Let’s Party!
Hi! My name is Vanessa. I’ve been in charge of overseeing birthday parties at the EcoDairy, making sure that everything runs smoothly and that our Birthday kiddos walk away feeling as though they just had the best day ever. I love this part of my job, the décor, the excitement, and seeing the groups that come in and have a blast with our hilarious cows in the barn!
A Birthday Party is a good excuse to get crafty, colourful and let loose a little… When I start to plan a fun event my first stop is always Pinterest, which is the brainstorming central of basically anything you can imagine; this is where everything starts to come to life!
Consider these 4 areas when you’re thinking of planning a birthday party:
1. Theme/Colours/Decoration
2. Activities
3. Food (Including cake & munchies, dining supplies such as plates, cutlery, napkins etc.)
4. Party Favours/Extras
Theme
Theme and colours are easy, just go with the ones your child is most in favour of this year! Then you can move onto décor: I. Love. Balloons; they’re always a good way to bring that extra pop to your party (excuse the pun). This blog (Kids Kubby) might give you a few new ideas on how to incorporate them into your theme. My personal favourite is the ice-cream birthday hat arrangement! You can usually find basic balloons at the dollar store and some grocery stores, but if you want to go all out check out “Perfect Sense Events & Balloon Supply” here in Abbotsford! They have great assortments and just about every theme you can imagine, as well as a wide range of balloon types and sizes.
Activities
My go to activity is a simple hat decorating craft, this is a great chance to get creative and the kids get to wear their festive fashion statement too, which makes for fun memorable photos! Check out this blog post from “Handmade Charlotte”. How awesome would these look? And it really only takes random crafty materials you might have lying around the house, nothing too extravagant (or expensive).
Showcase your party hats in a DIY photo booth. This is another one of my favourite options because it’s such a unique way to capture memories from the day. This link has a number of easy ideas. I would suggest trying out #20, it looks great and all it takes it a little tape and your favourite coloured streamers. Want to add props? Make your own with an online template (see this blog) or check the dollar store for sunglasses, and other great dress-up options!
Food
Food can be tricky with so many dietary needs these days, luckily most pizza places have gluten-free options, and there’s even gluten-free cake mixes (see “Pamelas”). If you check with your local bakery they can usually cater to some dietary requirements. Tracey Cakes has great party packages and they even have a dairy-free option! If you want to put a personal touch to your goodies Pam MacGregor is a local custom cookie artist. EcoDairy has ordered from her in the past, and her creations are both pleasing to the eye and taste buds! You could also consider picking up a fruit or veggie platter.
Party Favours
Goodie bags are a simple way to make each of your guests feel appreciated; it’s the cherry on top of a fabulous party. Bubbles, small toy animals, lollipops, bubblegum, flower/veggie/fruit seed packages, stickers, markers, glow sticks, small books, puzzles, fun printable activities like madlibs, and small healthy packaged snacks are all great options! I love this idea of getting each child to decorate their own paper goodie bag from “Today’s Parent” blog, check out the rest of their “goodie bags with a twist”.
Thanks for reading! I hope this has been inspiring for all of you choosing to grasp the party bull by the horns, and these are only a few ways to liven up the day, the possibilities are endless! Below are a few links to some blogs with more great ideas, enjoy! If you are thinking of booking a stress-free birthday party with us at the EcoDairy you can check out our website for more information. 🙂 http://www.ecodairy.ca/groups/birthdays-barn
Links for more inspiration:
Vanessa