April 23, 2012

A Very Hungry Caterpillar 2nd Birthday Party


On Saturday, we celebrated our daughter's second birthday with an Eric Carle, Very Hungry Caterpillar themed birthday party. Our little girl is turning two, but most of the Very Hungry Caterpillar invites I found online were specifically for a first birthday, so I decided to make the invitations myself. It was my first experience designing invitations and I'm pleased with how they turned out. I like the rhythmic wording. I printed them two to a page -4x6 size- at the UPS store for under $3.





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Guest were guided to our house by this little guy (old wicker paper plate holders, spray painted green) who stood at the corner of our street pointing the way. Party guests included two sets of grandparents and six of her little playmates. 

Our party activities loosely resembled an organized playgroup that most of the guests regularly attend. Upon arrival, did a brief circle time in which I read the book, The Very Hungry Caterpillar and sang a few favorite songs, such as Wheels on the Bus, If Your Happy and You Know It, etc. We also did a few rounds of Ring-Around-the-Rosie.

I love that my toaster is hidden from view.
Food labels displayed in champagne flutes of orange jello held by plastic forks.
We also ate "Caterpillar Krispies," which were quite a hit with the children.
After snacks, we opened presents and enjoyed free play with bubbles in the back yard.

The next activity was a caterpillar scavenger hunt. I gave each child a plastic container with an egg inside. (Containers were a dollar store multi-pack find) The egg contained a "very tiny and very hungry" caterpillar. The children, and their parents, were sent into the front yard in search of plastic eggs containing miniature toy fruit from one of the centerpieces. The kids were also encouraged to find additional items for their caterpillars, such as twigs, leaves, and grass.
The final activity was a parachute and balloon activity. This is another playgroup activity that the kids all love. First we played "balloon popcorn" bouncing the balloons on the bed sheet. The second parachute activity involves floating the sheet up and down while the children giggle and laugh underneath.

The party was such a fun event. Our daughter had a blast - grinning from ear to ear the entire time. 


Here are a few more pictures from the weekend:
Centerpiece with scrapbook paper table runner underneath. 
Balloon Valance

Fruit Puff Candle Centerpiece
Balloon Clusters

Caterpillar Icecream Cake

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Most of the decor was made by me. See links in photo captions above for more info.
Special thanks to Puppies and Polka Dots for her help and inspiration, and of course, Eric Carle for writing this classic children's story.
(You can view my inspiration pinboard here)


16 comments:

  1. All those ideas are darling!! The paper plate holder sign is my favorite thing! But everything was super cute. Plus it looks like she had a great time!

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  2. everything is so cute! I absolutely love those caterpillar krispies

    marissa
    http://raegunwear.blogspot.com

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  3. What a great party! I love the game ideas. Megan

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  4. GREAT job, Shelby!

    Awesome and Happy Birthday to your lil' gal. How precious and what a fun way to express love... with a party filled with fabulous crafty DIY projects! A girl after my own heart ;)

    -Joanne

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  5. Hey there. I found your blog through the link up party at sugarbee, and I just wanted to tell you thanks. We were thinking of planning a very hungry caterpillar birthday for our daughter's second birthday, and your ideas for activities are nothing short of brilliant. I pinned your party to my pinterest board. I love it! Great job.

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  6. Love this idea and all the details. Great work. I bet they had a blast.

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  7. Looks like so much fun! I love all the cute details. I recently helped throw a Very Hungry Caterpillar baby shower for a friend...such a cute book! Thanks for sharing at Shine on Fridays!

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  8. That is adorable!! I pinned this-the paper plate caterpillar is too cute! Thanks for sharing! Here from TT&J!

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  9. I have always thought that this would be a fun party theme!! I love all of the bright, fun colors. Thanks for sharing at oopsey daisy!

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  10. absolutely adorable party!! i love that birthday wreath!

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  11. Oh..this is so cute!! :) I've been "collecting" ideas for a Very Hungry Caterpillar party someday. I really love your idea of the food labels on the forks in jello! Great party!!

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  12. Shelby, I'm so into themed birthday parties. Actually going to be posting about that soon - I love this idea and am saving it in my archives for someone at some point!!

    You are being featured at this week's Drab to Fab! If you'd like a button, feel free to grab one, any one you want under "Buttons" in the menu bar.

    Here's the link to this week's party. Come on back and share your fabulousness :)

    Have a great weekend.

    Amy @ Sugar and Spice

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  13. What a cute little party!! Love it!

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  14. Totally cute party! Thanks for linking to Things I've Done Thursday!

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  15. What a great party! You thought of every detail.

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