Eco-Friendly Party Ideas for Inventive Children

A clown may be fun to watch for awhile but getting kids involved in the hands-on creating of artwork or cooking and decorating some of the party desserts can make the happy-time zip past. So planning a kid's party can be a lot easier if the kids join in and do some of the stuff their way. New and better eco-friendly ideas are popping up everywhere and everyday and kids are masters at originality. For the next party, you supply the material and let the fun begin.

Environmentally safe paper balloons?

#1. Paper balloons- Chinese Lanterns
Decorating for the party can be eco-friendly with paper lanterns as they make great "paper balloons" for kids parties and they can be reused, recycled and eventually added to the compost pile to help in becoming new earth. Chinese lanterns are an idea that is almost 2,000 years old. Surprisingly, the first ones were not created for festivals but for military purposes as communication aids on the battlefields. By the time of the Yuan Dynasty they had become symbols of hope and good wishes and their appearance signaled the return of spring. The Chinese people believe that Lantern Festivals symbolize the relation of people, nature and higher things. So, instead of the latex balloons that could end up in waterways to compromise aquatic life, how about some earth friendly symbols of hope - paper Chinese Lanterns.

Eating your own art?

#2. A "mini cookie-cake?"
Have some fun letting the kids roll out premade cookie dough and using three different sizes of round cookie cutters to cut it. Adults or older teens can supervise the baking process. Then the fun starts. Each child can build a "mini-cake" by stacking the cookies with a layer of icing in between - and the kids get to eat their own "art work."

Salt dough!

#3. Earth friendly modeling dough
Modeling salt dough goes back to Egyptian times when the artwork was used as sculptures and offered as gifts to the gods. Cook up some home-made sculpting dough before the kids get to the party. Use one cup of organic flour, one-half cup of salt, two tablespoons Cream of Tartar and one cup of water. Adding a tablespoon of olive oil makes the dough easier to knead and a few drops of lemon juice will make the finished product harder. Cook the ingredients over medium heat for five minutes. When cool, it's time for the kids to knead it and add their own color. The sculptures can be enhanced by pressing in buttons, beads and shells. After air-drying the art can be painted in vivid watercolors or acrylics.

What is more fun than a group of kids laughing as they are seriously designing their own creations in the form of animals or toys? Getting the kids started early in earth-friendly adventures will help in making a future path to a
greener planet.

Sources:

Emeril Green Show - 3-3-11 Planet Green Channel
http://www.asianideas.com/historyofpaperlanterns.html
http://www.ancientnile.co.uk/saltdough.php