By Emily Harrington
I’m a fan of (almost) any activity that leaves my kid red and sweaty. That amenity comes free with the iPower birthday party packages.
We received invitations the hosts provided — with a copy of an iPower waiver. Also, IPower will provide generic invitations, and you fill out the details. The waiver is on the back. Regardless, as a guest, I recommend filling out in advance. This will save you time when you arrive.
We went to a Sunday afternoon party. The shindig celebrated a little boy turning the big FIVE. The iPower party times are allocated on Saturdays at 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 p.m./Sundays at noon, 1, 2, 3 and 4 p.m. I was so impressed with how tightly organized and orchestrated the party process was. There was zero down time and zero confusion on what was coming next. As a parent, there is a waiting/viewing area with toys if you have any other littles in tow.
During the winter months their parties book a few months ahead of time! This means you must really think ahead. Payments can be made online, over the phone or at iPower during office hours, and they are required in full required when you book your party.
Ipower offers different package options for birthday parties, including fun add-ons like use of their indoor bounce house for an additional fee.
Bronze $135
- 60 minutes of playtime, 30 minutes in the party area
- Birthday T-shirt
- 16 kids total
- Goodie bags for all the party kids
Silver $175
- Everything in the bronze package
- Juice for all the party kids
- Tablecloths and paper products—red, blue, yellow, pink, purple, orange
- iPower water bottle filled with treats for all the party kids
Gold $215
- Everything in the bronze package
- Customized tablecloths, paper products and games to match theme
- Basic bounce house
- Themed treat added to the iPower water bottle
Extras
- Popcorn $15
- iPower balloons $20
- Basic bounce house $20 (included with gold parties)
- Large bounce house $50
- Cupcakes $30
- Extra guests $10.00/kid
They will set everything up, and they will clean it all up! You just need to give any supplies to them beforehand. A day prior to the party, a refrigerator and freezer will be available for drinks and ice cream. You can bring in outside food for any party, except for the preschool parties.
IPower is located at 215 S. Staley Road in Champaign. In a neighboring building, however, there is a preschool facility (301 S. Staley Rd). The equipment is appropriate for kids age 1 to 5. This facility offers their own party package.
Similar in timing and structure to the big kid parties, they still include 60 minutes of structured playtime/30 minutes of celebration time. With the $175 preschool package, you will get a basic bounce house, birthday T-shirt, tablecloths and paper products (choose one or two solid colors), juice and an iPower water bottle filled with treats for 16 kids total. You can add on two more kids at $10 each, themed paper products for $15 and cupcakes for $30. All guests playing on equipment must be age 10 and younger. You can only bring cupcakes/cake and juice into this facility. Plan for Saturdays or Sundays at 2 or 4 p.m.
To all the parties, make sure to send your kids in sweats. Our party started with one hour of instructor-led (the party had two leaders to help) stretching, obstacle coursing, games and free play. The kids were able to swing from the rings, jump on the springboard and dive into the foam pit, which is probably the most popular. They could also run down the tumble track, bounce on the trampoline, climb rope or play in the bounce house.
After the obstacle course the kids lined up for Red Light, Green Light and Sharks and Minnows. The spent the remaining time free playing on all the soft, bright gymnastics equipment.
The staff in charge of the party ran a tight ship, which was needed. They use a clap system to make sure the kids are listening, and they knew all their names by the end.
For the remaining 30 minutes of the party, the kids have a treat and open presents. They were led to a party room where there were cupcakes and water or juice. This particular theme was Minecraft, and the paper products and cupcakes all had that design. Depending on your package, you can get solid colored paper products, or you can choose from a theme. The guests quickly sang happy birthday to the birthday boy, and they scarfed down their treats. My son snuck away to allegedly go potty. Really, he was sneaking his present into the room. This started a flood of kids grabbing their presents.
Why is present opening always such a hot mess? The instructors quickly righted the ship, and they had the kids sit down on a line outside the room. They were not allowed to get off that line if presents were to continue. This process went relatively well. They also wrote down the gifts for the parents, so they knew who gave what when the chaos subsided. This lineup also provided the perfect time for anyone to get a group picture.
Boom. Party over in a perfectly orchestrated 1.5 hours. The leaders even had the kids get their shoes, socks and coats on. They bribed them with their take home goodies: an iPower water bottle filled with treats and a coupon for a free open gym session. Brilliant.
Add this option to your birthday planning arsenal! It’s a no brainer, and everyone has a great time.
Emily Harrington is a Chambana townie. She left her 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. job in communications so that she could be a 24/7 mom to two busy boys. Still interested in writing, Emily uses some of naptime to practice her passion and keep her mind right. Emily is a happy wife with a happy life because she fell for a fellow townie. Emily usually finds herself engulfed in balls, blue and belly laughs.