ecobites.com

Making your life greener - one bite at a time.

Don't be extinct! Come to Thierry's dino-mite dinosaur birthday party!

DINOSAUR PARTY INVITATIONS 

Get the children to help make your own with cardstock paper, stickers etc. Using pre-cut dinosaur shapes

If hand delivery is possible, fold a small paper invitation and place it into a egg with some organic treats / small rocks.

Don't be extinct!
Come to ______'s dino-mite dinosaur birthday party!

DINOSAUR PARTY DECORATIONS

Cover the party table with a white sheet (can purchase from thrift stores) and paper dinosaur foot prints or stamp the prints on with potato stamps. Scatter the table top with organic treats and dinosaur fruit snacks.Make a simple centerpiece with rocks or paper dinosaur.

Tape dinosaur footprints on the walls and floor. Create a jungle effect by hanging strips of green streamers in varying lengths from the ceiling. For advanced decorating, use large sheets of butcher paper or old white sheets to make a jungle and/or paint a dinosaur or two. Enlist a talented teen for this job!

DINOSAUR BIRTHDAY PARTY GAMES + ACTIVITIES

Face Painting

As the party guests arrive paint a small dinosaur or dinosaur footprint onto their cheek or hand. Tip: Hire a teenager for this job, so you can be available for the children.

Pin the Horn on the Triceratops

Traditional game with a twist.
Draw or purchase a poster with stegosaurus.  Make simple horns with paper. Use double sided tape, or "sticky-tack" to attach the horns on the triceratops. Who can get the closest! make sure everyone get's a prize!

Ring Toss with Dinosaurs

SOLID, heavy dinosaurs are the targets for this game.
Rings can be easily made with heavy rope and duct tape.
Play just as you would horse shoes or Ring Toss. 
Take turns and reward EACH child for a job well done!

Dig Time

The Real Memory Maker!

Fill a small pool with dirt or sand to create the excavation site. Or use construction tape to designate a dig area in your yard. Bury any these items before the party: Real or made bones,popsicle sticks, small toys, or old coins. Provide each child with a small shovel or soup spoon and a paint brush to clean their finds (optional).

Have fun with this activity by sharing a story - tale of buried items or relics from the past.

Make your own fossils with coffee grounds...here's how!

1 cup of used coffee grounds
1/2 cup of cold coffee
1 cup of flour
1/2 cup of salt
Wax or parchment paper
Mixing bowl
Small objects to make impressions in the dough (optional)
Cookie cutter or butter knife

Stir the together the coffee grounds, cold coffee, flour, and salt until well mixed. Knead the dough together and then flatten it out onto the waxed paper.  Cut pieces for your fossils using cookie cutters or a butter knife. You can create fossil impressions using objects pressed into the dough,  or make bones, dinosaur teeth etc. Let the fossils dry over night or place in a low heat oven for a few hours. Drying times vary on the thickness...so keep watching. Bury the fossils and bones before the party.

Dinosaur Pinata

Kid's love pinatas! consider purchasing a second to add to your decorations. For a more Eco- Kid-friendly piñata activity, convert this to a pull-string piñata...

Am I the only parent that cringes at the thought of a Piñata?
They invariably cause tearful children and decapitated characters. However, with a pull string piñata and extra bags of organic healthy treats, a piñata can be a pleasant party activity.

A pull string piñata works well for young children, enclosed spaces, and favourite characters you might not want to hit with a stick. Instead of hitting the piñata, there are strings attached to a hidden door. When pulled one of these strings will open the piñata, releasing the treats. There are many styles, most piñatas can be converted to pull-string style using the following easy instructions:

Place piñata with bottom facing up. Note: Some oddly-shaped piñatas may require that you be creative in deciding where the pull flap should be. On the bottom, use an exacto or utility knife to make a 3-sided trap door with approximately 3 to 4 inch sides.

Use the point of the blade to make small slits through the cardboard on the flap. Make a slit for each ribbon that you plan to use (at least one for each guest). Thread a ribbon through each slit. Ribbon length should vary according to the height at which you plan to hang your piñata.

If you want all of the children to open the piñata at the same time, knot all of the ribbons (inside the flap). Traditionally, one or two ribbons are knotted, leaving the rest loose. The children take turns pulling one ribbon at a time. One ribbon will open the piñata flap.

Fill you piñata with organic treats and/or small eco friendly prizes. Close the flap and lightly seal with a small piece of  Scotch tape, using enough to hold the flap shut but not so much as to prevent the door from opening when the ribbon(s) is pulled.

"Lost World" Obstacle Course 

Set up the course in your garage, covered patio or back yard.
Mark a starting point and an end. Suggested obstacles...
Tires to jump through "Dino Swamp", stones to hop on, sticks to navigate and dinosaur footprints made with recycled items or craft foam sheets. At the end of the course, each player will receive a small prize. If the prizes are small i.e.. organic treat, sticker, stamp...the children can run the course several times. 

Dinosaur Seek and Find

Before the party trace and cut several dinosaurs from construction paper or craft foam. Then, cut the dinosaurs into two puzzle pieces. Hide the pieces in the party area. At game time the children will each find one piece. then they must find the player with the matching pieces.

Dinosaur Arts and Craft Ideas for Your Party

Use dinosaur paint sponges and eco- kid friendly paint to make a dinosaur scene to take home. Don't forget to cover your art area and to  provide large shirt smocks.
Use dino cookie cutters and clay dough.Cut a paper dinosaur shape for each child. Supply recycled paper and non-toxic glue. Show the children how to tear and crinkle pieces of the paper and then glue it on the dinosaur. Repeat until your dinosaur 
is filled with colour.

DINOSAUR PARTY TREATS

This very active party doesn't have much time for a meal.
Quick snacks during games and play time are fine: Organic pretzels, popcorn,organic beetroot chips, dinosaur punch, water, chamomile tea, fruit and sandwiches cut with a bone or dinosaur shaped cookie cutter biscuits cut with the cookie cutters.

Earth in a container

Make this healthy fun treat before or during the party. The kids will enjoy making
their own treat and you'll have another fun party activity.

1/2 cup sunflower + sesame seeds

1/2 cup organic shredded coconut

1 cup carob powder

1/2 cup chopped organic dates + dried organic apricots

4 bananas

1 tablespon lemon juice +  1 teaspoon grated rind

1 peeled apple

2 cups puffed cereal (millet/ amaranth / rice)

Grind seeds

Add chopped dates + apricots + carob powder + apple + bananas

Mix all ingredients except puffed cereal

when thoroughly blended fold through puffed cereal

Roll into balls and sprinkle with extra shredded organic coconut

Place in patty papers or small cups

Dinosaur Party Favors

Send your guests home with a unique thank-you to match your dinosaur party theme. Before the party, spray paint eggs with textured speckled paint. Fill each egg with fruit and nut balls (earth in a cup) and a bag of dinosaur organic fruit snacks.