Out of the box Bas Mitzvah

amother

cornflower

Tue, Oct 23 2018, 11:05 pm

Going amother because I've been discussing this with all and sundry in real life and on Facebook.

My oldest daughter is turning 11 soon and we need to start planning her Bas Mitzvah. We don't need to finalize anything yet, but we need to book a date and a venue so that there aren't any conflicts. Most girls in our area have a party where they wear a fancy dress and have music and dancing for the entertainment and give a speech about something they learned. Some people go bigger and some go simpler, but that's the general idea. For DD, however, that would be the epitome of torture.

She wants something far more casual, but we're stuck on what form that should take. Our backyard is not so big and her birthday is right around Pesach so doing something outdoors is risky anyway. We would really like to incorporate a chessed project or activity into the party so we make it more about becoming a bas mitzvah and not just an excuse for a party.

Any and all ideas are welcome!

trixx

Tue, Oct 23 2018, 11:14 pm

Pack bags for a soup kitchen, or have a challah bake and donate the challah, or an activity like that which can take place in a shul social hall but it's still casual

myname1

Wed, Oct 24 2018, 7:03 am

I have friend who had a cooking instructor come teach the girls (and ladies) a few interesting cooking techniques. She brought ingredients and supplies and had stations set up with a recipe at each. One was a pasta making machine. One was a pastry bag for cream puffs. It was a lot of fun. But this is in Israel, and I got the impression the bas mitzvah parties in that community are all more low key.

Ruchel

Wed, Oct 24 2018, 7:57 am

Mati's friends all had different. Some just had a small party at home with homemade food or elaborate nosh (closer to buffet than to the bamba bag crushed in your purse)

amother

Tangerine

Wed, Oct 24 2018, 10:26 am

In my community many families have Bas Mitzvah parties at their home or small shul social hall and do not include dancing due to lack of space or because the Bas Mitzvah girl doesn't want that kind of party. The extra time when not eating is spent by the girls doing some sort of project. It can either be something the girls take home (jewelry making, painting/art, cupcake decorating, etc.) or can donated to an organization (like fleece blankets for sick kids in the hospital).

If you are not the creative type or want to enjoy the party without having to worry about all the technical aspects of the project, you may want to look into hiring a couple of high school age or older girls to help out during the party.

Another idea to add some fun to the party is to rent a photo booth. Your daughter can help buy/put together the props and the girls have a blast taking silly pictures with their friends and get to take them home as souvenirs.

amother

Burgundy

Wed, Oct 24 2018, 11:23 am

IMNSHO- does she even want a party?

If yes, what are her interests
Does she like painting?
I saw an ad once of painting party.

In my dds case, we opted for a trip to Israel instead, but you need to be able to afford this.