I don't know where you live but... theres Bullwinkles Family Fun Center in southcenter/renton. They have party rooms to rent, and games for kids of all ages (laser tag, go karts, mini-golf, arcade, etc etc). http://www.fun-center.com/public/tukwila/

the federal way rec center has a SUPER indoor pool. http://www.cityoffederalway.com/Page.aspx?page=1310

in Burien there's a gymboree place that has a party room for like $100 or so. I like it because the people are really nice. http://www.junglegymfun.com/schedule.html

the skating rink in Auburn does parties (as I'm sure all rinks do) http://www.auburnskate.com/index5.asp

and also there's the ice rink in Kent http://www.familynightout.com/public_skating.html

good luck!!

Invite all of her relatives and all of her friends -- make that her entire school -- to a surprise party with a big "CONGRATULATIONS FIRST PERIOD!" banner and troupe of cheerleaders dressed as giant vulvas and tampons dancing in front of a cover band playing Neil Diamond's "Girl, You'll Be A Woman Soon".

I got to stay home from school and my mom and aunt took me out to Pizza Hut for lunch. Really low-key and nice.

Get her favorite dessert and deliver it to her bedroom (with ibuprofen) without comment.

Ugh. My mom tried to celebrate it, and it totally freaked me out. She also tried to convince me that a nice brisk walk would "help with the cramps", and then used that time to attempt to have a deep conversation with me about becoming a woman. All I wanted to do was take a hot bath and some advil and go to sleep.

If I were in your shoes, I'd have some pads on hand, and treat it like a not-very-big-deal. And then make sure (sometime after the first period) to talk again about sexual responsibility.

How about a pinata... Full of blood?

Maybe a jello wrestling tournament for her and her friends? Use cherry flavor for color, and throw in some crushed bing cherries for texture.

A 21-tampon salute? Maybe a pad parade?

What are you going to do when your son starts "coming of age?" Maybe you can plan ahead and reuse some materials (goggles, etc).

My mom bought me pads. That's it. We had already had several talks at home and at school about puberty and all the fun it entails. Neither she nor I thought it was a big deal.

Celebrating menarche is pretty much guaranteed to embarrass the the hell out of a young teenager. If you really think that you need to do something, ask her what she'd like to do (I'm betting it's forget that you ever asked such a thing). It's normal, natural, healthy, etc., but it's also (for most women) pretty private.

We had a party earlier this year for my 5-year-old daughter at Seattle Children's Museum: $150 for 3 hours of room rental (and the rooms are adorable), and all of your guests get full run of the museum all day at no extra charge. Worked out great for us, and everyone said they had a fantastic time.

Also terrific? Mountlake Terrace Pool. The private rooms are pretty utilitarian, but of course everyone's there for the POOL: a total kid paradise. I'm not sure about the party rental fee, but since it's a city site, I'm betting it's reasonable, and my girls had an amazing time at a preschool party (though of course virtually all of the fun was in the pool)...

There's a useful list of places to party with kids on Seattle's Child website
http://seattleschild.com/article/more-than-100-birthday-party-ideas1

Go to party city or online to oriental party supplies ( its not Asian stuff its just the name ) they have tons of cute stuff for party bags and cheap

Congratulations on making it to 4! Pinatas are fun. From past experience, I suggest not blindfolding them at that age (what were we thinking?). How about using temporary tattoos? Or glow sticks, chapstick, puzzle erasers? You could make shrinky dink ribbon necklaces beforehand with your daughter, and put them in. You could make little nameplates or crowns, too. My daughter was weirdly into hotel soaps and travel sized toothpaste at that age; maybe something little like that might work also. Bella Sara horse cards are something else you might consider (they have something like 6 in a pack, so you can save yourself some money by splitting them up).

I hope you have a great time!

In Mexico along with all the candy and trashy plastic stuff we dropped in separate rolls of serpentine, they are really fun to toss or throw. The strips of paper unravel and the kids wind up running around with "wigs" of curly paper. I have seen packages of 12 rolls at Target.

Have fun!

All good suggestions here, as for sources also go to some of the local teacher supply stores to find higher quality geegaws and such for inclusion in the booty.

Places like:

School Daze Inc
www.schooldazecatalog.com - 3630 South Cedar St # M, Tacoma - (253) 472-2542

KidsDesk.net
www.kidsdesk.net - 12932 Kent Kangley Road, Kent - (425) 296-2565

Lakeshore Learning Store
www.lakeshorelearning.com - 11027 Northeast 4th Street, Bellevue - (425) 462-8076

Children's Bookshop
www.childrens-bookshop.com - 707 River Road, Puyallup - (253) 445-4790

Learning Sprout
www.learningsprout.com - 809 Pacific Avenue, Tacoma - (253) 274-0136

Homeschool Potpourri
www.hspbooks.com - 12815 NE 124th ST Ste. F, Kirkland - (425) 820-4626

Learning Tree
www.thelearningtreewa.com - 3381 Northwest Bucklin Hill Road, Silverdale - (360) 692-5411

They have really small things of play-dough, that are like an ounce or something. I see packs of them all the time at around halloween, so I don't know if you could find them this time of year.
Also, small packs of crayons, kid jewlery, small bean bag toys, stickers, little bouncy balls, money (of the coin variety), little boxes of raisins, kid makeup, all sorts of things!
Hope this helps!!!

How about Legos - they are plastic, but not trashy, and you could buy a box and split them up. Also plastic, but many kids like to collect those small molded plastic or rubber dinosaurs or animals. Ikea has small soft toys for $99 - you could include enough of those for each child to take home one. Cutesy rubber erasers and pencils could be good, but not sure how they would survive the baton. You may be able to find individually-wrapped cookies or other sweet, non-candy treats, but they will likely fall apart under the onslaught of the baton. Maybe there is a healthier sort of candy at one of the health food stores like PCC or Madison Market.

Hope your daughter has fun. I loved pinatas when I was a kid.

do you want to do something that is CRAZY FUN and ENERGY-PACKED? my little 5 year old heart would have burst in two if my dad had taken me to a warehouse filled with trampolines as a kid.

do you want to do something sweet?  getting dressed up and going to eat a restaurant might be just the thing.  anyplace with a candle on the table was 'fancy' for me as a kid - it didn't have to be expensive.  maybe bastille or b&o espresso - someplace that just feels different from any other restaurant would do the trick.

or maybe you could just make a picnic lunch and walk onto the ferry.  i think ferry boats are the best things ever.  if my dad brought a table cloth and some sparkly apple cider and some sandwiches and we ate on the ferry, i'd think that was awesome.  (i suppose this would not be so awesome if you live on the islands and use the ferry all the time anyway).

also, the aquarium is having a big valentine-y day event for the octopi.  they're going to have a blind date at noon.  i'd totally be there if i wasn't working.

There are several fun events happening on and around Valentines Day. You can check them out on the Seattle's Child calendar of events, here: http://www.seattleschild.com/calendars/family-fun