Green Kids’ Parties/

Green Birthday Parties

This next blog on growing green kids covers how to throw a green party for your kids. We had so many great green ideas that Good Gifts Naturally (GGN) decided to create a two part blog on this topic.  Today’s blog is part A.  If you have missed the previous four blogs on growing green kids, be sure to check GGN’s blog archives.  We hope you enjoy them and will share your comments about them with us!

It feels like people have continued to raise the bar on birthday parties, leaving parents to feel as though simple, home-based parties are lame.  But in my view, every birthday in a child’s life is a (green) teaching opportunity, a chance to help them develop into compassionate givers and graceful receivers.  That’s why to me green kids’ parties are the most magical, least expensive and stressful to throw, and most importantly, the most impressive because they are the parties that kids end up having the most fun at and remembering the longest.

If you are wondering: “How do I throw a Green birthday party for my kid?” or even, “What is a Green birthday party?” then read on! This blog is for you!

Let’s start with the green invite.  One of the easiest tips for a green party is to use email or e-vite invitations. You’ll save on paper and postage, and it’s an easy way for other harried parents to reply.  But if you prefer to be more traditional go for recycled paper invitations.  There are also some gorgeous eco-chic green card options made from sustainable materials like lokta bush paper invitations – they take only the leaves to make the paper and leave the bush behind to continue to grow!  But beyond that, if you can involve your kids in coloring and decorating the cards, that will be half the fun!  The bonus in having them make what they send is that you will be teaching them to value what goes into a handmade green gift.

handmade tree free stationery

For the actual green party supplies – one of the biggest sources of waste at children’s parties are the paper and plastic plates, napkins, tablecloths, cups and cutlery. Rather than buying paper products, offer reusable, kid-friendly cups and plates. Customized cloth napkins with the names of your guests written on it with fabric pens make a unique (and reusable) party favor!  Old sheets make great tablecloths and you can have your guests decorate it at it party.  Streamers are a waste of trees so do not use them.  Balloons, can be choking hazards for small children,  but if your child loves them, go for natural latex balloons, which are biodegradable.

Now the (usually) most difficult part of a party is the menu menu!  Green parties are a great excuse to keep it simple, making green party menus the BEST CHOICE for busy parents!  Finger foods are kid-friendly and eliminate need for plates.  If possible stock up on fresh picked fruit from the farmer’s market rather than the big retailers, since the closer you are to the food the less resources will be wasted transporting it.  You can get really creative without too much hassle by picking up a few small cookie cutters.  Kids love eating things in cool shapes, so make those healthy fruit and veggie snacks even more enticing by making cucumber fish, heart-shaped peanut butter sandwiches, watermelon flowers, or even pineapple stars!  Skip the juice boxes and get a pitcher to serve drinks in real cups.  Using teacups at a tea party adds a touch of sophistication and fun glamour for a child, and if you pick them up at a garage sale or thrift shop, you won’t mind if a few get broken.  Food coloring and sugar can make great fairy dust to sprinkle on top of lemonade, and adds more magic.  For kids who love cars,  hand each a thermos and invite them to race to see who can their drink get “re-filled up” first.

A green and giving outlook is the best birthday gift you can give to a child.

After all it’s their green planet too!