Ultimate Kid Birthday Parties
Your Online Resource to Party Planning
Last Update: 4 February 2011
Ultimate Kid Birthday Parties
Your Online Resource to Party Planning
Last Update: 4 February 2011
I hope you are as excited as I am about this Ultimate Bug Birthday Party Plan.
There have been a lot of great party plans submitted lately. But going through them one at a time can take away your cruicial party planning time.
So this party plan is designed to save you time by combining the best ideas from each plan.
This allows you to spend more time on planning and less time on searching. So what are we waiting for? Lets Plan!
Submit Your Own Bug Birthday Party Plan Now!!!
-- Ultimate Bug Birthday Party Plan --
Now it’s time to get started on planning the party, but where do you have it? There are so many options and picking the “right” one can be very difficult to some people. Just remember, as long as your child’s family and friends are there, the location really doesn’t matter to them. So pick somewhere that is convenient and easy for you to setup and clean up in a minimal amount of time…With that in mind, let’s go!!!
* Bug Palace: Having the party at your own house is probably one of the most popular choices these days. But better yet, give your house a themed name. Don’t invite people over to “your house”, call it the Bug Palace or Bugville. Use that creativity side and think of something that fits your theme perfectly. Now there are many benefits to having the party at your house. First, you can’t forget anything at home. Second, you know where everything is located in case of a last minute change in the schedule. Finally, your child will fill more at ease being at home. They will be more relaxed and apt to participate in the activities. Read the other location ideas, but don’t forget your home is a perfect location.
* Bug’s Diner: Do you have a clean house? Want to keep it clean? Then have the party outside of the house. Call your local facilities that cater to children and ask if they have any birthday packages available. You will be surprised on what they offer and it usually isn’t a lot of money. Some locations provide the cake, invitations, games, refreshments, etc. Just make sure the reservation is confirmed and show up early to claim your spot and setup the decorations.
* Bug Park: Where can your find the most bugs? I would have to say the park. If you were having a bug theme, then a perfect location would be “with the bugs.” You could incorporate this location into a lot of the activities and games. You could have the children search around the park looking for particular bugs or capturing them for closer viewing. This location also provides a lot more room for the party and the ability to move from one activity to the next quickly without cleaning up the previous activity until later in the party. Just remember the crucial party items to avoid a last minute trip home.
-- Ultimate Bug Birthday Party Plan --
Picking or creating the Ultimate invitation is a fun and challenging part of the party. I want to help you create the Ultimate invitation that will represent your party theme perfectly. How? I have listed a few ideas to get your creativity juices started in the right direction. Take the ideas, as is, or alter them to fit your personal taste. I am sure with these ideas below you will be able to create the Ultimate Party Invitation!!! Enjoy
* Store Bought: Are you not very creative, but still want the perfect invitation? Here is a great ladybug invitation. Lady Bug invitations just for you.
* Bug Invitation: Use bug stickers and have your child decorate the front of each invitation. On the inside your could write:
Creep on over to help celebrate (childs name)s Birthday
or
Buzz on by, were going to celebrate (childs name)s (age) birthday!
* Bug Poem: Here is a great idea to show your creativity. Have your child decorate an invitation. On the inside youre going to include all the pertinent party information and include this great poem. It reads, Butterflies and Beatles slugs and worms, nets and canisters and everything that squirms. Every rock unturned next to a pile of dirt, huge holes in the garden gross stains on my shirt. Yes its me (name) that would be my name, Bugs are my life and catching them is the game. So come to my party cause soon Ill be (age), itll be so much fun and the earth is ours to explore.
* Wing Invites: Use construction paper and trace a large bug. Cut it out and have your child color the bug, but leave enough room on the wings for the party information. You could put:
Bug out with (name)
On his/her (age) Birthday!
Bee there: (date)
Fly Over to: (address)
Infestation time: (party time)
Come Join Our Swarm!
Buzzzzzz me: (phone number)
* Erica's Plan: For the invitations we drew freehand our own version of the caterpillar's story on a circle in pie wedge shapes. We then placed a second circle with the appropriate size cut out window over it, held together with a brass fastener. When you turned the top circle you were able to see the whole story emerge through the cut out window. The last "window" read "all too quickly she had become . . ." and when you turned the invitation over there was a butterfly fluttering with the words "a beautiful butterfly." Our guests really seemed to love the invitations because the toddlers who came were familiar with the story and could "read" the invitation.
-- Ultimate Bug Birthday Party Plan --
Picking out, setting up and fine tuning the decorations can be a long tedious process. But, there is hope, because with a little planning and creativity, it will be one of the most rewarding experiences of the party. I have compiled ideas that start with the outside and work there way inside. You can use all, some or none of the ideas, but no matter which ones you choose, they will all help you turn your party location into the Ultimate Party Location.
First, we begin with the outside decorations.
Attach a bouquet of helium filled balloons to a light post or mailbox so there will be no mistaking where the fun will be that day!
How about some bug wind chimes? Here is a great idea for your children to create some of their own decorations. After they have painted them, hang them outside of the party area.
Another great decoration for the outside party area are these perfect Bug Sun Catcher Wind Chimes. These will add that personal touch to your party!
Now, let’s move inside the party location and decorate…
Let’s start with the simple decorating. Tie helium balloons of different shades in clusters of 3 or 5 to the back of chairs or tucked into corners. Use a helium tank to fill them instead of buying balloons from a party store and trying to cram them into your car. Make sure to tie a bunch of balloons to the birthday child’s chair. If you choose not to use helium, tie balloons to varying lengths of curling ribbon, and hang them from the ceiling or from light fixtures throughout the house.
Next, let’s move on to another simple, yet familiar decorating item, Streamers. Streamers offer an economical way to splash lots of color around the site of the party. Create a fun and colorful effect by draping different shades of metallic streamers from the center of the ceiling to the walls on each side of the room. The streamers can be twisted after they are anchored to a ceiling wall or table for a more dimensional look. Two different colored streamers can be placed back to back and twisted for a unique look. They also look terrific hanging from doorframes or cascading vertically down walls.
By using a swirl craft punch you can create some fantastic confetti for the tables and counters. It is a great effect that doesn’t require much time to create.
Need some bug party hats? These hats are made out of construction paper. Use red and green for caterpillars and ladybugs. Cut the construction paper into strips (the long way), use pipe cleaners for the antennas. Twist the pipe cleaners around pencils to make them wiggly and glue them on the inside of the hat poling out. Stick sparkle pom poms on top of the antenna. For more fun, attach wiggle eyes on the front and pipe cleaners at the back to secure the hats.
Here is a great kit to make fabulous foam buzzin bug hats. These are a great decoration for any party.
Fill the party room with plastic bugs, insects, worms, ants and other creepy things. Sprinkle plastic ants on the table, stick gummy worms in the snack bowl, hang spiders from the ceiling and spread bugs all over the floor.
You can setup a bug viewing station in the party area. Before the party, catch different bugs and put them in viewing containers to be viewed under a “creature peeper.”
Make large paper butterflies. Take construction paper and fold fan like after decorating it with crayons, markers, stickers, etc. Glue to a popsicle stick or tongue depressor and add chenille pipe cleaner antennae.
These ideas will fit all Ultimate Bug Child Parties and will get you well started in the decorating process. Remember to check back, because I will be adding new ideas all the time, after I create them.
-- Ultimate Bug Birthday Party Plan --
The first thing you need to accomplish is picking the party colors. The different types of bugs you display at the party will help you determine which colors you choose. For example, ladybugs will go with red, white and black or spiders will have a black and white theme. Have fun with party of the party!!!
Looking for store bought pre-printed party tableware? Great, here is an Ultimate selection of Ladybug plates, cups, napkins, forks, knives, etc
Going solo on your party theme? Can’t find a matching theme party tableware? Then take a look at the silverware, plates, napkins, etc in solid colors. You’re guaranteed to find a color that matches your theme.
* Erica's Plan: The paper goods were simply bought at the dollar store, solid colors to match the use of primary colors. To soften it for my daughter we added pink into the yellow, green, and red. For the various snacks, we tried to offer some of those from the party and even placed a few holes in things like the strawberries and cheese.
-- Ultimate Bug Birthday Party Plan --
Now that you have picked out the location, selected a few decorations and picked the theme colors and party tableware, what is your child going to wear? Your child wouldn’t want to go to a Bug party without a Bug Costume. I have found some of the greatest costumes on the net…
-- Ultimate Bug Birthday Party Plan --
Let those who arrive early play with Bubbles while they wait for the other guests to arrive.
Dont forget to check out the great collection of coloring pages I have compiled. This is a great activity to keep the children occupied until the party starts. Plus, you can send them home in their goody bag.
A simple game of Buzz, Buzz, Sting or Fly, Fly, Spider (i.e. duck, duck, goose) is a great ice breaker activity. You can keep adding children to the circle when they arrive. I have yet to find a child who doesnt like this game, its a classic!!!
A great ice breaker activity is to allow the children to create a party hat. Provide the children with pipe cleaners, pompom balls, construction paper, glue, feathers, beads, markers, and anything else you can think of. Have the children make the bug hats and name the bug themselves. Give enough time for children to finish their hat. During the party you could have a bug fashion show where each child shows off their respective hat. Introduce them by their bug name.
Let the children create a bug jar while others are still arriving. You are going to need oatmeal containers or other cardboard containers with lids and screen mesh. Wrap each container in white butcher paper and glue down. Cut out an assortment of windows. Add mesh to the inside and hot glue down. Let the children decorate the outside with all sorts of items. For younger children, have them already made, but let them decorate them.
A great activity to get the children ready for the party is the Butterfly Waltz. Get some balloons and draw butterflies on them. Give each child one balloon. Start playing some music and as it plays the children must keep their balloon in the air until the music stops. When the music stops, they must freeze with their balloon.
-- Ultimate Bug Birthday Party Plan --
Picking out the perfect food, refreshments, treats and cake should be a fun experience. Think of clever names for each item that relates back to the Bug theme. Here are a few ideas to get you started:
Bug Child Parties Ideas for Food
* Insect Themed Food: Serve different types of food with names like: Ants on a log, Ant treats, Bee bread, Fly in the batter, bug blood, caterpillar in a cocoon, etc.
* Lady Bug Salad: Spread lettuce leaves over individual plates. Set a canned pear half in the center. Top the pears with red hot candles to make the spots. Set two canned apricot halves on either side of each pear to make wings. Make antennae from strings of celery and top the antennae with cherries or grapes. Make leafs using raisins.
* Butterfly Sandwiches: Make your childs favorite sandwich and cut them using a butterfly cookie cutter.
* Kabugs & Lice: This is simply kabobs and rice. After the kabobs are cooked, add fake bugs to the ends and then just rice to eat with them.
* Ants on a log & cracker bugs: Simply Ritz with Peanut Butter and raisins.
* Fruit caterpillars made on small skewers with melon balls and grapes
Bug Child Parties Ideas for Refreshments
*Bug Juice: Lemonade mixed with blue Kool-Aid, very neon green. Add ice cubes with fake flies in them (put them in at the last minute, you dont want them floating around.)
*Punch
*You can serve the drinks that children love, such as, Capri Suns, Kool-Aid Koolers, Kool-Aid Jammers, boxed juice, etc.
Bug Child Parties Ideas for Treats
* Spider Webs: Make from cotton candy
* Bug Nests: Make from coconut or shredded wheat
* Fly paper: Make from fruit rolls, then stick candy bugs onto the fly paper
* Buggy Ice Cubes: Place candy bugs in the bottom of an ice cube tray, add water and freeze tray. When ice cubes are frozen, place them in the party drinks.
* Spider Snacks
* Dirt pudding cups: Fill cups with chocolate pudding. Add crushed Oreos to the top of pudding. For bug effect, pretend worms are crawling out of the dirt by placing gummy worms half way in the pudding..
Bug Child Parties Ideas for Cake
Deciding on whether you are going to make or buy the Ultimate cake is a tough decision. It mainly depends on how much time you have and how many guests are coming. I would suggest for a smaller party, you try and make that Ultimate cake. But if there is going to be a large number of guests, maybe a large cake made by the baker is the best decision. Its up to you, but here are some ideas on making an Ultimate Bug cake.
Wormy Dirt Cake: Make a spice or white cake or cupcakes, adding raising to the cake batter; let cool. Frost the cake with chocolate frosting. Sprinkle crushed chocolate wafer cookies over the frosting to look like dirt. Add gummy worms and other candy bugs to the dirt.
Ladybug Cake: Bake a round cake with red icing. Add Oreos or junior mints as the ladybug spots and black licorice as the legs and antennas.
Caterpillar: Use cupcakes in the amount of children. Turn them upside down (use no liners). Frost bottoms and sides. Set them side-by-side to form a wiggly caterpillar. Use gumballs for eyes, cut lengths of licorice or use the sour type whips for the legs and antennas.
* Erica's Plan: For a cake, I made my daughter her own little butterfly cake. For everyone else I used the book as inspiration and created a cake similar to the picture. I placed two 9x13 cakes together (long sides together) and with various frosting and layers created the three dimensional effect of Carle's drawing of a chocolate cake. Then I cut a round hole out of the cake and placed a cupcake which I had frosted red with a face to resemble the caterpillar eating his way through the cake.
Check out this Ultimate Ladybug Cake. Click on the cake to get the recipe! This will definitely be the highlight of the party.
-- Ultimate Bug Birthday Party Plan --
* Foam Bug Glasses
* Plastic Cups w/ insect
* Love Bugs Magic Screens
* Plastic Bug Jumpers
* Paint Your Own Bug Assortment
* Bug Beads
* See Through Bug Boxes
* Bug Nets
* Insect Rings
* Erica's Plan: For favors, I personalized each child's bag of goodies by using cookie cutters to make butterfly nametags out of foam for the girls and created a version of the caterpillar for the boys. I ran a chenille stem through each side so that they could hang them up when they got home. Inside the paper bag that I scrunched like a cocoon where butterfly shaped cookies, stickers, butterfly and caterpillar pencils and erasers, and a few other seasonal treats.
-- Ultimate Bug Birthday Party Plan --
Click here for the Ultimate selection of Bug Toys. Need something besides a Bug toy? Click here for the Ultimate selection of toys.
-- Ultimate Bug Birthday Party Plan --
Looking for the Ultimate Bug Games and Activities? I have dedicated a whole page for these games. I know you will find enough choices to fill the games section of your Ultimate Bug Party.
Before we get to those games, check out these Ultimate Piñatas. Your child will definitely love them!!
 Click here for Pinata |
 Click here for Pinata |
These piñatas don't quite fit your Bug Theme? Click here for the Ultimate selection of birthday piñatas
-- Ultimate Bug Birthday Party Plan --
Now the parties over, what do you do? Plan the next one? Sure, but you dont want to forget about the guests that helped you celebrate your childs birthday. Make sure you send every guest a thank you note. Whether its store bought or hand made, just make sure to get it out no later than a week after the party. Also, if you took any pictures at the party, try to include one in each invitation.
* Erica 's Plan: For thank you notes we always write a newsletter recapping our child's year with a "story" about the party. This year we enclosed the pictures taken during the hungry caterpillar game and sealed the envelopes with butterfly stickers. Everyone seemed to have a wonderful time despite their age and the game was such a big hit that my neighbor borrowed it for a family reunion she was throwing. It was very inexpensive because the invitations and decorations only required paper, markers, paint and cardboard. The most expensive purchase (aside from food) was the wooden stakes for the food cut outs. But it was worth it and we've used them for other projects since. This theme was really fun and imaginative. It would work well for girls or boys. I hope it inspires you to choose some of your child's favorite books for party theme ideas.
-- Ultimate Bug Birthday Party Plan --