pirate.
Toy Walk Have pieces of paper on the floor with numbers on it. The children walk on the different bits of paper until the music stops. The child who is on the winning number wins small prize.
Stuck in the Mud One person is ‘IT’ and has to run around and touch as many people as possible. When they have touched someone that person has to stop and stand with their legs apart and their hands outstretched until someone crawls through their legs. If you are caught three times then you are out. The game ends when everyone is standing still.
Musical Bumps Easier to play than musical chairs. When the music stops each child sits on the floor. Last child sitting is out. Party Games - Camping Trip Play begins by one person saying "I'M GOING ON A CAMPING TRIP AND I'M GOING TO BRING...(at this point the person talking picks anything s/he would like to bring on the trip. Let's use a sleeping bag as an example) A SLEEPING BAG". The next person says "I'M GOING ON A CAMPING TRIP AND I'M GOING TO BRING...(at this point the person talking picks anything s/he would like to bring on the trip, but it must begin with the letter "G", since the last letter of the first persons 'camping accessory' was a "G". For example let's say the second person wanted to bring a "GUARDIAN" they can bring that so everyone says "OKAY YOU CAN BRING THAT ON OUR CAMPING TRIP". Say the third person hasn't caught on to the game yet and says, "I'M GOING ON A CAMPING TRIP AND I'M GOING TO BRING HOT DOGS". Everyone should say, "NO, YOU CAN'T BRING HOT DOGS" and play continues to the next player until everyone has caught onto the game. VARIATION: Also can be played with a different 'rule' each time. One player makes up a rule, and then says something like: "I would take apples but not potatoes" The other players then try to figure out the rule. It will take several different clues: "I would take beer but not Coke" etc. Once a player thinks they have figured out a rule, they ask the first player whether or not they would take a certain item to verify their idea: "You would take Fruit Loops but not Corn Flakes, right?" "Right" Play continues until everyone gets the rule figured out. Then someone else picks a rule and a new game begins. The rules can be anything, and are only limited by the creativity of the players. [P.S. the rule in this example was double letters]
Doggy Doggy Where's Your Bone We played this game when it was raining. It is an inside game. A child played the part of the dog. He or she sat in a chair with their back to the class. An eraser or another object was put under the chair. That was the bone. While the dog was turned around with his or her eyes closed someone would sneak up and steal the bone and hide it somewhere on his person. Then everyone would sing: Doggy, Doggy, where's your bone? Somebody's stole it from your home. Guess who it might be you. Then the dog has three chances to guess who took it. Sometimes it was left under his or her chair. If the dog guessed right then he got to do it again. If he guessed wrong than the person who had the bone got a turn as the dog.
Four Corners One person is "it" and closes their eyes. The rest of the group goes to one of the 4 corners (or 4 designated spots) of the room. "It" calls a number and children in that corner sit down. If they don't sit down, they are 'out'. Continue until there are 6 or 8 left, then you tell them there must be only 2 in each corner or when 4 left - one in each corner. The last person left - gets to be "it".
Doughnuts and Toothpicks Everyone stands in a line with toothpicks in their mouths and they have to pass the doughnut onto the next person. If it falls on your turn the person before you wins. A variation could be to divide everyone into two lines and have any falls mean that the person who dropped the doughnut going to the front of the queue and the doughnut has to go back to the beginning. The first team to finish wins a prize.
Can you guess? Put several small items into a brown paper bag. Blindfolds one person and let them try to guess what it is. If they are unsuccessful they are out. The last one wins.
Ducky Ducky Everyone sits in a circle except one who is given a pillow and a blindfold. They then go and place the pillow on a persons lap, sit on it and say ‘Ducky Ducky’. The other person should say ‘Quack Quack, this can only be done by the same person three times. If the blind person guesses the name of the person they should now give the blindfold over to that person and the game runs over again until everyone has changed places.
Spin the bottle The children sit in a circle which is spun round in the middle. The child who it ends up facing has to do a forfeit ranging from simple counting exercise to singing a song. Party Games - Memory game Have twenty items on a table. Give each child a pencil and paper and take the items away and get them to remember them. A prize for the child who remembers the most. The children can mark each others papers.
Pass the key You need two similar very large sized keys threaded on the end of coarse string. Both should have spent a while in the freezer immediately before being bought out. Line up two teams of eight to ten children. The key must be passed through trousers and dresses and skirts. The winning team is the first team to get everyone threaded.
Simon Says The children all stand facing the organiser who says ‘Simon Says put you hands in the air’ to which they all duplicate the actions. However any child who duplicates the actions on just the words ‘Do this’ is ‘out’. To make it really quickfire you could say ‘do this’ and they have to copy but ‘do that’ and they are out.
The Name Game At the start of the party they are given a pencil and paper and told to collect the signature of every child there. This sounds really simple but it will require them constantly checking their lists. Good if children do not know each other very well. Party Games - The Photographer Select a few photographs from your family album - preferably as silly ones as possible, and then the partygoers take it in turns to pretend they are the people in the photographs until everyone has been included.
Whistling crackers You can give every child (older children only to reduce the risk of choking) three cheese crackers and let them eat them so that the child who finishes them and then manages to whistle wins a prize.
Rice Racing Give each child a straw and a grain of uncooked rice. They hold the straw and use it to push the grain of rice along. The first child to the finish line wins. Party games for older children - Who am I? As they arrive they all get a piece of paper pinned to their back. The paper had the name of a famous person on it. By asking questions such as ‘Am I still alive?’ or ‘Am I a pop star?’ they get to guess their name. Successful guesses may have another go. This is a good one to get them talking at the beginning of a party.
Bingo This can go down really well at parties for slightly older children. Simple bingo kits are relatively cheap to buy and make sure that you have enough pencils. You could choose a winning line before the full card. Party Games - Limbo Dancing In it simple form it can be a broom handle with two adults holding it otherwise some garden bamboo cane from a garden centre and two posts with nails and tape at regular intervals would work. Some good limbo music will be required and if only a few children are left and they are all caught out then the contest is a draw.
Pass the Anything! Arrange two teams in a line and give them something to be passed down the line in a given fashion. Suggestions include; A stick of spaghetti to be held in the mouth A credit card to be sucked to your lips A coin to be held to the first persons nose while they walk to the back of the line and back to the front again. The first person goes to the back of the line and back to the front again. The first person goes to the back of the line and the game continues with a new person.
Balloon Relay The teams line up. The first person passes the balloon through their legs to the next person and so on. When the last person gets the balloon they race to the front with it and hand it to the next person. They then sit down. The first team to get everyone sitting down wins.
Pin the Tail on the Donkey Adapt the picture to match your theme. Party games - Scavenger Hunt make a list of things that children have to find - especially good in the garden. Be sure to set limits as to where children can go and be certain that each child will know what they are. First person or team back gets the prize.
Guess who I am? All the guests apart from three are taken out of the room and given a name of a sportsperson, celebrity, popstar, TV star etc. They all come into the room and meet the three ‘hosts’ who have to guess between them who they are. Make sure each guest is familiar with their chosen identity.
Balloon Racer The children divide into teams and line up. Give each team a balloon. The first person has to hold the balloon under their chin and pass it to the next person without using their hands. If the balloon bursts the team can have a new one but it has to start at the beginning. The first team to get the balloon all the way to the end win.
I Have Never... Each guests receives ten tokens (coins, toothpicks etc.). Each person tells of something they have never done - ‘I have never been to France, broken a bone etc. Anyone who has done this must give the speaker one of their tokens. After going round the circle several times the person with the most tokens wins.
Hunt the Space Monster Like hunt the thimble but adapted to suit your theme.
Sleepy Lions The best thing to calm them down at the end of a party. Get them all to lie down on the floor and the first one to move is ‘Out’ and so on until one is left - the winner.
Treasure Hunt Prepare well in advance. Hide clues round the house and garden. The final clue leads to you and to a prize. match to age group and theme of party if you like. Team the children up so that everyone is with a good reader
Oranges and Lemons Oranges and lemons Say the bells of St. Clements I owe you five farthings Say the bells of St. Martins When will you pay me? Say the bells at Old Bailey When I grow rich Say the bells at Shoreditch When will that be? Say the bells of Stepney I'm sure I don't know Says the great bell of Bow Here comes a candle to light you to bed Here comes a chopper to chop off your head Spoken: Chip chop chip chop the last man's HEAD! To Play as a Game: Two children form an arch. One side of the arch is 'Oranges'; the other 'Lemons'. The other children skip around, then under the arch. At the last line of the song, the two children who've formed the arch pretend to 'chip' and 'chop' the children as they pass through and capture one at 'head'. The captive then chooses Oranges or Lemons, and stands behind whichever side he has chosen. The game is repeated until everyone has been captured. Then the two teams, Oranges and Lemons, have a tug of war.
Statues Everyone skips around or dances to the music. When the music stops everyone friezes. Anyone spotted moving is ‘Out’.
Pass the Parcel Give the old favourite a new twist by putting sheets in between layers of paper, use a pretty sheet of paper between newspaper etc. so children think they have found the middle when they haven't. You can aim to give every child a toy but this works out quite expensive and for a large group can be an organisational nightmare - your choice! Alternatively you could put a sweet into each wrapper - or alternate prize and forfeit - i.e telling a rhyme etc.
Ghost in the Graveyard This game is usually played inside, and the emphasis is more on hiding than chasing. The second and third variations are outdoor/night games First you gather up at least 3 or more people. Then you find a base. Next you choose 1 person to be it. That person will stand on the base and 1:00, 2:00, 3:00 and keeps doing that until you get to 12:00. All other players hide while "It" counts. On 12:00 yell out 'Midnight'. Then all the hiders try to run to the base before the person that is it catches you. Then if a person gets found then they are it. For "Hit the Door" the base must be a door and you must hit it to be safe. OR One person would be the ghost. The rest of the group would stay on "base" and count " one o'clock, two o'clock, three o'clock, rock...'till you got to midnight Then go search for the ghost. Whoever found the ghost yelled "ghost in the graveyard" and all the seekers out make a mad dash back to base. Whoever was tagged was the next ghost. It is best to play when it is early evening or dark. OR It MUST be played after dark, in the summer, preferably with some moonlight. One person is selected to be the witch. The witch hides while the rest of the group counts to 100. At that point, the group goes forth singing over and over again "The witch ain't out tonight! The witch ain't out tonight!". We always had certain areas, such as around our house or through a particular small field, that had agreed upon parameters. Not that we knew what parameters meant, mind you! Whenever the witch feels like it, he/she bursts from hiding and catches as many of the chanters as possible while the rest run screaming for home. Once all are sorted out, the caught people are also witches and hide as before, continuing on until only one person is left unwitched. That person becomes the witch in the next round.
Sausage Everyone sits in a circle. The person who is it stands in the
centre of the circle. Each person asks the person who is "it" an appropriate question. The only answer to every question can be sausage. The first person to make the centre person laugh wins a try in the middle. Ex: What
colour is your hair? Sausage. What do you brush your teeth with? Sausage. (Obviously other words can be used for variety)
Sock Wrestling All the kids sit in a circle and have to take off their shoes so they are only wearing socks. Every kid is given a number. Two numbers are then called out. The kids with those numbers come into the
centre of the circle, and, remaining on their knees, must, in any way possible, get the other person's sock before they get theirs. Very funny to watch. A variation is for the kids to have pillows under their tops which makes it less contact and dangerous
Entertainers How to help your VIP guest (apart from the birthday person of course)..
Helping the Entertainer
Your performer (if you decide to have one) will usually arrive before the party and discuss the performing space and any other requirements. It is a good idea to sit the children down before the show starts, having made sure they have all had a chance to use the toilet and get comfortable! One of the most difficult and distracting things for any performer is to have a group of adults chatting away behind the children, or even in the kitchen. So try to make sure that any parents or relatives that may be there either watch and participate in the show or get completely out of earshot! Avoid giving the children squeaky noisemakers, etc. It is difficult for an entertainer to also fulfill the role of order keeper, so it is a good idea to nominate an adult for this job, as very occasionally there may be a disruptive child who could spoil the fun of the party for everyone if unchecked. Booking a children's entertainer Decide exactly what you are looking for before looking in the yellow pages .If they sound cheerful and enthusiastic on the phone they will probably be like that when they do the show. However - listen to what the entertainers say. They have a good idea of what would work from the countless amount of shows that they have done in the past. Don’t feel that you have to stick with an original idea if later on you feel that it might not work. Beware of pre-clouding your judgment too much. The majority of entertainers will charge similar amounts - it is not really worth basing judgment solely on price. As a general rule you can stick with an averaged price entertainer but if paying more or less ask why their prices are so different. Book entertainer then venue and party date otherwise you may not be able to get an entertainer on that date. For Saturdays and Sundays book well in advance - some people book a year ahead - especially true if you want to book a particular entertainer Tell them the age range of children to be entertained Try and get a recommendation from a friend. Ring a couple of days before the party to check it is still OK.
Balloonacy 31, Grassmere Avenue Telscombe Cliffs Peacehaven BN10 7BY 01273 584546 
I have never yet been to a party where all the food was eaten. Party kids are usually not starving, and in many cases will have had a large meal shortly before leaving home. Try to set out the food in advance and cover it with cling film or a tablecloth. Keep to bite sized pieces, cutting sandwiches in eight,- Kids love food they can get in their mouth in one go. Balance sweet and savoury treats. Some children may be vegetarian. Make the tables look special using matching paper tablecloths, napkins, and cups. Have the food in a separate room, or covered at the back of the hall, until the time comes to eat. Do try not to mix the focus, such as eating during the entertainment. Buffet food Where the children collect their food and drinks and sit randomly around the room. Transporting food and drink successfully from one location to another is a recipe for disaster and you could end up with a lot of drink and food on the floor (and it can make wooden floors really slippery which can turn into a funny but disastrous impromptu party game). Food while sitting on the floor An alternative to those with small tables is to lay table cloths on the floor and have everyone eating on that. Cups of drink can be knocked over so buy cartons and disposable plates and table cloths mean you can dispose of them more easily. Don’t let them get up until it’s all finished though. Time to eat (how to avoid descending hordes all at once) There are several ways of getting children to the party table. ‘I think we should have tea now’ ‘Who’s going to be first to sit down’ or ‘Come and get it’ all of which translate into ‘CHAAAARGE!!!’ Any phrase like be careful and ‘stop running ‘ will have little effect as have the table is knocked over etc. What you can do is finish the last game and then ask ‘Who is sitting the best?’. They should all sit there very nicely with backs straight arms folded etc. and then you can choose one at a time to go to the table finishing off with the last five together. It is a good idea to start with the party child as they can then get their place at the head of the table. You could also ask if anyone needs the toilet. On the subject of going to the toilet enlist an adult helper to aid’ those who want to go to the toilet ‘to find their way’ in order to avoid wanderings off.A second question after tea of ‘who needs the toilet’ may solve the problem until the end of the party. 
Don’t play lots of games one after the other. If you are a bit nervous you might run through the games a bit too quick. Take your time and choose music that they know and they will all enjoy bouncing around for a bit longer - get them to jump in different ways - sideways etc. Don’t inflict badly organised games onto the children - have all the music set up and ready to go. You can always make up a spare tape of party tunes to fill any unwanted gaps. Try not to play games where they sit around doing nothing - sweets between wrappers of pass the parcel can make it last a lot longer and give the children something to do in between. Games where some are caught out early on and then have to watch the others enjoying themselves. You could make the ‘out’ children judges or you can not catch anyone out - just give a small prize to the child who does whatever first. If one child says they don’t want to play they all will- even if it’s the best game on earth so tell them they have to play - you know they’ll have a great time - Sorry but if you were invited to the party so you have to play’ should work. Avoid phrases such as ‘would you like to play’ or ‘who wants to play’ - all of these give the option of saying no. Calling games competitions makes them sound more exciting and also calling them by their names. Use the count to five thing - can we all sit on the floor by the time I count to five. This can work wonders. 
Helping the Entertainer
