Ni Hao Kai Lan -4yr- Carboard Dragon Boats

My daughter has loved the show, Ni Hao Kai Lan, since it debuted in 2008.  She is also half chinese.  So for her 4th birthday, we had a Ni Hao Kai Lan party! 

We purchased the invitations, plates, center piece, napkins, cups that became available recently online.  The colors of the party were red, orange, and light blue, to match the theme party wear.  So we used some solid color tablecloths and balloons to match.  I added a print out to the invites to say Let's go go go to Jasmine's 4th birthday party!" (just like the show does). 

Decorations: We had a dragon/Kai Lan table centerpiece.  Then I bought 12 red chinese lanterns to hang around the house.  I used red chinese take out boxes and chopsticks as balloons weights.  I also made printouts of all the characters and hung them in the entry way.  The door had a big sign with all the characters on it and said "Ni Hao! 

Welcome to Jasmine's Kai Lan Party!"  We greeted all the guests with "Ni Hao!"  My daughter was dressed in a lavendar chinses style dress (her fave color) and we did her hair like Kai Lan's and made red flower clippies like Kai Lan wears for her to put in her hair.  She also held her chinsese parasol to greet her guests. 

For games: I printed out mini Kai Lan coloring books from the web for the kids to color while everyone arrived.  We had 9 total kids aged 1-6 at the party.  Then we played "pin the glasses on Ye Ye again printed off the internet.  We played Pass the Kai Lan doll like hot potato, with one of my daughter's kai lan dolls.  My husband took sound bits from the show to create the music for the game since no cds are available yet for the show. 

Then we went outside and first did a bean bag toss game.  I made 3 of the characters into bean bags from felt from patterns I got off the web.  They had to throw them into a bucket that had red cut out petals all around it so it looked like a flower. 

Then I brought out 2 large cardboard dragon boats I made.  The kids were so excited!  Each boat held 2-3 kids.  First we took pictures of the kids sitting in the boats.  Then we had dragon boat races running across the backyard.  To end the games, we did a pull string Kai Lan pinata I bought and filled with all kinds of asian candies.  For prizes, the kids got hello kitty chocolate covered pocky boxes. 

Then we came inside and ate.  We had curly asian noodles (like top ramen without the broth), my husbands famous fried rice, and potstickers with dipping sauce.  On the table was bowls of tiny mandarin oranges and fortune cookies with kid sayings inside that I found online.  The punch was a red juice punch with frozen sliced oranges in it.  The kids got to eat with kid friendly chopsticks with animals in the ends, which was fun! 

For dessert, we had Mr Sun cupcakes" that were yellow frosted with mr. sun faces on them and marshmallows for clouds.  They were fresh orange flavor with orange cream cheese frosting. 

We opened presents and then everyone left with their favor bags - red chinese take out boxes with Kai -lan labels on them.  Inside was their easy chopsticks some fortune cookies with the kid friendly sayings in them kai Lan stickers Kai Lan tatoos tiny chinese folding fans chinese yoyos and kai lan hair barettes we made out of felt for the girls. 

They also took home their coloring books.  It was such a fun unique party that with a little creativity turned out awesome!  "