Environmentally Friendly Kids' Parties

With the increased number of parents and families becoming more involved with natural and less wasteful lifestyles, there comes an increased number of questions on exactly how to go about making the change. We all know that we can recycle, for example. We have all learned about organic foods and GMOs, but now and again there are questions about how to make things that are highly commercialized less so.

Birthday parties are one time when parents are looking for healthier, more natural alternatives. Cakes and treats are part of a birthday, but do those cakes really have to have as much sugar as they do? Do we really need all of the artificial colors, plastic disposable junk favors, disposable plastic games, and heaps of plastic plates and forks? There is a natural solution for just about everything you want to include at your child's birthday party and almost all of them are cheaper or easier than their conventional counterparts.

Party Favors

There are plenty of great party favors that you can give out at birthdays and use to fill piñatas that are less wasteful, handmade, or more natural. Try a few of these:

Seashells plain or strung onto a cord to wear as a necklace

handmade felt finger puppets

sparkly pencils with star-shaped eraser toppers make great "magic wands"

beaded stretchy rings and jewelry from elastic

marbles

handmade felt rings - you can even sew-on rhinestones

homemade play-dough or slime in film canisters - decorate with paint pens

beading kits - fill a small Ziploc bag with beads and string

individually wrapped organic snacks or homemade cookies

glittery toothbrushes

metal whistles

homemade beanbags from cloth scraps

pencil sharpeners

make your own miniature coloring and activity books

die cast cars

handmade yarn dollies

rubber stamps

wind-up metal toys

brain-teaser puzzles

packs of playing cards

handmade bookmarks

lip balm

hair barrettes

handmade friendship bracelets

tokens to a local arcade

treasure bags - make a small drawstring pouch and fill with plastic gemstones, plastic gold coins, and flat glass marbles.

sugar-free gum (Spry makes delicious all-natural sugar-free gum)

small wood animals

beads leftover from Mardi Gras

handmade animals made from papier mache and hand painted

Christmas tree ornament with the child's name on it

Little stuffed felt animals

Organic or sugar-free chocolate gold coins

felt "paper" dolls with changeable clothes

Craft Favors

One great way to incorporate a party favor with a party activity is to include a craft-making session where the kids can take their crafts home as their party favor. Nearly any kids' craft can be done, but it should be something the kids can have completely finished before taking it home.

origami animals

felt key chains

decorated poster board crowns with glued-on gems

let kids design their own bookmarks

show the kids how to make their own friendship bracelets

beaded jewelry - just set out bowls of beads and string

use a science project craft like mixing your own play-dough

older girls might like making their own glitter lotions

if you live near a field or meadow, teach the kids how to make flower chains

save plastic soda bottles for the kids to make into "lava lamps." Just fill the soda bottles with water and add a few drops of food coloring. Let the kids add glitter and top the bottles off with vegetable oil. Put heavy-duty glue around the outside of the bottle mouth and screw the caps on tightly. Kids love shaking these.

Decorations

Balloons - use Mylar balloons instead of the disposable latex balloons and you can use them again year after year.

Using food coloring, you can dye strips of newspaper, let them dry, and form them into colorful hanging paper chains

If you buy decorations, get the type that can be used again year after year. Steer clear of ephemeral decorations such as crepe paper streamers and latex balloons

Cut stars from cereal boxes, coat them with glue and glitter, and hang them around the party area.

You can make your own confetti by using a hole punch or a paper shredder. Colored papers make the best confetti and paper confetti is biodegradable

Cereal boxes and other board boxes can be cut and painted into all kinds of shapes and letters. They can be saved and used again year after year.

Paper doorway curtains made from strips of newspaper are fun for kids to run through

Piñatas are easy to make from materials at home such as cereal boxes, toilet tissue and paper towel rolls, newspaper papier mache, strips of hand dyed newspaper, and non-toxic paints.

Make your own cloth or paper goodie bags rather than buying plastic. Paper lunch sacks can be recycled afterward.

Instead of buying paper and plastic tableware, just use your own. The kids won't notice that they are not eating on cheap paper plates.

Treats and Sweets

Make your own popsicles for the kids by freezing juice or lemonade in popsicle molds

For a fun party punch, make a juice-based punch that is light in color, such as lemonade, then add ice cubes made from a dark juice like grape juice. The colors will look interesting as they mix and swirl. You can also make juices less sugary by cutting them with water.

Opt for a smaller birthday cake so that kids get a smaller portion and there are fewer leftovers.

If you compost, use paper cups and plates for the kids and compost them for your garden afterward.

Making birthday muffins or birthday cupcakes means you do not have to use plastic forks and spoons. The paper cups can be composted.

Instead of ice cream, serve slices of watermelon or mixed fruit salad.

Use a muffin recipe for your cake rather than a sugary cake mix.

Use natural decorations for the cake such as icing or edible flowers rather than plastic cake toys.

You can now buy beeswax birthday candles. Don't forget also that you can reuse birthday cake candles more than once. No one will notice once they are lit that they were lit once before.

Party Games

For an outdoor summer party, use sponges full of water for the kids to throw at each other rather than water balloons or games that involve sprinklers and running water. You can save the sponges and use them again.

For smaller parties, you can use a board game or card game that you already own to entertain the kids.

Make your own pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey game out of felt and use pieces of Velcro on the back of the "tails" to get them to stick. You can use the game over again for years.

Bobbing for apples is a fun summer game and makes a good healthy snack for the kids. In winter, hang the apples from strings in a doorway instead of floating them in water.

Beanbag toss games can be made from hand made beanbags and coffee cans or old boxes.

Don't be afraid to resort to old-fashioned games. Musical chairs, hot potato, and duck-duck-goose all use no resources at all and create no waste.