When my oldest daughter Mallory turned 7, we celebrated with a nature-themed birthday party at a local nature preserve. The setting was perfect, the weather couldn’t have been better, and the kids had a great time.
Being the mini-conservationist that she is, we did a near repeat of her nature-themed party just two years later for her 9th birthday, this time adding in a recycling theme twist.
There are so many nature-themed birthday party ideas you can come up with, and we thankfully had the added benefit of a nature guide provided to us, who doubled as our party planner!
Do you have a child that loves the outdoors? Here are some fun party planning tips for a nature-themed birthday party.
Nature-Themed Birthday Party Ideas
Location
If you’re lucky enough to have a local city park nearby, reserve a pavilion or inquire about having a private party. We were lucky enough to have a complete birthday package offered by our local nature preserve (no longer offered, sadly!).
If a park isn’t feasible, use your own backyard! Head out on a hike (guided by an adult, of course) and see what insects, leaves and other elements of nature you can find. This little snail was a surprise find, and it was my daughter who noticed him (her?). Our nature guide taught us about left-handed vs right-handed snails (the opening to the shell is on the left or the right). Who knew?!
Games & Activities
In keeping with the nature/ecological/recycling theme of the party, here are some ideas for games & activities:
- Tic Tac Toe – Grab a scrap of cardboard, use a marker for drawing the Tic Tac Toe board, and use two different color empty pudding/gelatin cups as markers for the board.
- Scavenger hunt for acorns, pine cones, feathers and more (remember the saying “take only pictures, leave only footprints” – cross items off your list, but leave them in their environment!).
- I Spy game – Another variation on a scavenger hunt, play I Spy as you go on your nature walk. See who’s the first to spy a flower, a squirrel or a bird’s nest.
- Get moving with active games – three-legged races, an obstacle course, a bear-crawl race … have fun with it!
- Provide a biodegradable seed starter pot and potting soil for each child, and plant seeds. This doubles as a party favor!
Party Favors
I am not a huge fan of treat bags full of plastic trinkets. They’re fun for 10 minutes, then they’re tossed aside and find their way to the bottom of the toy basket. I will say these trinkets make great donations for preschool “treasure boxes”, for when children earn the reward of choosing a prize. Whenever possible, I try to offer something either reusable or consumable, and hopefully memorable!
For Mallory’s first party, I made a nut-free Friendship Trail Mix with Cheerios, Craisins, mini-marshmallows, Mini-M&M’s and sunflower seeds.
I scooped the trail mix into snack-size Ziploc bags, and tied it up with leftover burlap cut into 15″ squares. My mom was a big help tying the ends up, and placed a silly straw stuck down the middle. I also found child-size butterfly nets on clearance at Hobby Lobby for just 68¢ each! So we handed each child the Friendship Trail Mix with silly straw, and a butterfly net, as party favors. A couple of boys used their butterfly nets as light sabers, but to each his own!
Other party favor ideas for a nature-themed birthday party:
- Flashlights or lanterns
- Canteens or reusable water bottles (try a dollar store!)
- Bug magnifying glass
- Seed starter pack
- S’mores kit (4 marshmallows, one full-size Hershey’s bar and 4 graham crackers)
The most important part of any party, is having FUN! Being outdoors is something my family really enjoys, and having a nature-themed birthday party provides a way for kids to unplug, unwind and make great memories with their friends.
What tips would you add for having a nature-themed birthday party?
You may also like to read:
- Kids’ Craft: Upcycled Herb Garden (on my sister site, Clean Chaos)
- Fake Camping with Kids
- Every Kid in a Park
This post was updated from the originally published post from July 1, 2011.
I love sharing ways to spend less, so families can do more! My passions are cooking, late night TV and being amused by my witty husband and three kids.
Hi there,
I was searching for ideas for nature-themed parties and this popped up. The funny thing is I am trying to plan my daughter’s 7th birthday just as you did, and we live in the Chattanooga Area. I was curious if you could tell me where you had her party. Thanks so much, and great blog!
Jill Young
Hi Jill! Welcome! Thanks for your comment. We live super close to a Nature Preserve, and through my town’s Parks Dept they offer birthday parties such as what we did for my daughter! You might check with your town’s Parks Dept to see if a nearby park, playground or nature preserve offers similar packages – or even if they just rent a shelter space and you DIY 🙂 Good luck!
Hi! Love it! Question: did you provide food as well? If so what kind of food? And type of plates cups? How can we minimize our trash ?
Great post! I liked the idea of friendship trail for party favours.