Flower Power Party

Flower Power Party

Ages

3-12

Invitations

Here is a cute idea for a flower balloon invitation I found from www.marthastewart.com.

Punch 6 holes in a plain store bought card or use cardstock and fold into a card. Have one hole in the center and five holes surrounding it. Starting at the center, weave a long deflated balloon through the holes. Tie them off inside the card and trim off the excess. Thread a green balloon through four punched holes under the flower to make the stem and leaf. Write your party details inside the card.

Flower pen invitations can be made using regular Bic pens. Pop the round circle at the top of the pen off. Hot glue a silk flower top inside the top. Punch a hole in the corner of your invitation and attach it to the pen using ribbon or pipe cleaner. Hand deliver.

Here is a cute flower invitation. You will need cardstock for this, so it will be sturdy. Make a circle out of cardstock, small enough to make petals around it and glue it to a card made out of cardstock. Cut out petals for your flower. Attach the petals to the middle of the flower using a brad fastener. Add the party details on each flower petal. Close the petals, so when your guests read the invitation they have to open the petals to reveal a blooming flower. Glue or tape just the middle of the flower onto the card. Make a green stem with leaves, if desired. You can use something like this on the petals: Roses are red, Violets are blue, I’m having a party, and inviting you. Please help me celebrate my 7^th birthday. Include, date and time of party, party location, you can put the guest of honors name on the front of the flower such as, Happy Birthday, (insert child’s name).

Decorations

Use bright colors such as, yellow, pink, green and orange. You can also use neon colors as well.

Put bright colored or flower tablecloths on tables.

Put vases filled with fresh or silk daisies on the tables as centerpieces. You can also cut some silk flowers bought on sale at a craft store and scatter them on the tables under the vases.

Use different colored plastic utensils such as, yellow, orange and pink, and place them in a green napkin to resemble flowers blooming in the grass.

Make some flower balloons. You can go to www.marhtastewart.com for specific directions on how to make some big flower balloons. An easier way is to combine 5 round balloons and tie them together. Attach a silk flower in the middle of the balloons. You can place them randomly around the party area or purchase plastic stakes and attach the bottom of the silk flower to the stake using floral tape and stake them into the ground.

Make flower plates. Cut yellow petals out of construction paper and glue or tape the petals around white paper plates.

To make straws, cut out different colored construction paper flowers or buy foam flowers. Punch a hole in the middle and slide a straw through the hole. Serve with drinks.

Activities

Give each guest a name tag with a flower name on it (daisy, violet, petunia, etc.). Attach the name tag to a bag of jelly beans or jelly belly’s. If someone calls that person by their real name and not their flower name, then that person has to give them a jelly bean from their own bag.

Face painting is always fun. Decorate the children’s faces with flowers, bees, butterflies and ladybugs.

Decorate visors purchased at a craft store and decorate with craft paint and foam stickers.

Have your guests decorate small terra cotta pots. Fill each pot with salt water taffy and stick a pinwheel in the middle.

Children love decorating their own cupcakes. Prebake cupcakes before the guests arrive. Have them decorate their cupcake using different colors of frosting. Use Popsicle sticks to make spreading the frosting easy. Have the children decorate the cupcake with string licorice to make peace signs and Necco wafers and Pez candy to make flower designs on their cupcakes.

Provide neon colored poster board for the guests to decorate and the guest of honor can keep. Provide glitter, markers, flower stencils and stickers to decorate with.

Have the children make flower pens. Purchase Bic pens, floral tape and silk flowers. Cut the silk flowers to fit the length of the pen if necessary. Using floral tape, wrap the flower stem and the pen together. Make sure you wrap tightly so the tape will stick. Cut the tape when you have reached the top of the flower. You can add a small piece of Styrofoam to a mini terra cotta pot and have the children stick their pen into the Styrofoam. Cover the top of the Styrofoam with green crinkle paper or floral moss.

Homemade Clay Beads – Ingredients: 2 cups of flour, ½ cup of salt, ¾ cup of water, toothpicks or small dowel, acrylic paint, string, newspaper, paintbrushes.

Directions: Mix the flour and salt together in a bowl, add water. Mix and knead the dough for 5 minutes. Put in the fridge for 15 minutes or until cool. Shape the dough into beads. You can make them round , long or any shape you choose. Use a toothpick or dowel to poke a hole through each of the beads. Make sure the holes are nice and big. Lay parchment paper on a pan. Arrange the beads on the pan and bake in the over at 350 degrees for 2 hours or until the beads are a dark, golden brown. When the beads are cooled and dry, you can paint them in your desired colors. When the paint is dry, string your decorated beads. You can make necklaces or bracelets.

Finger Paint Bags – Have guests’ finger paint flowers on white bags. Dip your pinkie finger in yellow paint, place dots around the bag for the center of the flowers. Next, dip a thumb in red finger paint (or color of choice) and make thumbprint petals around the yellow centers. For additional decorations, you can use flower stickers, stamps and markers.

Flower Craft – Make a circle on several pieces of construction paper the size of a medium sized lid. Hand out one piece of construction paper to each guest. Show the children how to glue sunflower seeds onto the circle on the construction paper. The points of the seeds should be pointing out. Then let them glue a second row of seeds inside the first row. These are the flower petals. Glue a third row if needed. To fill the center of the flower pass out either glitter or small dried beans and let the children glue them in place. Glue a green pipe cleaner to the bottom of the flower as the stem to complete the flower. Let the flowers dry and they will be ready to take home after the party.

Watering Can Relay – You will need 2 watering cans, one for each team. Have teams form a line between a hose and 2 kiddie pools, or use two separate hoses and have each team line up by their hose. See how quickly each team can fill up their pool using the watering cans.

Who’s In My Garden – One person holds the end of the hose with their back toward the group (as if watering the garden). The group tries to sneak up on the gardener to tag her/him but if they get caught then the gardener sprays the person with the water and they need to sit out. The one who tags the gardener gets to be it next.

Water The Plant – Divide the guests into 2 teams. Each team sits in a single file line (one person in back of the other). At the beginning of the lines there is a large bucket of water. The first person in each team dips his/her cup into the bucket and then without turning around has to pour the water into the cup of the person behind them. The second person pours what water is left in their cup to the person behind them until it reaches the end of the line where the few drops that are left in the cup are pored into a flower pot. This continues until time runs out or the flower pot is full.

Flower Toss – Place flower pots in different areas on the ground. Have the children toss plastic bugs or stuffed animals into the flower pots. For each one that lands in the flower pot give out a prize.

Pass The Parcel – Wrap a box with different layers of flower or garden themed paper. (You can make your own using construction paper or decorate white paper). Attach a flower themed item to each layer of paper, such as, a flower pencil, sticker, tattoo, ring, etc…Each guest that takes off a layer of paper gets the prize attached to it. You can play this to music and when the music stops a layer of paper comes off the box. Make sure you have enough layers and items for each guest.

Pin The Petals On the Flower – Draw a flower on white poster board. Do not include the petals. Cut out petals from construction paper. Write the children’s names on their petal. Have children blind folded and try to pin their petal on the flower.

Food

Serve food out of clean, plastic flower pots.

Serve pink lemonade in a clean, plastic watering can.

Make a garden salad. Use lettuce, tomatoes, edible pansies, sunflower kernels, mandarin oranges and apple wedges. Use dressing of choice.

Serve raspberry sherbet. Pour sherbet into cupcake liners the night before the party and freeze. The day of the party, place M&M’s on top of the sherbet in the shape of a flower. You can use regular or Mini M&M’s.

Here is a fun drink to serve. 1 pack (13 ounces) unsweetened drink mix. Use any flavor and bright colors such as, red, blue, purple. Lemon-lime flavored carbonated soda, chilled. Mix the pack of drink mix with 1 ½ cups of water. Pour into an ice cube tray and freeze solid. To serve, pour the soda into clear plastic cups. Put 1-2 flavored ice cubes into each cup. As the ice cubes dissolve, the drink will magically change color and flavor.

Prepare the ice cubes in several different flavors so that each guest will have colored drinks. Do not mix colors in one drink.

Cookie Lollipops – These can be used for the goody bags as well.

1 package (12 ounces) vanilla chips

2 tablespoons shortening, divided

1 package (16 ounces) double-stuffed Oreo cookies

32 wooden Popsicle or craft sticks

1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips

In a microwave or double broiler, melt vanilla chips and 1 tablespoon of shortening; stir until smooth. Twist apart the Oreo cookies. Dip the end of each popsicle stick into the melted chips, place on a cookie half and top with the other half. Place the cookies on waxed paper lined baking sheets. Freeze for 15 minutes. Reheat vanilla chip mixture again if needed. Dip frozen cookies into mixture until completely covered. Return to the baking sheet. Freeze 30 minutes longer. Melt the chocolate chips and remaining shortening. Stir until smooth. Drizzle over cookies. Store in an airtight container. Makes 32 servings.

For additional recipes, please visit the spring recipe section.

Goody Bags/Prizes

Fill small flowerpots with seed packets, flower stickers and gummi worms.

Tie up favors in colorful bandanas for guests to take home.

Fill mini pails ( sold at party supply stores) with candy and give each pail a paper daisy with a lollipop poked through the middle. You can also use mini pin wheels in the middle of the pails.

As prizes or take home gifts use old school candy such as, Pop Rocks, Tootsie Rolls, Salt Water Candy, Ring Pops, Candy Necklaces. You can also purchase flower necklaces, rings and bracelets as favors.

Thank You Cards

Attach a simple note to your goody bags or mail thank you cards. Insert a poem such as, “Friends are the flowers in the garden of life. Thanks for coming to my party.”

“If friends were flowers, I’d pick you. Thank you for attending my party.”