With spring in the air and our gardens blooming with color, we thought it would be the perfect time to host an outdoor Garden Party for the kids! Apparently, Daily Buzz Moms was also in the mood to party and they asked us to submit our fun little party idea to their Party On Daily 9!
We knew that we wanted it to be outdoorsy in nature, but we decided to leave the details up to the kiddos. Needless to say, they were chock full of interesting ideas including making Dirt Cupcakes and washing them down with Muddy Milkshakes!
This party can be thrown from start to finish in under 3 hours, which makes it perfect for children 6 and under. With so much creativity, and running around in the fresh air, we didn't even mind their sugar-fueled snack requests!
KIDS' GARDEN PARTY
Kids' parties can be incredibly expensive to host so we kept the decorations simple. When you're throwing a party outdoors, it's very easy to let Mother Nature take center stage.
Our kids love being outside, but hate being sweaty, so we kept that in mind when we placed the table under the canopy of an old Birch tree and some lovely Hemlocks. With greenery on all four sides, the kids felt like they were in their own little forest.
To keep the budget to a minimum for this party, we simply covered the kids' lego tables with a simple white tablecloth and a runner that we found shoved in the linen closet.
Yes Mom, we see the wrinkles in the linens. Honestly, we had every intention of ironing, but have you met your grandchildren? We were lucky that they even sat for 5 minutes! It was either iron the linens, or photograph the party. Besides, when you're entertaining four kids' under 6, no one cares about the wrinkly tablecloths except for your Mom! 😉
Our first Garden Party project was by far the messiest activity, but it was also the most fun! Our Kids' Terrariums were made using Betta Fish fishbowls. Our plastic fishbowls ensured that the kids would be safe and their terrariums would last indefinitely. This project let them be creative while digging in the dirt – and the outcomes were terrific.
After all of the little figurines had been placed in their new homes, we turned the kids' attention to our Bug Hunting Expedition. Using recycled Jam Jars from my kitchen, we helped the kids go on a creepy crawly bug hunt! This activity may not be for the squeamish, so it's always a good idea to focus on the "nice" bugs in the garden.
By carefully moving some rocks, and digging in the dirt, the children were able to find an interesting assortment of "Roly Poly Bugs" (aka: Pill Bugs, which are actually crustaceans, not insects.) and earthworms. The boys were a bit more adventurous and wanted to catch some spiders, but spiders give us Moms the heebies, so we put the kabash on that!
The kids were also allowed to bring their "guests" to the table, but they had to agree to set them free once the party was over…we did not want any casualties at our Garden Party. While the children were out Bug Hunting, we cleaned up the terrarium mess and then called them inside for a thorough hand washing!
Afterwards, we had them make their Muddy Milkshakes with us in the kitchen and then we brought their snacks outside. The kids were super excited to eat their wormy cupcakes out of terracotta pots and enjoyed washing them down with a milkshake! Overall, the creative snacks were a hit – but even more so because the kids created the menu all by themselves!
A Garden Party like ours is incredibly easy to pull together – and is a magical way to spend an afternoon with your children. Most of the activities that we did together can be easily recreated in your own backyard with just a few ingredients and supplies.
Stay tuned next week for step-by-step instructions on how you can create your own Kids' Terrariums, Recycled Bug Jars, and Dirt Cupcakes with Muddy Milkshakes!
P.S. Safari hats and Fairy costumes are optional!
Thanks for reading,
Denine & Daniele
@Tricai, Our kids adore costumes. We have two enormous tupperwares full of them down in our basement playroom. My daughter has been known to wear her princess costume to the grocery store and the other day my sister took her son to swimming practice without even realizing that he snuck his Elmo slippers onto his feet before they left! 😉
@Mia, The weather changed throughout the day, so taking pictures of this post was a bit tricky – lol! We actually had to toss sweatshirts on them at one point because it got so breezy! Spring is really lovely in our neck of the woods, so it was great to get them outside!
@Jane, Thanks for your kind words. Our kids did have lots of fun – although the carpenter that they found for their bug jars gave me the creeps! Have you ever seen the pinchers on their mouths? Yikes! 🙂
Your kids are like my kids! Always in costume!!!! At my party, the kids were lions, batman, and princesses! 🙂 Outdoor parties are fabulous and I like the little gnome garden the kids built in the canister!
What a great idea!!! So unique and love that it’s outside especially this time of year :)Found your post on Daily Buzz Moms
MiaB from http://www.mamamiasheart2heart.com
love your garden party – so cute and so thoughtful! and you can tell the kids had a blast, which is what matters most. thank you for your great 9×9 post!!