Jay Jay the Jet Plane

Jay Jay the Jet Plane Birthday Party!

(click here for a birthday supply checklist)

Invitations:

Use the great invitations in Birthday Express' package, or send an email invitation from Jay Jay's webpage.
Make an airline ticket for each guest with the party details.
Turn your invitation into a paper airplane and hand deliver to your guests.

Welcome Ideas:

Copy the characters from Jay Jay on a color copier (Kinko's can do this for you), cut them out, and use them for nametags. Or, if you're computer savvy, save the Jay Jay images from their website and print out your own nametags. (I'll try to keep this link current -- Jay Jay's homepage may be changing.)
Buy pilot's wings for each child and pin them on as they come. You can welcome each guest as "Pilot xxx"
Put butcher paper on a wall near the entry with the characters drawn or taped on a sky background. Let each child draw her own airplane on the wall for "Jay Jay Grafitti." Or with help, have the guests leave a message for the birthday child.

Games:

Make paper airplanes, decorated by each guest, and have airplane races.
Play follow the leader, where everyone is a plane with their arms stretched out wide. The leader can be an adult who leads them through the house or outside, or it can be your birthday child. If time allows, let each guest have a turn being the leader.
This game is fun because winning is just a matter of chance. To play, mark a target on the ground a short distance away or make a finish line on the floor with tape. Mark a starting line, and blow up a balloon for each child. For fun, write the name of a Jay Jay the Jet Plane character on each balloon or attach character stickers to the balloons instead. To begin, count down from three. When you say go, each child tries to land his or her “jet” inside the target, or cross the finish line, by tossing or hitting it. (See Birthday Express for more ideas like this)
Borrow a gym parachute and play in a circle lifting it up and down, getting inside, etc. to Jay Jay the Jet Plane music.
Play "Pack the Suitcase" - give each team a suitcase and lots of playclothes, then have a race to see who can fill their suitcase first. You can do this as a relay race, where each team member takes a turn running to the suitcase, putting 1 item in, then running back to tag the next team member.

Activities:

Copy the activity sheets from Jay Jay's website, and let the guests color, draw, etc. When they've finished, make a take home book for each child. Let them select a color of construction paper, gather their activity sheets, and staple together for a book that is completely unique! You can also give them stickers to decorate their cover with and write their name on the front, "Lauren's Jay Jay Book."
Have a sing along! Some of the kids probably know the words to Jay Jay's theme song, so if you're feeling daring, lead a sing along using the song sheets (for those of us who don't know the words!).
If you can arrange it, take a field trip to a local airport (smaller the better). If possible, see if you can get a tour of a hanger and/or plane for the kids.
Get oversized boxes for each child to sit in and make her own airplane. Then "race" airplanes by having someone push the box around (this works best on grass or indoors on carpet).
Rent a bounce house and let the kids "fly" like Jay Jay!

Food:

Brenda Blue Cookies: Make sugar cookies using shapes of tools (there's a great set of cookie cutters that has everything for $10 at Bed, Bath, & Beyond or check another local kitchen supply store). Frost the cookies in blue icing, after their namesake Brenda Blue.
Rainbow Jello: Using the Jello Jigglers recipe, make layers of Jello for finger food, cutting in squares or any shape. When cut, you can see the rainbow in layers.
PB&J Clouds: Make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, then using the side of a cup cut pieces of the edge off for a cloud look.

Birthday Supply Sources: