Happy Camper Party

How to make them Happy Campers through the night
The thrill of the camp is often enough entertainment, but it's always good to
have a few games to ensure the campers stay happy. Sure, you can sing
camp songs, but here are some fun ideas you probably haven't considered:

Light up the night. When the lights go down, a camping party for kids
is all about the stick lights, glow necklaces, finger lights and funny
flashlights with picture lenses. Finger lights are especially fun because all
the concentration is on one finger. You'll get four in a pack for around
five bucks. They secure with Velcro and come with batteries. Test
before the party to ensure everyone is a happy camper.

Get campy and write letters. Provide blank postcards, coloring pages,
or camp stationery along with stamps, camping stickers, and pens. You
might even make an expedition of heading to the post office or mail box
with adult supervision. Kids get a kick out of receiving mail and it will
serve a reminder of the birthday camp out experience.

Get Mad! Letters from Camp MadLibs is a fun activity and the kids can
mail them to their parents or to themselves. The letters perf-out into a
self envelope. Seal them with the special stickers and mail.

Toss around the Ice cream ball: Play ball and make ice cream at the
same time. Pictured, left, the Play and Freeze Ice Cream maker comes in
many colors.

Give the kids a quick astronomy lesson if you have a telescope.

Camping Invitation and Wording Ideas
You won't be a happy camper searching for camping party invitations as
they're practically non-existent. Just grin and bear it and make your own.
Sure, you could decorate a card with camping stickers, but a happy campers
party is an opportunity to hand deliver invitations and see some campy
smiles. Here are some ideas for invitations:

Blow the whistle on a great party! Attach the invitation wording like a lanyard
to a whistle. Hang on friends instead of mailing.

Reel them in! Craft a fishing pole with a hook, line and sinker. First
perfect your wording so that it fits neatly into a stencil a fish-shape you
make from a cookie cutter. Cut it out, then get a wooden dowel or a
bamboo rod and string the paper fish to it with a paper clip hook.

Pitch-in to pitch a tent. Fold a paper tent as an invitation (or use the
idea for decorations or as an activity). Here's an easy Origami tent ,
which is an invitation is good enough to mail. If you're up for a more
complex but intricate paper tent try the version from Kaboose.

Happy Campers party invitation wording ideas:

You're invited to Camp Happy Birthday!
Sleep under the stars Saturday, August 22 at 4:00-9:00 p.m.
Campgrounds: 123 Main Street
RSVP: Campfire Girl Tiffany or Camp Counselor Hal at 867-5309.

(Bring your sleeping bag if you want to stay the night.)

Happy Camper Cake and Food Ideas
Making 'Smores is an obvious choice for party food, but the task is made
easier for you and safer for kids if you make them in a microwave with the
Microwavable S'Mores Maker, pictured left.

Tent: Pitch a tent easily with two graham crackers. Dip the crackers in
orange candy melts to give them a prettier look.

Happy Camper: Under the tent you need a camper and Wilton shows
the way with a happy camper in a sleeping bag.

Campfire: Pretzel sticks easily become logs. Create flames for a camp
fire by cutting colorful fruit leathers (Family Fun shows you how with a
campfire cake). You could also easily modify your favorite yule log recipe
to make a campfire log cake.

Trees: Making trees from candy frosting requires extra tools and
patience. Take the easy way out with cake picks. Get four Evergreen
Trees for around a dollar, so you can easily afford a small forest.

Rocks: Candy rocks with kids and there are candy pebbles easily
available online.

More Ways to set the Happy Camping Scene at Home
Sure you can pitch a real tent, but if you don't have one you can just camp
out under the stars. Even if it's not a sleep over, everyone bring a sleeping
bag for day and you can eat cake and tell ghost stories around the fire.

Set up mini camp. Make the perfect table display for the cake or buffet
with the Mighty World Hiking and Camping Small Theme Set. Includes
twenty mini pieces to set up for decorations and then will later provide
hours of fun as you recall the memories of the camping party.

Build a faux fire. Who needs dangerous flames when you can get all the
atmosphere you need from a few real logs and artificial flames made of
cellophane, construction paper or tissue paper. Of course if Dad is a
camper, he can provide instruction on how to lay the proper fire for
entertainment. Kids will get a kick out of constructing the fire. And with
a faux fire you'll need some lickety split 'Smores. Koko's Confectionery
'smores suckers will fire up the kids quickly. Or gather around and sing
camp songs, such as The Bear Went Over the Mountain, or Itchy Itchy
Scratchy Scratchy.

See also our bug party and Jungle theme party ideas.

Fishing for Camping Favor Ideas?
Kids will be happy with just about any camping goodies you find - a compass,
freeze dried camping ice cream, glow sticks, a whistle, quench gum or energy
jelly beans, toy binoculars and finger flashlights. Here are some fun ways to
give them their camping treats:

Roll a sleeping bag favor. Sew a sack from green felt or fleece about
the size of an adult male's shoe box. Insert goodies flat then roll and
tie to look like a sleeping bag.

A hunting they will go. When the lights go down, send your little
campers hunting in the backyard for favors. Affix reflective tape on
small treasures and hide them in your yard. Then, send kids outside
one at a time with a flashlight in hand to hunt a prize, retrieve and
return. It's more fun if the favors are slightly different but equal, or if
you allow kids to have two turns each.

Go in feet first. Fill a wading pool with soapy dishwashing suds, set
chairs around the pool, and allow kids to fish for their favors prizes
using only their feet.

Gone Fishing: Cut construction paper into a twisty river, large pond or
lake, and glue it onto a large poster board. Cut fishing holes into your
water. Then have kids fish for their favors with a home made fishing
stick, like the one they used from the invitation. Mom or Dad stands on
the other side of the poster board and hooks a prize then "bites" with a
tug of the string. You can hook a bag of Swedish fish, keychains with
fish, fish rings, fish bags, chocolate river rokcs, and other fun finds:

Amazon.com Widgets

Happy Campers Party
How to have a camper theme birthday party for kids in your backyard

A camping party is, well, a bit campy! With glow sticks and ghost stories,
flashlights and marshmallow delights, a camping party is easier than you
think. It's time to camp out, not stress out. Whether your party is a sleep
over or a day camp, here's how to ensure a troop of happy campers:

Go Green! It's not like they make camping party wares, so you'll have
to get creative in borrowing camo gear from an army party. Think army
surplus, green canteens, and camoflauge.

Orange you happy? Orange is the perfect complement to camper
green. The Swimline Kiddie Canoe, listed below, is under ten bucks,
and makes an ideal backdrop for the camping party.