DIY Safari or Zoo Birthday

Everybody loves the zoo. If you have an animal lover with a birthday and a trip to the city zoo is not in the budget, try a DIY birthday party with a safari theme. Your choice of lions, giraffes, monkeys, elephants, or zebras (or a mix-and-match of all) makes this theme both flexible and fun.

Invitations: Make invitations using cardstock printed with wild animal prints, such as leopard or giraffe spots, or zebra or tiger stripes. Invite the guests by writing "Go wild with us for __________'s birthday!"

Decorations: Decorations for a zoo or safari theme are both easy and cheap. Dress up a plain brown tablecloth with black spots for a cheetah or spots in a darker or lighter shade of brown for a giraffe. The same can be done using black stripes on orange or white if you prefer a tiger or zebra instead. For a jungle feel, hang green streamers around the room. Purchase large jungle-like fern leaves from a craft store, or make your own from construction paper. In the jungle, everything is huge, so the bigger the better! Place safari hats on the chairs for the guests to put on when they arrive.

Snacks: What better snack for this theme than animal crackers! Pour them in a bowl to sit on the table, or buy the mini individual packs for each guest to enjoy. With a few animal cookie cutters, other snack ideas are a breeze. Use them to cut cheese or sandwiches, or make Jell-o jigglers in animal shapes. Freeze bananas on a stick, then dip in chocolate for a fun monkey treat. Serve up jungle juice to drink, made of lime sherbet floating in Sprite or green Hawaiian Punch.

Cake: The cake is easy if you stick with a round cake for an animal head. Use chocolate frosting to make a monkey face, then use a cupcake on each side for the ears. If cake decorating isn't your talent, simply ice a sheet cake with green frosting and place small plastic jungle animals on top.

Games: Invite your guests for a face painting session to become their favorite zoo or safari animal. Finish off the outfit by cutting corresponding ears from felt and attaching to head bands. Have each guests make a mask of their animal using a paper plate. Cut holes for the eyes, then a small hole on each side to attach string through. Let the guests use markers, crayons and construction paper to create their animal's face.

These are just a few of the many ideas for a DIY birthday with a zoo or safari theme. The possibilities are endless, so let your imagination run wild!