Outdoor Nature Birthday Party Ideas

Make your child’s next birthday celebrations one to remember with an outdoor nature play birthday party! Gather friends and family together at your favourite nature play space, park or beach for a fun and cost effective celebration with our collection of handy tips, ideas and suggested WA parks and playgrounds.

Why a Nature Birthday Party?

Hosting a child’s party outside in nature is a fabulous way to encourage family and friends to spend time together being active. There are so many ways to have fun outdoors that it is a great party theme for all ages and abilities. Plus, it is a super cost effective choice. Still not convinced? Here are 5 more reasons to host a nature birthday party;

1. Provides opportunities for a variety of play – social play, exploratory play, sensory play,  rough and tumble play and role play.
2. Saves time and effort: there’s not that much to set up and pack away and it’s easy for family and friends to help out.
3. As it’s all based outside, there’s less mess.
4. Games and activities can be guided by an adult but nature play gives kids opportunities to experience unstructured play outdoors and as so they are developing play skills like negotiating rules with others, risk taking and exploring.
5. Space for kids to exert energy and run, make noise and play (so they will also be tired out and should sleep well later on!)

Creative Nature Party Invitations & Decor

• Before the party, involve your children in making recycled paper to create invites, treat bags and gift tags.
• Collect petals, lavender, herbs or leaves to imprint in the paper. Add some essential oils or glitter into the paper pulp.
• Collect flowers, herbs or leaves to press between paper and heavy books. This can take up to four weeks to dry, so plan ahead. Arrange and stick onto recycled paper for invitations or gift tags.
• Experiment with vegetable and fruit printing onto paper: use potatoes cut into patterns cut broccoli, strawberries or oranges and dip into paint to print onto paper – hint: strawberries look like hearts! Use the printed paper to create a triangle garland to hang in the park.
• Collect jars for displaying found objects (feathers, shells and gumnuts) and flower bouquets to decorate the tables.
• Use leaves as name place settings.

Nature Party Game Ideas

• Host a sandcastle making competition.
• Hold leap frog races and wheelbarrow races (holding a partner’s legs as they walk on hands)
• Have a race to see who can roll down a hill the fastest.
• Race stick and leaf or bark boats.
• Use sticks or stones to build the tallest tower, trying not to let it fall.
• Try geocaching for active and fun discoveries for everyone.

Nature Party Activities

Remind children not to pick or take wild nature growing in parks. It’s best to encourage kids to find and collect what’s fallen on the ground in order to respect the living environment.

• Make wreaths or mobiles out of found objects.
• Make binoculars out of cardboard tubes and string to take on a bird watching walk or to find small creatures or nests, kids can draw sketches of what they find.

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• Try rock painting or make a pet rock out of found stones and paint pens.
• Make crowns to wear out of found branches, leaves and leaf fronds. Decorate with feathers and flowers.
• Make a stick frame to weave on long leaf fronds or seaweed strands. Attach leaves, feathers, shells etc.
• Find different shaped leaves and form them into the shape of a person or animal, place a sheet of paper over the top and rub over with an unwrapped crayon.
• Use one of our scavenger hunt ideas to host a nature treasure hunt.

Food Ideas for a Nature Party

• Areas with a BBQ are great to prepare food which will please younger and older party guests (who make great helpers).
• Finger food is easy for busy little hands to hold. Try fruit skewers, slices, mini muffins, vegetable and cheese sticks, dried fruit, mini quiches, sausages with buns, and kebabs on the BBQ (rosemary sticks are good for skewers).
• Decorate cupcakes as an easy alternative to a full birthday cake.
• Use ice cream cones as edible containers for kids to hold on to food.
• Water or other drinks can be kept cold in an esky with a tap, easy for young children to help themselves.
• If you have an esky with ice, pop in some fruit juice icy poles.

Hints

• When choosing a park or playground, check for shelter, BBQS, toilets, shade, parking and paths for prams. Consider if you would be more comfortable in a fenced area.
• Be sure to visit the park before the party to confirm details of the area.
• Remind guest to bring gumboots for water play and spare clothes for getting dirty.
• In hotter months, it may be better to arrange for the party to be held early or later in the day when it’s cooler.

Article by Cindy Addison