Wizard of Oz
Over the Rainbow

Invitations: Rainbow shaped Front: We are going to Oz for a party OR Join us over the rainbow. Inside: Day: Time: Location: Emerald City - address RSVP:  To (your character) the Wicked Witch, etc Ask the kids to dress like someone from the movie. Make sure the adults (you) are dressed a part also.

Wizard of Oz party supplies

Decorations:
Oz plates from party supply.   Blue and white checkered table cloth with baskets for foods. OR use all Green for the Emerald city...plates, napkins, plastic ware, streamers, etc.

Balloon rainbow arch.   Paper chains in rainbow colors.  Make a rainbow shaped centerpiece using posterboard and sitting on  fluffed up batting for a cloud.  Yellow brick road leading to party house or back yard, use chalk, butcherpaper or use an opened up cardboard box, paint yellow and draw on bricks.  'Road' signs to 'Oz', 'Munchkinland,' 'Haunted Castle,' and etc. Pinwheels set around the room.  Red shoe piñata.  Hang a scarecrow by your front door.

Make signs to place around the yard. Munchkinland for the kids area ( slip and slide, swimming...) The Emerald City for grownups and refreshments, A large rainbow marks the entrance to the yard. Entering the driveway guests see a sign reading You Are Now Leaving Kansas. As the guests left the party the sign read Welcome to Kansas.

Cake and Food:
Cake:  Use a horse shoe shaped cake, flip upside down for a rainbow.   Frost in rainbow colors and add a blue bird on top.

Witch cake -  Find single serve cake pans, use a bell
one.  Bake them and turn them upside down.  Bake green cookies in the shape of a witches face place a lollypop stick in them before baking.  Place the stick end down into the cake.  'What you are going for is a witch flying on a broomstick.'
For the broom stick use large pretzel rods and frost the cake for the cape then put strips of icing at the end of the broom.

Food:  Jell-O in rainbow colors. Skittles. Broomsticks (pretzels).

Goodie Bags:
Use small baskets lined with blue and white cloth and fill.  Rainbow shaped items, apple item, shiny or clear ball (to look like the witches ball).  Let the kids choose a pinwheel from the decorations.  Make a sticker sheet rolled up and tied with a red ribbon to look like a diploma.

Games and Activities:

Dorothy's House: Take a large, square cardboard box and make the top flaps into a gable for Dorothy's Kansas home.   Paint the roof and paint the sides with windows and flowers and bushes growing around the edges of the house.  Cut out a door in front of the house and in the back of the house.  Stuff an old pair of white stockings that you draw black stripes on with permanent marker.  Put a pair of "ruby" slippers on the stuffed stockings (slippers can be red heels or old shoes with red glitter).  Place the stuffed stockings with shoes under the house so it looks as  though the house has just landed on the Wicked Witch of the East as in the beginning of the Wizard of Oz movie.

Play a game with the house by having the children take turns crawling through the front and out the back of the house with music playing. When the music stops the one inside the house is out.  Play until one player is left as the winner.

Pin the heart on the Tinman

Trivia Game for older kids and adults.  For questions see this web site: Jim's Wizard of Oz Movie Trivia Questions Page

Twister

Word search Wizard of Oz Word Game

Face painting:  Paint faces to go with their costume or character.

Field of Poppies: 
Need:  Several icons (could be made from cardboard) representing a heart, brain, courage, home and  witches brooms.  Playing area.
A tag game.  "It" is the Wicked Witch and must tag the others before they reach their destination of Oz.  Have the players line up at one end of the playing area.  The witch will stand in the middle of the area.  On 'go' the players try to reach the other end of the playing area 'Oz.'  If they are successful they must pick up an icon of the broom and carry it back to start.  They must then trek back to Oz for their prize of a heart, brain, courage or home.  If they are tagged by the witch, they must fall asleep were they are.  They may be released from sleep only by someone who has returned from their trek with the final prize.

Scarecrow Relay:  The Scarecrow has fallen apart and you must put him together again.
Need:  Cut outs of head, pants, shirt, shoes, hat, etc.  Place in pile.  A wall or area pieces can be taped down.
Line up teams.  First to go must race to pile, find a piece of the scarecrow and then race to the wall/ ground area.  Pin it down in place then race back to their team.  Next in line goes until the scarecrow is complete.  First team to finish their scarecrow wins.

Make Glenda's Wand:
Need dowel and cardboard cut out of star hot glued to end.  Glitter and markers.
Let the kids decorate them.

Stuff a scarecrow:  Have clothes and straw ready and let them race to see which team can put him together fastest.

Bean bag toss at Lion:   Using a cardboard box, draw a picture of Lion on the bottom.  Cut out his mouth and let the kids toss in bean bags.