Neverland

It's the same as having wings.

Peter Pan and Tiger Lily were thrilled to have so many friends join them for an afternoon in Neverland. 

"I don't know whether you have ever seen a map of...a child's mind, which is not only confused, but keeps going round all the time." 

Pirate Cove

"There are zigzag lines on it...and these are probably roads in the island, for the Neverland is always more or less an island, with astonishing splashes of colour here and there..."

Mermaid Lagoon

"[There are] coral reefs and rakish-looking craft in the offing, and savages and lonely lairs...and caves through which a river runs..."

Indian Camp

"It would be an easy map if that were all, but there is also first day at school, religion, fathers, the round pond, needle-work, murders, hangings, verbs that take the dative, chocolate pudding day, getting into braces, say ninety-nine, three-pence for pulling out your tooth yourself, and so on, and either these are part of the island or they are another map showing through, and it is all rather confusing, especially as nothing will stand still."

Pixie Hollow

"Of course the Neverlands vary a good deal.  John's, for instance, had a lagoon with flamingoes flying over it at which John was shooting, while Michael, who was very small, had a flamingo with lagoons flying over it.  John lived in a boat turned upside down on the sands, Michael in a wigwam, Wendy in a house of leaves deftly sewn together.  John had no friends, Michael had friends at night, Wendy had a pet wolf forsaken by its parents; but on the whole the Neverlands have a family resemblance, and if they stood still in a row you could say of them that they have each other's nose, and so forth.

On these magic shores children at play are for ever beaching their coracles."

"Of all delectable islands the Neverland is the snuggest and most compact; not large and sprawl, you know, with tedious distances between one adventure and another, but nicely crammed."*  

I honestly don't know whether the kids had more fun playing, or whether I had more fun watching them.  Either way, it was the happiest of days.

We had a little "treasure exchange" instead of traditional birthday presents.  But we did sing to the birthday boy, and he was the first to open his loot (with the help of his dagger, to be sure).

Regrets include that I didn't take a picture of Peter and his shadow (although the light was perfect),

and that I forgot to take a group picture until after six friends had already left!

But.  Regrets aside, we had a great time.  We read Disney's Dave Barry/Mary Blair version of Peter Pan (i love those concept art stories!) as our guests sporadically arrived,

Then after "following the leader" for a two-minute tour of Neverland (including directives such as "no throwing sand in Pirate Cove"..."pixie dust and other art supplies stay on this table"..."hands and feet only in Mermaid Lagoon,"... etc, etc....I'm sure my kids are so embarrassed thrilled to have a Kindergarten teacher as a mom =),  we met back at the gate where each child declared his/her "happiest" thing (so fun to hear them all!) and then flew on in for two hours of unorganized, uninterrupted play.  Well, almost uninterrupted.  There were two times the "tick tick tock" of the croc was heard and we had to hide in the shade until he was gone.  But we had ice cream sandwiches and popcorn to help pass the time while we waited.  =)

We sent each guest home with their "treasure" from the exchange, and with a cupcake baked in an inverted ice-cream cone...loosely resembling a teepee.  

The "after party" was just as fun.  A few presents were opened and enjoyed (including the clay above), and when all our guests had been picked up, I told Lucy and Spencer that if they'd help me clean up quick, I'd take them to Wendy's for dinner.  They gathered up trash and helped put away the art supplies in a flash, but then persuaded me to leave the main elements of Neverland intact for a private family picnic.  

The kids ate in the tent and I threw out a blanket in Mermaid Lagoon.

Lucy eventually brought out a book, and Spencer talked me into the teepee to put together puzzles.

We've had repeat versions of Neverland ever since...even in the rain.

Pirate Cove has been renamed Crocodile Creek. 

And we're piling up lots of wet socks and muddy boots.  

But that's ok. 

*Peter Pan, J.M. Barrie