How to Throw a Dr. Seuss Birthday Party - Introduction

Feel free to throw a Dr. Seuss Birthday Party on or around March 2nd, which was the day Theodor Seuss Geisel was born in 1904.  But your kids may want to use a Seuss theme when their own birthday rolls around.  In 2012 the Seuss movie featuring the Lorax will premiere in theaters adding to the fun of the day - which coincidentally is the author's 108th birthday.

In any case, below you will find fun ideas for bringing to life The Cat in the Hat, The Whos, Horton the Elephant, the Lorax and all of his other beloved characters.  For full details, see the posts below for invitations, decorations, activities, games, crafts, eats, treats and favors for your Dr. Seuss party.

How to Throw a Dr. Seuss Birthday Party - Invitations

A rhyming scheme is appropriate for your invitations.  If you don't think your poetry skills are up to the task, just find a relevant quote, and alter it to suit your purpose.  For example, Would you celebrate in our house?  Would you celebrate with a mouse? Your invitations can be as simple as printing your rhyme out in a fun font, along with party details, on red, yellow or aqua card stock. If you like, add some Seuss stickers.  Or depending on your computer skills, you could play with your favorite illustrations from one of Dr. Seuss' books.

How to Throw a Dr. Seuss Birthday Party - Decorations

When decorating for a Seuss party, stick to red, white, yellow and aqua with accents of stripes and polka dots. For some big impact with a small price tag, hang red and aqua tissue paper pompoms in your party room.  They are easy to make following these instructions.

You could also use red and aqua craft papers (available with scrap booking supplies) to make custom party hats for your guests.  Disassemble some store-bought hats and use them as templates to cut your craft paper to size.  Spray glue on the hats and then press the craft paper in place.  Let your glue dry and then staple the hats back into the original shape.

Other decorating ideas include red and yellow balloons, streamers, plates, napkins, cup and table cloths.  Also, clear jars of red, white, yellow and aqua candy will make a terrific centerpieces.

For additional sources of inspiration for your Dr. Seuss party decorations are in his books.  Flip through One Fish, Two Fish and you will be inspired to dangle crepe-paper fish from your ceiling.  Read Horton Hears a Who and you will want to make tiny bouquets of pink clovers for each place setting.  And lastly to honor the Lorax, use recycled paper products or reusable glass or cloth as much as possible to keep the party green.  

How to Throw a Dr. Seuss Birthday Party - Activities

Coloring pages are always a good idea for a party with kids.  They come in handy when you are preparing the party eats and treats.  Have on hand a good supply of crayons and markers, then print off the coloring pages of your choice.

A wide variety of Dr. Seuss coloring pages and other printables can be purchased here.  Apples 4 the Teacher has an excellent assortment of Seuss printables available at no charge.

A terrific after snack activity is to host a viewing of your child's favorite Seuss video.  This is a great way to calm the children down as they wait for their parents to pick them up.

How to Throw a Dr. Seuss Birthday Party - Games

Pin the Bow Tie on the Cat in the Hat - Draw or purchase a large poster of the Cat in the Hat, cut out one bow tie for each guest.  Blindfold the children, spin them around and let them attempt to place the bow in the right spot. The child placing his or her tie closest to the right spot wins!

Egg Toss -  First off to avoid a big mess, use those plastic eggs that contain candy treats at Easter time.  If you don't already have some on hand, you can buy them at your local party store or online.  To play the game, take your guests outside.  Have teams of two stand just a foot apart and tell them to gently toss one egg to each other.  The kids then step back each time they successfully catch the eggs.  Once a player drops a egg, that team is out.  the last team standing wins.

Cat in the Hat Relay Race - To set the stage read aloud the part of The Cat in the Hat where the cat tells the kids all the things he can hold one at a time.  Divide your guests into teams, line them up, and then place five identical objects in front of the first person in line (for example, use balls, plastic plates, toy cars, dolls, and a ping pong paddles).  The first runner will pick up one object, run to the goal and back with it, and then hand it to the next runner.  The next runner will have to run with two objects.  The game continues with each player taking one more object for his or her run, until one team has successfully all the objects back to his or her team.  Of course, if a player drops the items, team must start from scratch.

How to Throw a Dr. Seuss Birthday Party - Crafts

Building on the Dr. Seuss quote:  "Did you ever fly a kit in bed?"  from One Fish, Two Fish have your guests build a kite at your party.  An easy one can be made from a simple sheet of paper.  This kite is all your guests need to catch the March winds or fly a kite in bed!

To make the kite you will need to print this template on a red sheet of 8 1/2 x 11-inch paper - one for each guest.  To finish the project you will also need to have on hand scissors, clear tape, single-hole punch, twine (Martha Stewart has a red and white twine that would be perfect for this project), stapler with a supply of staples and 5-foot-length of curling ribbon for each guest to use as the kite tail.

Step One:

Cut out the kite from the template and make the creases as shown.  Reinforce the side points with tape as shown, then punch a hole in each point.

Step Two:

Make the kite harness, tie ends of a two-foot length of twine to the holes.

Step Three:

For the kite string, tie one end of a length of twine to the harness.  Make the loop loose so that the string slides easily along the harness.  Make the string about 8 feet long for running.  For a high flying kite, use a longer string.

Step Four:

Staple the ribbon tail to the bottom of each kite.

If the weather and time permits, let the kids go outside to try the kites.  If not, send them home with their finished kite as a souvenir of the party.

How to Throw a Dr. Seuss Birthday Party - Eats

The obvious choice for a Seuss Party is to serve green eggs and ham.  A twist on this theme is to make ham sliders with a side of deviled eggs.  The sliders are easy to make.  On your favorite slider buns, place a slice of deli ham topped with a slice of white cheddar cheese.  Place all the sliders on a cookie sheet, cover tightly with foil and bake in a pre-heated 350 degree (F) oven for 10 minutes or until cheese is melted and ham is warm enough to eat. For an added Seussical touch add green food coloring to the yolk mixture before inserting it back into the hard-boiled egg.

To expand on the Seuss theme make a cheese tree from the book Fox in Socks by sticking cheese cubes onto a Stryofoam cone with toothpicks.  Finish off the meal with fish-shaped crackers in fish bowls to honor of Dr. Seuss' most beloved character The Cat in the Hat.

For your beverage Pink Yink Ink Drink (something the Yink drinks in One Fish, Two Fish) is a must!  An easy pink drink is pink lemonade.  It can be made from scratch or purchased at your local grocery store.  Looking for more ideas?  Check out the Green Egg and Ham Cookbook, which has more recipes inspired by Seuss stories.

How to Throw a Dr. Seuss Birthday Party - Treats

These Cat in the Hat cupcakes are fairly easy to make.  Ice your favorite cupcake with blue frosting to match your decorating scheme.  The topper replicates the cat's hat.  Make them out of white chocolate covered sandwich cookies and cherry and mint lifesavers stacked together with white frosting.

Don't trust your decorating skills?  Make easy, cheap paper cupcake toppers using images from Dr. Seuss' books.  Copy your favorite images and shrink them to proper cupcake topper size. Then you can either tape the images to toothpicks or cut a piece of coordinating construction paper the same size as the cupcake topper image and glue the two pieces together with a toothpick sandwiched in between.  The final step, of course, is to insert the toothpick into the cupcakes.

How to Throw a Dr. Seuss Birthday Party - Favors

Your guests will delight with a goody bag containing some red swirl pops or a few homemade sugar cookies decorated with red and blue sugars or frosted with red and blue icing as featured in One Fish, Two Fish.


Online vendors have a wonderful variety of licensed Dr. Seuss merchandise.  For instance, on Amazon.com you will find little notebooks (24 for $17.99) pencils with giant erasers (5 for $23.99), book marks (10 for $7.50), eraser/sharpener sets (5 for $15.49) and The Lorax Project Little Books (24 for $24.99).

Or consider sending each child home with a Seuss book.  Many of Dr. Seuss' books are in print.  Most kids already have the classics like Hop on Pop and Green Eggs and Ham, so perhaps select something a little more obscure, such as There's a Wocket in my Pocket.  Barnes and Noble's website rates books by popularity and that data can help you select your favor.  Meijer is currently sponsoring Dr. Seuss month with a sale 50% off all Dr. Seuss books. Sale is available in store and online.  As an added bonus, for every Dr. Seuss book sold, a book will be donated to schools and programs serving children in need through First Book.

How to Throw a Pig Birthday Party - Introduction

There is something special to celebrate on March 1, 2012 - National Pig Day!   This holiday has been celebrated in the USA every year since 1972.  BTW - Pigs share the limelight on March 1st with Peanut Butter Lovers Day and Share a Smile Day.  So don't be reluctant to smile at your pig party while serving peanut butter sandwiches.

Many zoos will have special celebrations for National Pig Day.  For instance, the Brookfield Zoo in Chicago will honor Maple and Honey, its resident porkers in the Children Zoo with a unique cake.  They also will have a parade lead by their Pig Mobile along with fun activities for all pig fanatics.  Check the website for the full calendar of events.

But really any day is a good day for a pig party.  To plan your pig party look at the suggestions listed below.  You will find ideas for everything from invitations, decorations, activities, games and crafts to eats, treats, and favors.

How to Throw a Pig Birthday Party - Invitations

Many invitation choices are available for your pig party.  Zazzle has a whole menu of custom choices.  You can DIY with a pig out of  pink card stock using a pig cookie cutter to make the shape. Sur la Table has a cute pig cookie cutter available for $1.00 in stores or online.  Some may prefer to photocopy simple pig graphics from a coloring book and then fill in the date, time, and place on the back.  Or decorate plain card stock with pig stickers found with scrap booking supplies.  Encourage your guests to come dressed in pink!

How to Throw a Pig Birthday Party - Decorations

A pink-themed event is perfect for a Pig Party.  The choices for decorations and paper products are endless online or at larger party stores.  Birthday Express has an exclusive pig party pack. Check it out!

Don't be shy about displaying your pig collectibles, such as porcelain or plastic pigs, piggy banks and stuffed pigs. Finish off your party room with pink and white balloons and crepe paper streamers.

How to Throw a Pig Birthday Party - Activities

Which of your guests can make the best pig snort?  Find out with a Snorting Contest.  At the party, have your guests take turns making their best pig snort while standing in front of the group.  Set up a panel of judges (preferably your adult or teen-age helpers) to award prizes, such as best, longest, shortest, loudest, quietest, most obnoxious, silliest, least like a pig, most like a wild hog etc.  Continue creating categories until every contestant wins and everyone has some good laughs.

To add to the fun, give everyone a pig mask.  You can print either a full color or coloring page here.  You can buy pink crayons in bulk from the Crayola store (a big box of 64 pinks for $10.99) or from Dick Blick's (12 pinks in a tuck box for $1.75).

How to Throw a Pig Birthday Party - Games

There are many game options for your pig party.  Have your guests beat the candy out of a giant pig pinata or play pin the tail on the pig.  Purchase some wind-up pigs, number them with markers and organize a pig race.  Play pass the pig with a stuffed pig, this follows the traditional rules of hot potato. Guest holding the pig when the music stops is out.  Last guest remaining is the winner.  If you are having a small group for your party, play pig mania.  This is a box game available at toy stores and online  This wild game is more fun than you can ever imagine.  Try it - you won't be disappointed.

How to Throw a Pig Birthday Party - Crafts

This would be a great party to make clay pigs.  All you need is some Tropical Pink Play-Doh with a few extra colors for eyes, collars, and hooves.  Hasbro the maker of Play-Doh explains that Tropical Pink Play-Doh is not available online, but it can be purchased at Kmart, Walmart, Target and Toys R Us.

If you want, have a completed pig contest and award recognition for the smallest, largest, cutest, most ferocious, wackiest etc pig.  Also, be sure to have some containers available so your guests can take their creations home.  Chinese take-our containers will do the trick nicely.  These containers can be purchased at party stores or at the Container Store.

How to Throw a Pig Birthday Party - Eats

It is unclear whether celebrating National Pig Day should be about appreciating how delicious these animals taste or if the pigs should be given the day off.  So if you feel badly for the little porkers, this is a great party to grant them a pardon. Or in the alternativedig in and savor their bounty.  The choice is up to you!

Food options for this party include the obvious Pigs in a Blanket or Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwiches cut into cute pig shapes with a pig cookie cutter.  Sur la Table sells an adorable pig cookie cutter for $1.00.  It is available online on the Sur la Table website.

Serve sandwiches with a side of apple slices and wash the whole thing down with Pink Pig Punch.  For each serving of punch combine 1/4 cup lemon-lime flavored carbonated beverage and 1 1/2 teaspoon grenadine syrup.  Stir these two together well.  Garnish each cup with maraschino cherries.

How to Throw a Pig Birthday Party - Treats

Everyone will love to pig out on these fun cupcakes.  They are easy to make with icing, food coloring, marshmallows and your favorite cupcake recipe.  Full directions can be found on the Wilton website, click here.

How to Throw a Pig Birthday Party - Favors

There are a lot of favor choices for your pig party.  Check online or at larger party or toy stores for items such as piggy banks, pig animal water squirts, and pig-shaped candy or balloons.

Piggy banks can be personalized as in this picture with special markers for ceramic, porcelain or glass.  Purchase supplies at your local arts and crafts store.  Have fun expressing your creativity on the favors or buy enough pens and let your guests decorate their own banks.

Hot Chocolate Cupcakes

Do you need a treat for a cold, snowy February day?  Try these hot chocolate cupcakes topped with marshmallows - a wonderful dessert for a winter meal!  They are easy to make, delicious to eat!

Ingredients

14 ounces white chocolate baking bars or squares, chopped

1 box white cake mix with the water, vegetable oil and eggs called for on cake mix box

12 large marshmallows, cut in half crosswise

Unsweetened baking cocoa

• Step One:  Heat oven to 350°F. Place paper baking cup in each of 24 regular-size muffin cups. Microwave 4 oz of the white chocolate on High 30 to 60 seconds, stirring once, until chocolate can be stirred smooth; set aside.
• Step Two:  Make cake mix as directed on box, using water, oil and eggs. Stir in melted white chocolate. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups. Bake as directed. Cool 5 minutes; remove from pans to cooling racks. Cool completely.
• Step Three:  Microwave remaining 10 oz white chocolate on High 1 minute 30 seconds, stirring after 30 seconds, until chocolate can be stirred smooth. Dip tops of cupcakes in melted chocolate. Arrange dipped cupcakes on cookie sheet. Refrigerate until set, about 10 minutes.
• Step Four:  Set oven control to broil. Line cookie sheet with cooking parchment paper. Place marshmallows, cut sides down, on cookie sheet. Broil 1 to 2 minutes or until golden brown. Let stand 2 to 3 minutes. With metal spatula, slide 1 toasted marshmallow half onto each cupcake. Sprinkle with cocoa.

How to Throw a Leap Year Birthday Party!

On Wednesday, February 29, 2012 the world will celebrate Leap Year - that special day that only comes around every four years.  If ever there was a reason to party - this is it!  How about organizing your event around a frog theme?  If you want to get a bit fancier expand your concept to include Kermit the Frog and friends or Disney's Princess and the Frog.

Invitations

Make DIY invitations by cutting card stock to create a frog shape, using your child's favorite story book or movie frog as a pattern.  Tuck in a few frog stickers in the invitation with the important "when and where" details.  Encourage all guests to come dressed in green.

Decorations

Green rules!  You'll find lots of choices for paper goods, decorations, and favors online or at your local party store to coordinate the frog theme!

Activities

You can't lose with bubbles for this party!  Or if you prefer an indoor activity, consider a frog building contest.  Spread a plastic table cloth, set out various bright colors of modeling dough.  Get your camera ready and watch the kids create real and not-so-real critters from the not-to-be eaten dough. For that added touch, award prizes for largest, smallest, most fearsome, most colorful, most realistic, etc.  Have take home containers ready for these works of art.  Chinese take-out containers are ready available at party supply stores and should do the trick nicely.

Games

Play pin the crown on the frog prince, of course.  On a sheet of poster board, draw your best frog.  Make enough crowns for each guest to have one.  Rules are those for pin the tale on the donkey.

Create a frog hunt for party goers using frog bean bags or small plastic or plush frogs.  Hide the frogs around for your guests to find.

Musical Lily Pads is played like musical chairs.  Tape large green paper circles on the floor.  When the music stops, guests will land on the next available "lily pad".

Pass the frog is played like Hot Potato.  Ribbit, Ribbit, Jump can be played like Duck, Duck, Goose.

If you want to add some physical activity to the party, try a potato sack race with frog-printed burlap sacks. Yes, indeed, you can actually buy such sacks online from Oriental Trading Company.  In-16/465  $4.25 each.

Crafts

Family Fun Magazine has a cute frog origami pattern on its website.  To copy the printable with full instructions, click here.  Be sure to have plenty of green origami paper on hand along with some markers to personalize these frog creations.







Eats

Serve grilled cheese sandwiches with green apple slices, celery sticks stuffed with peanut butter and tiny boxes of raisins.  Offer guests a green beverage of your choice - either a soft drink or juice.  Or if you would like to try something a little fancier, make key lime banana smoothies - For two servings, blend 1 container 99% fat free key lime pie yogurt; 1 ripe banana, sliced; 1/2 cup milk; 1 T lime juice; 1 t dry lemon-lime flavored soft drink mix; and , 1 cup vanilla frozen yogurt.  These smoothies are somewhat labor intensive to make for a crowd.  Perhaps you could designate one of the grown-ups as your chief smoothie chef.

Treats

Make these adorable frog cupcakes. Bake a batch of your favorite cupcakes, frost with blue frosting - add some blue food coloring to your favorite vanilla frosting recipe until you get the color you desire.  For googly eyes, cut green gum drops in half. Use just a tiny bit of the icing to attach white candy-coated centers to the eyes.  Use a black gel pen to add the pupils.  Enjoy!

Don't forget to get a few green gummy frogs for guests to snack on.

Favors

Buy some t-shirts and print iron-on transfers with your PC.  Give each guest a shirt that says, Where were you Leap Year 2012?

Or make Leap Year commemorative plates during the party.  Each guest will get to make and keep a plate.  The design is up to each child.  Parents might want to write the date around the edge.  The plate kits are available here.  After the party you will mail the completed plates to the company for finishing.  They will return a wonderful plate, that will last forever.  Only downside to this activity, is that you will have to distribute plates to all guests at a later date!

How to Throw a Mardi Gras Party - Introduction

Give old man winter a nudge with a fun Mardi Gras party.  Below is everything you need to put together a fabulous time.  Scroll down to see specific ideas for invitations, decorations, activities, crafts, games, eats, treats and favors.  Choose those that suit your taste and match your budget.  Let me know if you have any additional ideas, so we can share them with the other readers of this blog.

How to Throw a Mardi Gras Party - Invitations

You can make some very cute Mardi Gras Party invitations by cutting out large circles of card stock.  Decorate one side with the colors of Mardi Gras - purple, yellow and green.  Add some paper cut outs, faux gems, foil stars, stickers or feathers.  Write the party details on the flip side.  You may want to purchase your envelopes before cutting the circles, so your circles will fit your envelops.

Remember to indicate on the invitation that this is a Mardi Gras Party and that your guests should wear official Mardi Gras colors - purple, green and yellow.

How to Throw a Mardi Gras Party - Decorations

You will find lots of decorating and paper good options at party stores and online to decorate just the way you like.  Some folks like lots and lots of decorations, others limit decorations to a few items - just enough to hint at the Mardi Gras theme.

The official colors of Mardi Gras are purple, green and yellow.  Purple represents justice, yellow power and green religion.  Your guests will know they are in the right place when these see these colors adorning your house, the party room and serving tables.  Consider stringing several strands of Mardi Gras light sets to create an even more magical mood.  Also, don't overlook mood music and the noise factor.  Download some Zydeco music and have an assortment of noisemakers on hand.

Be sure to welcome guests with a strand or two of Mardi Gras beads to wear around their neck to get them into the spirit.  An assortment of Mardi Gras beads can be ordered from Oriental Trading Company for $16 for 100 pieces.

How to Throw a Mardi Gras Party - Activity

Have your guests make their own mini Mardi Gras float.  Ask your guests to bring a shoe box from home to decorate.  One way to make a float is use the top of the box as a back for the float, the box is then turned upside down and the bottom is decorated.  Have plenty of craft supplies on hand, like decorative papers, beads, tiny trinkets, glitter and glue available.  Put no rules on the floats, and allow your guests to be as expressive and individualistic as their young minds want to be.  Number each float and line them up, just like in a real Mardi Gras parade.  Each guest can vote on their favorite floats in categories, and you can hand out prizes for their best ones - Most Creative, Most Colorful, Most Ferocious, etc.

How to Throw a Mardi Gras Party - Crafts

Have your guests make masks.  Cut a paper plate in half - remember to make eye-slots.  Have some scissor available so guests can modify the shape of their mask, if desired. Decorate masks with glitter, sequins, markers etc.  Fake feathers and paper or silk flowers can be purchased very cheaply at local craft stores.  Attach a wooden dowels to the finished masks and let the glue dry.  Once dry, the guests will have a little bit of Mardi Gras to help them get in the spirit!

How to Throw a Mardi Gras Party - Games

An excellent game for this party is a variation of Hot Potato.  It is called "Pass the Baby".  Have your guests sit in a circle, while Mardi Gras music (think Zydeco) is playing.  A baby doll, representing the traditional baby placed inside of the official New Orleans Mardi Gras King Cake, is passed around the circle until the music stops.  The person holding the baby is out. The game continues until one guest ends up with the baby.  He or she will be the winner.

You may also want to organize a limbo contest or have a scavenger hunt with beads and colorful candies hidden throughout the house.

How to Throw a Mardi Gras Party - Eats

Since New Orleans and seafood go hand in hand you may want to serve easy fish tacos at your Mardi Gras Party.  To make them you need just five ingredients - breaded or battered fish fillets, taco shells, coleslaw mix, mayo and powdered taco season mix.  Bake the fish fillets as directed.  Cut each fillet into bite-size pieces.  Heat taco shells in oven as directed on package.  In medium bowl, mix taco seasoning and mayo; stir in coleslaw mix.  Let this mixture stand at least five minutes.  Fill shells with fish pieces and coleslaw mixture.

If you are not a fish taco fan, go with slumbering sea dogs, pigs in the blanket or Southern Fried Chicken.

Consider serving a purple beverage to coordinate with the colors of Mardi Gras - some excellent choices are grape juice, Grape Nehi or blueberry smoothies.

How to Throw a Mardi Gras Party - Treats

A treat that goes right along with the theme of Mardi Gras is King Cake.  There are many vendors listed on the Internet that will ship their authentic cakes straight to you.  If you prefer the DIY approach, here is an easy recipe that uses refrigerated crescent rolls for the door.  Click here for the list of ingredients and complete instructions.

Traditionally, a small plastic baby is baked in the cake.  If you don't have such a small baby, place a dried bean somewhere in the filling.  The person who gets this piece will have good luck all year. Remember to warn your guests about the baby/bean so no one will choke.

If King Cake is not your style, substitute Sprinkle Cakes.  Frost a batch of cupcakes with white frosting.  To decorate gently press cookie cutters into frosting where you want sugar designs; remove cutter and dip bottom into one of the decorating sugars - purple, yellow or green, then gently press cutter back into same stamped image on the cupcake.  Store loosely covered.

How to Throw a Mardi Gras Party - Favors

Local party stores and online vendors have a broad selection of party favors to choose from.  The younger set might enjoy a Mardi Gras - themed rubber ducky and/or crocodile.  Those shown here are from Oriental Trading Company.  Older children might appreciate purple glow bracelets and necklaces or plush Mardi Gras bears.

Mardi Gras Mouthfuls

Mardi Gras is Tuesday, February 21, 2012. Surprise your family with this creole treat.  This bread pudding is easy to make and very delicious.  Be sure to make enough - your children will want seconds. If you prefer, top it off with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.  Ummmmm good!

Creole Bread Pudding

Ingredients

1 large loaf white bread
6 eggs
4 cups milk
1/2 tsp. nutmeg for batter
1/2 tsp. nutmeg for topping
2 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
4 cups sugar, or to taste
1 16-oz. can peaches, drained
2 cups raisins
4 tbsp. butter

Directions

Cut the bread into cubes and place in a large rectangular baking pan. Set aside.

Whip the eggs and milk together. Add the nutmeg, vanilla extract and sugar to the egg mixture and set aside.

Dice the peaches and use a spoon to place them, along with the raisins, between the bread cubes, being careful to push them down deep.

Pour the egg mixture over the casserole of bread, raisins and peaches. The pan will be very full, but the pudding cooks down. Place butter pats on top and sprinkle with the rest of the nutmeg.

Bake at 375 degrees until brown, between 40 and 60 minutes. Serve warm. If you like, you can top it off with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. Makes 12 servings. 

How to Throw a Queen of Hearts Valentine's Day Party - Introduction

This Valentine's Day celebrate the occasion with a Queen of Hearts Party. If your child loves the story of Alice in Wonderful, identifies with the Queen of Hearts or the idea of being royal, this is your party.  Consider asking guests to come dressed as their favorite royal character or person.  If your guests dress up, remember to have lots of cameras available.  And don't forget to take a group picture - what a wonderful keepsake of this special day!

The complete party plan is detailed below.  Scroll down for additional ideas for invitations, decorations, activities, games, crafts, eats, treats and favors.  Enjoy!

How to Throw a Queen of Hearts Valentine's Day Party - Invitations

Some darling invitations can be made from a deck of playing cards.  Scan the Queen of Hearts for the front of your invitation.  Enlarge it to fill at lest 1/4 of a sheet of card stock.  Print the party details on the other side and cut the card stock into four individual invitations.  If you will be delivering the invitations by hand, think about attaching the invitations to a miniature tiara or crown with a piece of ribbon.  To make the event even more special ask your guests to come dressed as their favorite royal character or person.  If you choose this costume option, remember to take each guests picture.  If an adult helper prints the pictures out during the party, these pictures will make wonderful favors.  Also, don't forget to take a group photo at your party.  This will be a terrific keepsake of this fabulous party for your child.

How to Throw a Queen of Hearts Valentine's Day Party - Decorations

For this party think about transforming your party room into a venue fit for a queen.  Don't worry - this can be done without spending a bundle.

First cover your tables with red tablecloths and sprinkle playing cards around on them.  To this add playing card-themed paper plates and napkins.  They are available from party stores and in particular, Oriental Trading Company has a nice collection.  Check out their supplies on their website.

Dim the lights somewhat in the party room and string twinkling lights from the ceiling and hang heart-shaped balloons.

For some added flair craft a playful garland.  All you need is a deck of cards, a hold punch and twine.  Punch two holes at the top of each card, then thread the twine through the holes, alternating the card facing, that it alternates pictures and the back of the card design, as shown in the picture to the left.

How to Throw a Queen of Hearts Valentine's Day Party - Activities

Paint the Roses Red.  This is a great activity to quiet the kids down and keep them busy as you put the finishing touches on the food.  For this activity you will need to print out coloring pages using enlarged clip art.  One good source for this is Free Printable Coloring Pages.  Then give each guest a red crayon.  The first child to finish will win this activity.  You may want to create penalties for sloppy "painting" ahead of time to discourage wild and crazy scribbling.  Or change the end game and announce the child who is the last to complete his or her page will win the prize.

How to Throw a Queen of Hearts Valentine's Day Party - Games

One fabulous game for this party is called Steam My Heart.  To play this game you will need a bowl of candy hearts and a set of chop sticks for each guest.

To set up, place a bowl of candy hearts on a flat surface within easy reach of the players and hand each guest a pair of chopsticks.

Set a time for about two to five minutes, depending on the age of your guests, the number of candy hearts and the number of guests.  At the "Go" contestants start removing hearts from the bowl using only the chopsticks, placing them in front of themselves.  When time is up, the player with the most hearts wins.

After this game, you may want to play Queen Says, like Simon Says.

Set up a croquet set inside or out and organize a simplified version of the game.  End up with a game of two of cards, like Hearts, Go Fish or Old Maid.

How to Throw a Queen of Hearts Valentine's Day Party - Crafts

These translucent hanging hearts are easy to make, but do require adult supervision and maybe some adult ironing work and also, considerable elbow grease from the young guests.  The beautiful results are worth it though!  For this craft - you will need waxed paper, crayons, handheld pencil sharpeners, craft paper, hot iron, heart templates, scissors and lenghts of sturdy thread.

To begin, give each guest a 12x16-inch sheet of waxed paper.  Have your guests fold the paper in half along its length; and unfold.  Give each guest a wax crayon and a handheld pencil sharpener.  Instruct the children to deposit wax crayon shavings made with the sharpener, evenly but not thickly across one half of the paper.

When each guest has enough crayon shavings for the next step, have him or her fold the clean half of the paper over the shavings and the half of the paper holding the shavings. Crimp the three open edges with a 1/2-inch fold to the shavings inside.  Protect your ironing surface with craft paper.  Place the waxed paper on the craft paper and cover it with another sheet of craft paper. Iron lightly on medium heat, check after every few passes to see if the shavings are melting together.

Stop when all the shaving have melted, let cool.  Then trace and cut out hearts from the melted crayon sheets.  Sting hearts onto thick thread for hanging.

How to Throw a Queen of Hearts Valentine's Day Party - Eats

Incorporate the Queen of Hearts theme into your party foods.  Fill a serving platter with red fruits, such as strawberries, apple slices, red grapes and raspberries.  Order in heart-shaped pizzas or cut pizza slices into heart-shapes with cookie cutters or serve a variety of fun finger sandwiches cut into heart shapes.

Serve a red fruit punch.  Add extra touches, too:  shipping tags on your cup handles stamped with DRINK ME with a selection of cheery barber pole straws for stirrers.

Or if your guests would prefer a warm beverage try cinnamon cider.  This is one love potion, kids are sure to love.  To make - stir one quart of apple cider with 1/4 cup hard cinnamon candies in a medium saucepan over low heat.  Bring mixture to a simmer, stirring constantly, until heated through and candies melt completely.  Serve warm in Valentine's Day Hot Cups.

How to Throw a Queen of Hearts Valentine's Day Party - Treats

Make a red velvet cake in a heart-shaped pan.

Or consider red velvet whoopie pies with cream cheese icing to set  the Valentine's Day mood.  These individual pies are just as tasty as a large cake, but much easier to eat.

How to Throw a Queen of Hearts Valentine's Day Party - Favors

Turn a $1 pack of playing cards into a nifty favor by packaging them in a sleek metal tin that also costs about a buck.  Adorn the lid of each tin with a Valentine sticker of your choice.  Then, place a deck of cards inside before gifting.  Tins are available at papermat.com for $25.

Or fill a red or heart-shaped goody bag with theme-related items, such as a deck of miniature playing cards, heart-shaped lollipops or hair accessories with red glass stones.

Super Bowl Brownie Treats

Need a delicious treat for either the Super Bowl or the Puppy Bowl?  Try these football-shaped brownies.  To make them you will need five ingredients:
1 box of brownie mix (1 lb. 2.4 oz size)
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
1 tube of white decorating icing

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F (325 degrees F for dark or nonstick pan).  Line 9-inch square pan with foil, letting foil hang 2 inches over sides of pan.  Spray foil with cooking spray. 
2. In medium bowl, stir brownie mix including its chocolate syrup pouch, water, oil and eggs until well blended.  Spread in pan.
3. Bake 34 to 37 minutes or until toothpick inserted 2 inches from side of pan comes out almost clean.  Cool completely, about 1 1/2 hours.
4. Using foil to lift, remove brownies from pan.  With football-shaped cookie cutter, cut brownies into football shapes.  Pipe on decorating icing to look like football laces.  

Puppy Bowl VIII

Need a fun activity for your kids on the day of this year's Super Bowl?  Tune into Puppy Bowl 2012 beginning at 3 pm ET on Animal Planet this Sunday, February 5th.  This annual event is so much fun, young and old alike will be planted in front of the television before your can say Super Bowl Shuffle!