My Party File - blog

Posts Tagged ‘insect’

This goodie “bag” was made from a round cardboard craft box (they come in a variety of sizes), and simply painted red.  Then I used a black marker to draw a line down the middle and to add the head  - and the spots, of course!  I actually used a correction fluid pen for the whites of the eyes, before drawing in the pupil with the black marker pen.   Coat with a sealer, if desired.  You can write each child’s name on the base or side of the box, or tie a ribbon around the base with a small tag attached.

Alternative:  Paint the boxes prior to the party, and then have the kids decorate them as an arrival activity (have a completed box as an example).  Provide them with black marker pens, black dot stickers, googly eyes,  glitter pens, black pipe cleaners and glue.

Here’s an easy and cheap party favour for your ladybug party.  Print out our Ladybug Jokes, cut and pop into your ladybug goodie bags.

Buy a bug catcher and fill it with lollies and trinkets.  Add a ribbon and thank-you tag and stick a bug on the lid.  Viola.  Simple and effective.

This adorable ladybug cake was made by my talented relative, Gill.  I love the “bling” of the antennae and the large googlie eyes!  To make a 3D ladybug cake, bake two cake mixes in one large and one medium sized Pyrex bowl. After the cakes cool, trim the bottoms so that they lay flat. Cut the smaller cake to fit flush against the body of the ladybug.  Buy some fondant (I recommend buying it pre-coloured from a cake decorating supply store - it can be hard to make red and black vibrant) and roll it out following the packet directions.  Use a biscuit cutter to make the spots, and attach them by slightly dampening the backs. “Indent” the spine with the back of a knife, place the googlie eyes on (or make some out of fondant), and used pipe cleaners for the antennae.

Don’t you love no bake party food - especially when it is this cute (or should that be creepy)??  My sister-in-law made these for Skye’s Spooky party.  To make them you will need:

• Black licorice, cut into 10cm narrow strips -  (apparently Pull-n-Peel Twizzlers work well)
• Oreos or other cream-filled biscuits
• White Icing Tube
• Black Icing Tube

Put the Oreo in the microwave for 10-20 seconds, then take the top off of the biscuit.  Place 4 of the licorice strips across the cream of the biscuit, pushing them in slightly before replacing the top biscuit.  Use the Icing tubes to add the eyes.

Tip:  If you are having trouble getting the licorice to stick to the Oreo, put the Oreo back into the microwave for a few seconds to let the cream in the centre melt a little more (or use a dab of icing or melted chocolate).

Sack races are an oldie but a goodie!  And don’t despair if you don’t have a pile of hessian sacks lying around - you can use the eco fabric shopping bags as an alternative.  The kids can climb into the bags and hold onto the handles, or you can cut the base off of a bag and sew it to the top of another.  Much cheaper than making them from scratch.

Hold sack races as a stand alone game, or use the sacks to tie in with other games.  For example, at the dinosaur party, I read a letter to the kids telling them we needed to go on a dinosaur hunt, but the only way to get there was with “dino” sacks.  The kids were only too keen to climb into the sacks and jump their way to the imaginary destination!  This is a good way to eliminate the winning/losing scenario that younger kids don’t always deal with too well!

Sacks can even become cocoons for a butterfly party or mermaid tails for a mermaid party!

These straws add a sweet touch for all kinds of insect and garden parties.  Simply cut a leaf shape from green card and attach an insect sticker.  We found these ladybug stickers at a variety store.  Put a hole in your leaf and push it through a straw.

These straws can also be good to label the kids’ drinks.  Write their names on the leaves and you’ll know which drink belongs to whom!

I used these leaves as thank you notes for my daughter’s ladybug birthday party.  I tied them to spotted red and black helium balloons and attached plastic insects with tiny little pegs.  I used them to decorate the room and then gave them to the kids as they left the party. It was simple and the kids loved the insects.

If you want to give it a go, download our thank you leaves template.