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Rubber duckies are more than just
for baths; they make any birthday party a real splash.
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Invitations:
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 Make
your own ducky invitations such as these:
(1) Cut cardstock into an 8 1/2” by
5 1/2” strip. Fold down the center to make a card.
(2) Stamp blue bubbles onto the card with
circle stamp.
(3) With a large circle punch, punch out
the center of the card.
(4) Cut strips of blue vellum paper (we
made ours blue by water coloring clear vellum) with decorative
scissors to create ocean waves.
(5) Tape the strip to the back of the circle
so that it is covering it halfway.
(6) Using a duck punch, punch a duck out
of yellow paper. Color on a beak with an orange marker
and dot the eye with a black one.
(7) Glue the duck to inside of the card
so it looks like it’s floating in the water.
(8) Write in words for the invitation around
the circle cutout and inside the card. Note, it’s
good to keep the writing on the inside of the card so
it doesn’t show from the outside.
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Activities:
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Balloons: It’s hard to keep
the attention of young children. Sometimes having balloons
is enough of a game to keep kids interested.
Bean Bag Toss: You can also make
your own bean bags and have a bean bag toss. Try putting
a series of plastic pails in a row and have each child
try to toss the bean bag in the pails.
Pool Party: A dip in the pool is
another good game idea for a ducky party. Make sure children
are supervised at all times by a parent.
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| Food:
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 3D
Duck Cake (from Wiltons):
Ask your local bakery or cake supply store to see if you
can rent this pan. We found we could rent ours for $3
at a local cake and candy supply.
Rubber Ducky Cupcakes: Frost cupcakes
with a light coat of blue frosting. Place rubber ducky
on top. Using a medium round cake decorating tip, squeeze
blue bubbles onto the cupcake and the duck.
> Try our Duck-shaped
Cheese
Duck Pond Punch Bowl: Fill a punch
bowl with blue drink mix. Float rubber duckies in the
bowl for your very own duck pond.
> Try our Duck-shaped
Gelatin Jiggles
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(LEFT) Rubber
ducky cupcakes. (TOP) Rubber duckies
float in a pond of punch. |
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| Favors:
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 Mini
Bubbles: dress them up with labels with your child’s
name and birthday (SEE FIGURE A)
Rubber Duckies: make a cute favor.
Duck-shaped Soap: make your own using
glycerin soap (SEE FIGURE B)
Ducky Water Shakers: fill mini plastic
soda bottles with blue beads and create a duck using polymer
clay (be sure to read the instructions on the back for
baking time of the duck) use distilled water so it won’t
cloud over and Super Glue the lids back on. (SEE FIGURE
C)
FIGURE A |
FIGURE B |
FIGURE C |
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| Gifts:
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Gift Exchange: Since
one and two-year-olds are still quite young to understand
the concept of birthdays and presents, try having a gift
exchange instead. Have each child bring a small wrapped,
inexpensive gift. Place the gifts on a table and have
each child take turns selecting one. Once everyone has
a gift, unwrap them on the count of three. Everyone goes
home with a gift, and everyone is happy.
Duck Pond Gift Exchange: Fill a baby
pool with a couple inches of water (Warning: even a couple
of inches of water can be deadly to children. Be sure
all children are properly supervised at all times.) Have
one rubber duck for each child. Number each duck and write
it on the bottom. Number each present. As the children
“draw” ducks, give them the coordinating present.
Alternative Gift Idea: Have children
bring bath toys, special soaps, rubber duckies, sailboats,
bath crayons, etc., to make bath time extra fun for your
little birthday boy or girl.
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| Variations: |
The Ducky Party can easily be changed to
a fish party, a sailboat party or even a bubble party.
Sailboat Cake:
(1) Bake a regular two layer cake and frost
with white or light blue tinted frosting.
(2) Add three Twinkie-like cakes to the
top.
(3) Cut out three sail shapes out of colored
paper and three flag shapes.
(4) Punch in two places so the straw will
slide through easily.
(5) Slide the sail on first, in from the
back out through the top front.
(6) Next slide on the flag.
(7) Place bottom of straw securely in to
the snack cake and the layer cake.
(8) Add darker blue frosting waves to the
side of the cake.
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| Rop'em up, little cow poke. Throwing
a cowboy party is more fun than you can shake a stick at.
Here's some ideas that are guaranteed to be a root'n toot'n
good time. |
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Activities:
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Dress'em Up: Start this party off
by giving each guest a bandana (or colorful fabric cut
to the size of a bandana - 21 inches x 21 inches) and
tie it for a neckerchief. For some added fun, draw on
curly mustaches and little villain beards with eye liner.
Take pictures!
Sheriff's Badges: Have some craft
foam cut out in oversized stars for the children to decorate
with markers, buttons, glitter and fun jewels. This can
be their Sheriff’s badge. Have a safety pin hot glued
to the back of the star before the party starts and then
the guests can wear their badges for the rest of the party.
Hi-Ho Silver: With clean, old socks
and about 36 inch lengths of 1 inch PVC pipes your guests
can create their own stick horses. Let the children decorate
the socks with markers, yarn and buttons to design the
horses head. Stuff the heads with crumpled up paper or
plastic grocery bags. Tie the socks to the PVC pipes.
Don’t forget to have the children name their new
horsy friend and let the races begin.
Races: You can have barrel races,
obstacle course races and flat out sprints. When your
cowboys and cowgirls are all tuckered out, it is time
for some good ‘ole Boot Cake.
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| Food:
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> Try our Rodeo Roll-ups
> Try our Horse
Biscuits
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 Ingredients:
- cake mix
- frosting, tinted to your liking
- regular large size bag of M&M-like
candy
(1) Prepare cake mix in
9 x 13 inch pan according to directions
on box and let cool.
(2) Wrap in foil and freeze
for two hours. After freezing, do not
thaw. The best way to cut a decorative
cake is when it is frozen.
(3) Cut the cake in pieces
following the diagram below.
FIGURE A
(4) Using the frosting
as glue, frost the ends of pieces and
stick together to form the boot shape.
Cut a slight curve in at the top of
the boot and in the toe of the boot.
(See Figure B)
(5) Frost the top and
sides of cake with a crumb coat of white
frosting and return boot cake to the
freezer for an hour.
(6) Remove cake from freezer
and refrost with brown frosting (or
whatever color your little cowpoke desire).
(7) Pipe in the seams
and any decoration you wish.
(8) Add candy for more
decorative fun.
FIGURE B
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| Favors:
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 Moo-velous
Goody Bags: Easy goodie bags can be made from plain
brown paper bags. A few days before the party sponge on
a few black cow spots and use ripped strips of red checked
fabric for ties. Fill your Moo-velous goody bags with
trail mix and other fun little toys.
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What could be more fun then a beautiful
garden filled with graceful little girls pretending
to be grown ups at a prim and proper garden party.
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Activities:
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Decorate a Lovely Party Hat: Start
this party off with your guests decorating inexpensive
hats with jewels, pompoms, buttons, feathers and other
fun crafty items.
Party Games: While the hats dry,
teach the girls to play jacks or Chinese jump rope. Both
of these games make great take home gifts.
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| Food:
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Now with your beautifully fancy hats on,
lead the party goers to the garden set up with chairs
and tables with pretty table cloths. Have the tables set
with nice dishes, if you dare and have them find their
names on pretty place cards.
Serve a light luncheon of ham salad, egg
salad, jam and butter and cucumber and butter finger sandwiches.
Cherry tomatoes hallowed out and filled with cream cheese
and dill weed are pretty and taste too.
Special glasses filled with lemonade will
hit the spot, as well.
Instead of cake try having fancy ice cream sundaes for
dessert, tall glasses, long spoons, whipped cream and
a cherry on top will make the day!
Or if cake is a must, try a Cherry Chip
Trifle.
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 Ingredients:
- Cherry chip cake mix
- Vanilla pudding
- Nondairy whipped topping
- Cherry pie filling, one can
(1) Bake cherry chip cake
mix in a 9 x 13 inch pan
(2) Cut the cake into
one-inch squares.
(3) In a large, pretty
glass bowl put 1/3 of the cake squares.
(4) Then pour 1/3 of the
pudding over the cake.
(5) Spoon 1/3 of cherry
pie filling on next.
(6) Spread about 1/3 of
the cool whip-like topping on next.
(7) Repeat layers until
done.
(8) Chill for an hour
or two before serving.
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| Favors:
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The girls will long remember this party
when they see their beautiful hats hanging on their walls.
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| Transform your child's birthday
party into a pirate's treasure hunt with these fun and creative
ideas any little "matey" will love. |
| Invitations:
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Make a treasure hunt invitation for a festive
pirate party. (Warning: this invitation should
be made by adults as flames are used to burn the edges)
Supplies:
- Cream colored cardstock
- Matches (Warning: only adults should use matches.)
- Felt-tip pens
- Plastic gold coins
- Plastic soda bottles (individual or mini size)
- Sand
- Sea shells
- Adhesive mail labels
(1) Cut cardstock in quarters.
(2) Have a parent use a flame to burn the
edges of the invitations.
(3) Use felt pens to write the information
on the invitations, trying to create a kind of "old
world" caligraphy look. Set aside.
(4) Fill a clean and dry plastic soda bottle
with a little bit of sand (note, the more sand you put
in it, the heavier and more expensive the invite will
be to mail.)
(5) Roll up the invitation and stick it
into the bottle.
(6) Add a few shells and plastic coins.
Close up bottle with cap.
(7) Stick on adhesive mail label and check
with your local post office about how much postage you
will need. You should be able to mail the plastic bottle
as is without additional packaging.
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Activities:
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Decorate Head Cloths: As your guests
arrive, have them decorate pirate head cloths. A plain
piece of fabric cut to 21 inches x 21 inches will be great
fun to decorate with markers. Tie each head cloth to the
guest before they hunt for treasure.
 Treasure
Hunt:
"Captain Dirty Dog of the Mangy Mongrel
has buried his treasure in your back yard. It is up to
your guests to follow the clues and the map to discover
the hiding place."
Have a poster with this information on it
before the guests’ arrival. Locate 8-10 places that
are easily described for your clue locations.
Example:
"Avast you Pirates!
You are looking for the treasure of Captain
Dirty Dog the Pirate. His treasure is hidden where you’ll
never find it. Read carefully and look hard and don’t
give up!
 Your
first clue-
Feet first then bump, bump, bump.
If you don’t move fast, you’ll land on your
RUMP!
It is green and long,
The bottom touches the ground.
Look underneath,
and all around."
This clue takes your guests to the backyard
slide.
Space the clues out a bit so the kids will
be running back and forth and all over the yard. Be sure
to lay some ground rules before you begin. "No running,"
is a good one. Also, have one designated clue reader,
the birthday child is a good choice. The reader must read
the clues out loud and all the way through until the hunt
resumes.
For the last clue use a simple treasure
map that will lead them to the ‘treasure of Captain
Dirty Dog.’
This is a great way to hand out goody
bags.
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| Food:
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> Try our Pirate Pizza
>
Pirate Ship Cake and a Treasure
Chest Cake from FamilyFun.com
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| Favors:
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Simple brown paper bags with a big ‘X’
on them work well for this party. You could also create
“Pete the Pirate” party boxes for the goodie
bags.
 Pete
The Pirate Party Boxes:
Supplies:
- Empty cereal boxes (one for each guest)
- Wrapping paper or colored paper
- Skin tone paper
- Assorted colored paper for hair, hats and cutlass sword
(1) Using the empty cereal boxes, cut off
the top flaps.
(2) Cut each side of the box down at an
angle, about two inches. This will make the back of the
box taller then the front by a few inches.
(3) Cover the box in fancy wrapping paper
or plain colored paper. Be sure to cover the top half
of the inside of the box as well.
(4) With the same colored paper cut two
‘arms’, nine inches by two inches for each goodie
box.
(5) Cut out skin tone circles, seven inches
in diameter. Each circle will serve as a head for the
pirate. Draw on the eyes, nose and mouth.
(6) Using the same colored paper, cut out
two simple hands for each box.
(7) Add construction paper hair. Cut out
pirate hats and a white skull to go on the top.
(8) Glue head to top of box, making sure
to only glue the bottom half to the box so that the head
will be high enough to see over the lower front.
(9) Glue arms to the back of the box and
to the front, letting the ‘elbows’ loosely hang
at the sides.
(10) Add hands and with white or grey paper,
cut out the shape of a cutlass sword and add under the
hands.
The guest will be so excited to see ‘Pete
the Pirate” boxes filled with goodies just for them.
Treasures could be anything from bags of
golden chocolate coins, personal eye patches or bottles
of bubbles.
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| Your mission, should you choose
to accept it, is to plan a very mysterious party. |
| Invitations:
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(TOP) Bomb invitations
closed. (RIGHT) Bomb invitation opened.
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Bomb Invitations:
Supplies:
- Water balloon
- Old newspaper
- Flour
(1) Blow up a small water balloon and papier-mâché
around it using a 50/50 flour-water paste.
(2) Once dry, pop the balloon, cut a small 3/4 inch hole
in the top.
(3) Paint the ‘bomb’ black.
(4) Print out strips of paper with your party info on
it and stick it in the ‘bomb’ with the end sticking
out.
(5) Add a fuse with a pipe cleaner and sparks with colored
paper and you are ready to deliver.
Here is some example text:
“Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is
to attend Julie’s birthday party at the city park.
The date set for your mission is July 30th at 2:30 pm.
This mission is sure to have lots of food, fun and adventure!”
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Activities:
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Mission - Find the Cake: When guests
arrive tell them the party, cake, or whatever, has been
stolen, and the thief has left clues for them to recover
the missing items. The hunt will be the main game for
this party. About an hour before the party, hide 10-12
clues around the area of your party. Some of your clues
could be in code and others in rhyme. If you plan on having
quite a few guests, have them divided into teams. The
envelopes containing the clues should be in a different
color for each team; the blue team, the red team, the
green team, etc. Be sure to arm them with detective
gear before the hunt.
This party is great at a park. Be sure that
the guests know where you will be in case they have a
question about the clues.
 Foam
Picture Frame Craft: If you have enough time for a
craft at your party, have your guests make inexpensive
foam picture frames. Cut out black foam into the shape
of a rounded frame, 5 inches wide by 4 inches high. Cut
out the middle of the frame in a 3 1/4 by 2 1/4. This
will leave about an inch all the way around the outside
of the frame. Hot glue a magnet to the back of the frame
before the party.
Have items like eyes and question marks
pre cut or let the guests create their own. Have fun extras
like googly eyes and glitter to add to the frame. Make
sure you have enough glue and scissors for all the guests.
Have them create their masterpieces on a sturdy paper
plate that they can take home with them. The glue takes
time to dry and the frame will need to remain flat while
drying.
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| Food:
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> Try our Mission Possible
Pizza
> Try our Ham SPY-rills
> Try our Code-breaker
Crackers
|
 (Note,
Depending on how many guests you have,
you may need to make more then one of
these cakes. One cake serves about 10
guests.)
Ingredients:
- Your favorite cake mix
- Chocolate or black-tinted frosting
(1) Prepare cake mix as directed. Grease
and flour two one-quart Pyrex round
mixing bowls. (Note: Be sure that the
bowls you use say that they are safe
for oven use.)
(2) Divide the cake
batter between the bowls and bake at
325 degrees for 45 to 55 minutes. Cakes
are done when toothpick comes out clean.
(3) Cool for 10
minutes in bowl and then remove from
bowl and continue cooling on racks.
(4) You may need
to slice off a thin layer from the top
of each cake to make flat. Place one
layer on a plate so it looks like a
bowl. Frost the top.
(5) Place the next
layer inverted unto the bottom layer
to form the "bomb." Frost
the entire cake.
(6) Place a candle
at an angle and you've got a dynamite
bomb cake ready for tasting!
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| Favors:
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Detective Gear:
Give each detective a little bag with a pencil, magnifying
glass, note book and decoder book. This will be used during
the hunt and enjoyed at home after the party as well.
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Be Our Guest
Wondering how many guests you should
invite to your little one's upcoming fiesta? How soon should
you send out invitations? When's the best time to hold a party?
Experts make these recommendations:
• Number of guests
for each age group:
A good gage is to invite as many guests as your child is old.
If your child is celebrating his third birthday, try inviting
three friends to the party.
• Time appropriate
for each age group:
Parties don’t have to be long and drawn out. One hour
to an hour and a half is good for the younger kids. Older children
will enjoy about two hours of a party.
• When to send out invitations:
Send out invitations about seven to 10 days in advance of the
party. Try not to send them to school unless you plan on inviting
everyone in the classroom.
• What time of day to hold
the party:
For younger children, ages 1-4, plan your party for the morning
or for right after ‘nap’ time. Older children will
enjoy a party at anytime of the day.
 •
Theme choices:
Think of the season, snowman party in January, costume party
in October, etc.
• Be flexible:
If they don’t want to play the games you have set up for
them, let them play an impromptu game of tag instead.
Pin the tail on the donkey can be converted into
many other theme versions.
- Pin the patch on the Pirates eye.
- Crown the princess (use an 8x10 photo of the
birthday girl for the princess)
- Pin the light on the train engine.
- Pin the frog on the lily pad.
- Pin the flower on the hat.
- Pin the nose on the clown.
- Pin the star on the sheriff.
- Pin the eye on the alien (one eyed alien of
course)
- Stick the duck in the pond.
- Put the ball in the catcher’s glove.
These can be easily made by drawing a simple picture
on to poster board and then cutting out enough of the item to
be pinned on the pictures.
Preplanned Thank-yous:
For smaller parties, have printed thank-yous ready to be filled
in and placed in the take home goodie bags. For example:
"Thank you for the ____________.
I really like it! I am glad you could come to my party.
Your friend,
Molly"
Picture Thank-yous:
Take fun pictures of each child at the party and after developing
mail the picture and a thank you along with it.
Address Your Own:
For older children’s parties, have each guest address their
own thank you envelope for easier sending.
>
Cake Finder from FamilyFun.com
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Slice
hard cheese like cheddar into long thin strips.
Use a cookie cutter to cut out shapes that
will go with the theme of your party. 
Ingredients: