From invitations to favors, activities to décor, planning a summer garden party, with the right knowledge and preparation, can be a breeze. There are many different tasks within each aspect of the party that must be done for the party to be a success. Here are some great garden party ideas.
Invitations:
In order to have maximum planning time and a relatively good idea of how many attendees you’ll be planning for, try to send invitations out two weeks before the party with the suggestion that play clothes be worn. As far as themed invitations, anything with flowers or bright colors will reflect a gardening theme well. If you’re creative or money is tight, you can make invitations by cutting flower shapes out of card stock. An inviting slogan akin to, “Come Join Us For Bloomin’ Birthday Fun!” will work beautifully. Add the rest of the party details underneath the title or wherever will work best. Attach the invitations to silk flowers and hand deliver them.
Decorations:
Weather permitting, have the entire party outdoors. Cover a picnic table with a waterproof, checkered tablecloth and use a vase of fresh flowers as the centerpiece. Create flower place settings for each child by filling mini terracotta pots with green jellybeans and a silk daisy. Write their names and decorate the pots with permanent craft pens. You can also give each child their own handmade gardening hat. Pick up inexpensive plastic visors and decorate them with paint markers.
Games and activities:
• What Am I?
o This is a flower or vegetable guessing game. To play, tape a seed packet picture to each child’s back. The other children then give clues to the each other so each child can guess what flower or vegetable they are.
• Gardening Relay Races – kids need to be divided into teams
o Watering Can Relay Race
Move water from one bucket to another using a small plastic watering can.
o Fill the Vase Relay
Move a bouquet, one flower at a time, from a bucket to a vase.
o Dirt Shoveling Relay
The kids carry dirt from a pile to a bucket using a child safe shovel.
• Stick the Bee on the Flower
o This game is played like Pin the Tail on the Donkey. Draw a simple daisy on poster board and make some bees using craft foam, or buy them. Write a child’s name on each bee and add double stick tape so they can play the game.
• Flower Child
o Using kid-safe face paint, draw a flower on each child’s cheek. If you have teenagers, recruit them to help with this part of the party.
• Planting Time
o Give each child with a terracotta or plastic pot, some soil, a large spoon or trowel and a marigold. Put the child’s name on the bottom or lip of the pot before planting. Show the children how to place the soil in their pot, remove the plant from its container, loosen its roots and so forth, through the re-planting process. While you can use any plant, marigolds are hardy and easy to care for.
• Decorate your own Plant Stake
o Get blank plastic plant stakes from your gardening center and use permanent gel pens or paint pens. Have the kids decorate them and add them to their plants.
Party favors:
You can fill small watering cans or flower pots with a packet of seeds, kids gardening gloves, gummi bugs, flower shaped cookies and stickers.
Cake:
Use a green frosted sheet cake. Add some rock candies, chocolate cookie crumbs, and small silk flowers for the decorations.
Food and Beverage tips:
Buy an inexpensive watering can and use it to serve punch. Serve sandwiches shaped like flowers by cutting the sandwiches with a flower cookie cutter. Make lollipop flowers with green chenille stems and lollipops.
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