‘Tis the season for marshmallows! With s’mores being the most desired treat of the summer, finding marshmallows anywhere will be a breeze! Plus, they’re inexpensive, fluffy, delicious and fun to build towers with! These days marshmallows come in different shapes, sizes and colors. FUN! This birthday party idea requires barely any preparation which will leave you feeling stress free and the kids feeling eager and excited to build a tower of fluff!

What you will need:

1. As many marshmallows as you want! Consider how many guests there will be and divide that number by two (since towers will be built in teams). The number of teams = number of towers.
2. Toothpicks! Another very inexpensive item to add to your shopping list! These will be used to hold the marshmallows together. If you want variety, uncooked spaghetti can be used but might not be as strong. Or, wooden kabob skewers could be used as well.

Put numbers into a hat. If there are 20 guests, write numbers 1-10 twice. Pass around the hat and have the kids choose a number. This will be how teams are decided. It’s great to get kids together who may not have picked each other on their own. After teams are decided, divide the toothpicks and marshmallows evenly to all teams. Explain the rules: build the tallest tower in 10 minutes. The tower must be able to stand on its own without any hands or help.

When the 10 minutes are up, measure each tower and reward the winners with a first place medal (a necklace made by you before the party out of toothpicks and marshmallows). Or, perhaps a marshmallow crown? If you need some treats, keep the marshmallow theme going by baking some rice crispy treats or having hot cocoa with marshmallows. Make the party yours! Do whatever you have time and money for! That is what 12 Dollar Birthday is all about! Keeping everyone happy and healthy while celebrating your little one’s big day!