by EK Wills
One of the first birthday parties I really went to town on was very craft intensive and a collaborative effort with my almost 4 year old daughter, Coco.
We made paper flowers together, baked jam tarts in heart shapes, searched op shops for tea sets and carry baskets: all as part of the party preparation. It was a wonderful opportunity to be creative and spend time together.
It actually started with an Alice in Wonderland dress up outfit that my mother-in-law had made for Coco. This was the springboard for the fantasy world incorporating a forest walk that the children could search for flowers, much like Little Red Riding Hood on the way to grandma’s.
Gathering Flowers
I had designed a production that involved paper flower making and took on the idea. There are gorgeous elaborate ways to make flowers like here but I wanted something that was accessible for kids to make, too. So I looked up simple origami techniques and used joss paper (used for Chinese New Year) but you can use any pretty paper of choice.
Tip 1: Make fan shapes from decorative paper and sticky tape them to coloured skewers to be popped in the ground to look like they are growing. Different sized paper makes flowers of all sizes.
Tip 2: Lolly pops make an occasional sweet discovery if you would like to add it to the forest stroll.
Tip 3: Op shops are a cheap and fun way to find baskets for the kids to carry into the forest to forage for flowers.
Crowning Glory
Every good story has a prince and princess so we obliged by having a crown decorating activity.
Tip 4: Cut out coloured cardboard (or pre cut for time poor parents) and supply an array of stickers to make simple crowns that are non mess. These can be fitted to each child by stapling to size or with sticky tape by wrapping around their head.
Fun Food
I wanted to create a tea party reminiscent of Alice’s Mad Hatter’s Tea Party but I was mindful that I didn’t want a party of just sweet treats.
Tip 5: Create flowers out of fruit and vegetables: use skewers in an upside down half melon with slices of capsicum (aka peppers) with a cherry tomato in the middle. Half slices of cucumber along the skewer make good leaves.
Tip 6: Simple options like popcorn in stand up ice-cream cones with pretzel sticks as straws make a fun addition.
Tip 7: Pretzel shapes as wings on top of crackers with cream cheese create healthy butterflies.
Tip 8: Jam tarts can be shaped into hearts, which make a lovely baking session before the event.
Tip 9: Find your local op shops, to hunt down cookie tins and jars plus tea pots and cups to provide that Alice flavour. If kids get to use real china (crockery), it creates a special occasion that is very grown up. Finally, a retro or frou-frou tablecloth sets the scene.
And Action….
We held the party in a park that had an area off to the side with trees with little undergrowth so you could walk between them. We had to arrive early to secure our spot next to the tree area and to set up the flowers in the forest.
Of course we have to be mindful of other party-goers so it can be good to have helping hands on the day to set up party events just prior to starting. Otherwise you may not have any left by the time you start to gather goodies.
Tip 10: Adults can get into the action by dressing up.
Since we had a fairytale theme, I found a carpet bag, an umbrella and put an outfit together that was fitting for a host as Mary Poppins.
Tip 11: Park activity can be freeform to give adults a chance to breathe and kids a chance to run free. This is the perfect time to clear the table and set up the cake.
Love That Cake
I find homemade cakes to be authentic and can happily be rustic, especially when kids are young. It the ideal time to instill the idea that you can make things yourself and not feel the need to have layers of fondant with the best design.
Tip 12: A simple heart shape with coloured frosting and some strawberries can decorate any favourite-flavoured cake. Pipe the frosting to jazz it up and use fun candles.
It can be gratifying to create a craft filled party with healthy options and all on a budget if it needs to be. Hopefully it generates more parties that are homemade and a shared opportunity with the birthday child and/or siblings.
Happy Enchanting!
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