Happy Camper Party (a camp out birthday for kids)

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.

Resources for a camp out party
Want to throw a camp out birthday for kids? Here are some of our online friends who've
already had one:

Visit the c amp out party hosted by Bashful, custom event kits.

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.