Have A Green Birthday Party!

First, think about a good location for your green birthday party and pick a place the shouts "environment!"A neighborhood park or a state park is a great place to hold a birthday party and your city or town probably won't charge you like some popular pizza places or other venues. Not only will the children love the outdoors, they can run and explore the world around them and, they won't be around television video games! If it's too cold for outside, ask your local community center or church that their fees are to hold a birthday party-that will also keep them from the television. Find out if they will let you hang up homemade trees and flowers on the walls to give it an outdoor feel.

You can also have it in your backyard...which is free. One clever idea (weather permitting) is to ask kids to bring a plant instead of a gift and then have a gardening party! The kids wil have fun digging in the dirt and your child ends up with a "birthday garden".

Other "natural" ideas for outdoor parties:

* A Fairy Party
* A Builder Party (dump trunks, shovels, sand)
* A Camp Out (tents, picnic food, magnifying glass for bug hunting)
* A Hobbit Party
* A Body Painting Party

When you send out invitations, make them yourself from recycled cards, magazines, and paper. Each one will be different and something children can use as a keepsake. You can even make true recycled paper (science project) yourself and make invitations that way. When the paper is still wet you can sprinkle with wildflower seeds and then you have snazzy seeded inviations that your guests can plant after after the party!

There are also numerous online invitation stores that make eco invites made from recycled papers and printed with earth friendly water or soy based ink. Tiny Prints has many recycled invitation options. Just look for the little recycle symbol next to the invites. Here is one that caught my eye:

Indicate in the invitation that you are having a green birthday party so that your guests will know that they can bring a green gift. You can request second hand gifts, books, or green toys. You can also request a donation in your child's name, such as planting a tree in the local park, or gifting a couple dog collars to the local animal shelter.

Green Idea: Ask guests to bring animal products like dog collars, food bowls, cat and dog toys, and food and then take all the kids to the local animal shelter and donate the goodies. The kids can play with the animals while they are there.

Green Idea: Have guests bring non perishable food items, canned goods, and toiletries and then take the birthday child to the local food bank or shelter to donate these items. They will immense pride knowiing that their birthday helped to feed other children who are not so fortunate.

If your friends don't know much about green gifting, tell them stuffed animals filled with natural cotton and wooden toys that come in everything from trains to puzzles are good ideas. Say no to plastic or anything that is wrapped in heavy plastic that may harm especially smaller children.

Gifts can be wrapped in newspaper or cloth for the lowest eco impact ....no warpping would work too! Boxes like the one shown above can be reused for other things.

When planning your menu, create a carrot birthday cake with raisins and nuts-the natural sugars of these elements will surely be popular items for kids and grownups. Instead of store bought icing, try making your own with natural ingredients so your cake is preservative free. Use fruits like strawberries and a cantaloupe to make a clown face!

Offer healthy snacks and juices at your birthday party like nuts, fruits, veggies, and natural popcorn. Every grocery store has healthy snacks these days so you won't have to travel far to get them. Make sure you take care that juices are in recycled containers, not plastic bottles that will stay in a landfill for centuries.

Here are some awesome, healthy recipes kids will love:

Healthy Carrot Cake
Raw Vegan Fudge Cookies
Raw Vegan Chocolate Brownies
Green Smoothies
Homemade "Green" Popsicles

For an easy ice cream recipe blend up some frozen raspberries with fresh spinach and almond milk... yum!!

For games at your party, use your natural outside space if you can and have each child find and score points by looking for with trees, insects, flowers, nuts, and birds. The one that writes down the most wins! Parents can help with this for smaller children. Your kids will be learning at the same time they are playing. If you are stuck inside because of cold or bad weather, play the old A-Z game of clapping and shouting animal names and whoever gets the most wins. Hopscotch and jumping on a trampoline are other great outdoor activities.

If you want to give out door prizes and gifts, make sure these are green and eco-friendly as well. Recycled paper party bags full of small wooden toys such as spinning tops and healthy snacks will be a smash at your green birthday event.

At the end of your green-day, be sure to involve the children in clean up and explain why plastics are bad and reusable bottles or recycled items are better. Talk about the healthy games and snacks they received and the games they've played. Finally, be sure and remind them how refreshed and healthy they felt from running and playing games, inside or out without the television or video games. Explain how good exercise is and how much it should be a big part of their lives.

And when you do the REAL clean-up afterward make sure to break out the green cleaners like baking soda, lemons, castile soap, and vinegar. Green cleaners are safe for people, the planet, and they work!

I love BabyGanics Green Cleaners!

Having a green birthday party can be fun and innovative if you take some time to plan it. Not only will your child be happy, but also their friends will have a good time, and parents will be impressed at your green efforts!