A Safari Birthday Party is lots of fun! Kids will enjoy handing out theme-appropriate invitations to all of their friends. Use the suggestions below to make this extra special day a R-O-A-R-I-N-G good time for everyone.
Invitations
Printable invites are below. Print on regular paper or cardstock. Cut along the outer dotted lines and fold the inner dotted lines to form the invite. Fill in the appropriate information.
Decorations
- Use brown, green, and black balloons to decorate the chairs of each party guest. Tie one color per chair, alternating in a pattern. Use green crepe paper to hang streamers around the party room.
- Cover the party table with a brown or green tablecloth. Use brown paper plates, black napkins, yellow cups, and green utensils to serve snacks and cake.
- Decorate outside by drawing huge lion and tiger paw prints leading up to your house. Have a sign hanging at your front door that says something like, "You are about to enter the Smith Jungle. Enter at your own risk." Of course, substitute your last name for Smith.
- Place stuffed animals around your house where kids can pick them up and play with them, if they like. You can find cheap safari animals at places like the Dollar Tree or Family Dollar stores.
- Make plants from old wrapping paper cardboard tubes and taping green leaves made from construction paper to the tops to create the trees. Add bark by cutting up a brown grocery bag and taping pieces to the cardboard tube.
Crafts
Binoculars. Have kids glue to empty cardboard tubes together. Adults can help by punching two holes in the cardboard to tie string in knots at the holes, so they kids can wear their binoculars around their neck. Then, have the kids decorate the binoculars with markers, crayons, and stickers.
Monkey CD Craft. Before the party draw and cut out monkey parts (circle for the head, ears, nose, and eyes). Give each child a CD and the parts he will need to glue onto the CD to make a monkey. Play party games while this is drying. Use the monkey picture below as a template for making the parts. Use colored construction paper, so the kids do not have to color anything, just glue!
Games
Animal charades. Before the party write the names of jungle animals on index cards and put them in a pile. Have kids pick out a card and act out the animal on the card. The other children have to guess what animal they are.
Safari Hunt. Before the party hide small jungle animals, like stuffed animals or plastic figures, around the party area. Give each child a list of animals to find. What they find, they can keep and add to the goodie bags that they will take home from the party.
Cake
Make a regular sheet size using the package directions on the cake. Purchase small plastic jungle animals from Wal-Mart or a dollar store to decorate the cake. You can make a river with blue icing, grass with green icing, and dirt with brown icing.
Goodie Bags
A goodie bag can consist of a straw hat filled with safari trinkets, such as candies, balloons, small animals, notepads, pencils, animal crackers, tiny flashlights, and compasses.
