I adore parties… from planning to execution. In fact, I tend to go a bit overboard, but when it’s that much fun, who needs more than four hours of sleep? (Kidding…)
From the moment my son or daughter picks a theme, I start planning and trawling Pinterest for the best cake ideas.
Each year, my kids tell me that *this* party is the best one yet! But then something happens, like when my daughter chose Frozen as her theme. The movie had just come out a few months prior and there was no Frozen-themed anything! No plates, cups, napkins, decorations… zip, zero, nada.
So, I had to get creative and design it all myself… which definitely isn’t for everyone. It takes up a ridiculously huge amount of time and isn’t something I would have been able to do when the kids were smaller.
In fact, when I think back to my kids’ early birthdays, I remember spending my free time (henceforth known as time I should have spent sleeping) cobbling together the best parties I could muster. It would have been great if there were resources to make it a bit easier.
In this age of Pinterest aspirations (and many Pinterest fails), there’s a new way to make party planning quick and easy.
I was thrilled to learn Fisher-Price has created a website full of birthday party themes for little ones,
complete with free printables, games and decorations.
Based on their Little People line, the site helps parents plan an amazing party incorporating these timeless toys into the décor. I have many amazing memories of playing with my own Little People castle and farm and, many years later, of my kids playing with their Racin’ Ramps Garage.
(Squeals of glee could be heard all over the house when they sent their vehicles down the ramp!)
(Squeals of glee could be heard all over the house when they sent their vehicles down the ramp!)
What I like best about the First Birthday site is how the professional party planner created step-by-step instructions for four themed birthdays: Wheels on the Bus, Around the World, PJ & Pancake Party and Barnyard Birthday Bash, complete with printable invitations, gift tags, door sign, place cards, colouring sheets and more. Amazing, right? I’m a visual person, so I appreciate seeing what the final ‘product’ looks like.
I also love the versatility of the ideas on the site; the games can be geared toward multiple age ranges and many of the crafts and activities can be modified to suit your needs.
For example, the Around the World party theme has lots of cute snack / favour ideas – edible ‘wheelies’; snack cones made from world map paper; and car cookies. I
thought it would be nice to incorporate hot air balloons as an additional mode of transportation, so I came up with a cute treat that can either be prepared in advance and displayed (see below), or would make a fun party activity.
thought it would be nice to incorporate hot air balloons as an additional mode of transportation, so I came up with a cute treat that can either be prepared in advance and displayed (see below), or would make a fun party activity.
Check out my DIY Hot Air Balloon Lollipops…
Supplies needed:
- Lollipops
- Foam sheets or construction paper in fun colours
- Pipe cleaners
- Hot glue gun (use craft glue if kids are assembling them)
- Stick-on shapes (optional)
- Styrofoam ball
- Paint
- Paintbrush
- Scissors
Here’s how to make it:
Lollipops
- Cut out balloon and basket shapes
- Attach pipe cleaner to balloon and basket pieces using hot glue gun
- Add shapes or other designs to decorate balloon (optional)
- Stick lollipop to back of hot air balloon with glue, lining up bottom of candy with the bottom of the balloon and adhering stick to basket (see image below).
Display
- Using a serrated knife, cut bottom of styrofoam ball (I used a 6″ sphere)
- Paint it to look like a globe; let paint dry
- Display lollipops by poking sticks into styrofoam globe
And there you have it. 🙂 If you’ve got older kids, they will have fun helping you with this craft. They can get really creative and make their own unique version of the earth, complete with rainbows, stars, moon – and whatever else they can imagine.
Happy party planning!!
Maya Fitzpatrick says
What a great idea! I love this. You can plan my kids party any day 😉 love this new site by Fisher Price. Makes party planning so easy.