Dora's Adventure Party -3yr- Backpack Invitations

My daughter loves Dora so for her 3rd Birthday we did a themed Dora the Explorer Adventure Party.  I have pics of everything if you're interested 

INVITATIONS:  BACKPACK Invitations with the MAP in pocket  (Details of party were on the Map which kids could pull out of the side pocket)  -Bought purple cardstock paper on sale. Drew large Backpack character taking up whole sheet in black felt pen. Photocopied Backpack character onto purple cardstock. Cut out all around the black felt pen outline. Using xacto knife/box cutter made slit in side pocket where the MAP/invitation will go. Cut out a piece of purple cardstock paper & tape to back of BACKPACK to make a pocket so MAP won't fall thru once inserted. 

On the computer using KidsPix program printed on regular paper made a Map of the adventure on half (card style) of the invitation (eg. our party had Dora going over the Crocodile River, climbing up Rainbow Rock, crossing the Troll Bridge and Crawling thru Tico's Tree Tunnel) and on the other side had details of place, time of the party.  Invitations stated: Come on Vamonos, Everybody let's go, Amanda is turning 3. So come on to our party!  Reduce the size of the MAP invitation to 50% then cut at an angle so a triangle forms at the end. Fold this MAP invitation into thirds. Draw & color MAP's face on the back side of the MAP. Insert completed MAP (Map's face in front) into the slit/pocket of the BACKPACK. 

DECORATIONS: -Bought Dangling decorations of Dora Characters, Tablecloth, Centerpieces, Cups/Plates  -Copied Crocodile, Rainbow Rock, Grumpy Old Troll, Swiper, Tico and blew them up. Glued enlarged pics to large foamboard (Dollar Store)and using box cutter cut out the image to make STANDEES of these Dora Characters. Placed them around the Adventure/Obstacle Course  -Bought Inflatable 4ft Blow up Dora & Boots (This was great as kids posed in front for pics, included the pic of guest & guest w/ my daughter in the thank you cards) -Helium balloon for each child (Dollar store) 

FOOD: -Bought the Dora Cake from grocery store. The one that looks like a mountain she's climbing up ($40 at big chain grocery store with a bakery, Supercenter Walmart, Safeway, Lowes, Harris Teeter) As this was a late afternoon party, the kids just had cake. AT other parties, I've seen people order pizza for the kids but then they don't eat the cake because they're so full from the pizza. -For the adults - nachos, tortilla chips and salsa dip + soda/water 

FAVORS: -Bought Net Backpacks with Dora & Boots (Ebay) -Bought Binoculars, Flashlights, Magnifying Glass, Dora Stickers (OTC). These were in the Net Backpacks and used on our Adventure -Photocopied Nick Jr. Color Pages of Dora (NickJr.com) -Bought Foamy Stars (Dollar Store bag of 6 for $1) -Made Snack Bags of Dora & friends charcter cookies(Target) -Made Labels with Dora & Pic of my Daughter saying Amanda's 3rd Birthday Hope you had Fun" Glued these labels to generic crayon boxes (Hobby Lobby 24 boxes of 8pc crayons for $4) -Bought Dora mini notepads & Dora/Boots Wallwalkers & Dora/Boots Slinky toys (Walmart 25cents each) Helium balloon for each child

Made BACKPACK favor bags. Cut half of the top of purple gift bag in a semi circle. Cut the remaining half a few inches down so the flap from the back of the bag can fold over it. Tape shut.  Staple Ribbon or yarn to top and bottom of the bag to make the backpack straps. Using self stick foam sheets cut out eyebrows(orange foam sheet) eyes(white foam draw w/blk marker) mouth (red foam) and stick them on.  

GAMES/ACTIVITIES: -Kids either colored the Dora/Boots Character Coloring  Pages with crayons at one table or played with the Dora Velcro Ball Dart Board (Walmart $2) or Pin the Backpack on Dora Game (like pin the tail on the donkey game. I made this out of an enlarged pic of Dora cut out her backpack with the boxcutter glued the pic on foamboard made more copies of backpack & cut these additional pieces out put doublesided tape on each backpack).  These were just activities for the kids to do while we waited for the late commers.

ADVENTURE: Rented out a gym with soft padded foamy shapes & trampolines & a bounce house. Had the people there arrange pieces to fit the theme of the adventure. HIRED a costumed DORA figure to lead the kids on their adventure (Costumed Dora like at Great America parks). When she arrived all the kids were so excited. The look on their faces was utter astonishment. There was Dora music (DORA original CD soundtrack) playing in the background. The lady who did the costumed dora also dubbed her own music to match the adventure and she had a mic inside her costume so she could communicate with the kids. It's was so fantastic. She was great. 

Distributed the Net Dora Backpacks to the kids before the adventure began.  Dora asked the kids what do we do when we don't know the way. All shout out MAP. Sing the Map song and DORA pulls out a large MAP showing the kids they had to go thru CROCODILE LAKE climb up RAINBOW ROCK cross over the GRUMPY OLD TROLL'S BRIDGE and crawl thru TICO'S TREE TUNNEL to get to Amanda's Birthday Fiesta. Come on Vamonos song plays and kids sing along. Dora asks kids what can they use to look out for crocodiles binoculars gets pulled out. They all hop on the trampoline which Crocodile lake.  They get to Rainbow Rock and climb over foamy round shapes and spheres. When they get to the other side they see the standee I made of SWIPER the FOX.

Dora tells the kids to say "Swiper No Swipping" and danger is averted. Dora now leads the kids to the Grumpy Old Trolls' Bridge (balance beam on the floor). The Standee of the Grumpy Old Troll asks them the riddle of how many stars are in their backpacks for them to be able to cross the bridge. Kids pull out 5 stars and Dora counts with them in English & Spanish.  They come to Tico's Tree Tunnel (a few foam floor mats over foam cylinders to form a tunnel). Dora asks it's too dark in the tunnel what can we use in our backpack. Kids look and find the mini flashlight. They turn it on and crawl thru the tunnel with it. After this we let the kids just explore the gym and bounce on the trampolines and bounce house while Dora danced and played with them.

After about 45mins we went to Amanda's Fiesta in another room where we cut b-day cake Dora posed with the kids for pics and left to corresponding music. We opened presents.  Then had the Dora pinata (filled with only toys no candy) Pinata was a pull string pinata as I didn't think 3yr olds and a big stick trying to whack something was safe. The kids used their backpack to collect the toys. Then we let the kids play some more in the gym and as each child left we had them pose in front of the inflatable blow up dora/boots with my child and gave them their backpack favor bag (made out of purple gift bags). 

THANK YOU CARDS: Picture of my child with Costumed Dora on the front of the card Inside it said The Fiesta was Fantastico! I loved the present you gave me. It was a-DORA-ble. Mucho Gracias for coming to celebrate my 3rd birthday with me. I hope you had fun on our Adventure and in meeting Dora. Your friend Amanda.  I also included a pic of the child with the blow up dora/costumed dora and my daughter during the openning of the presents.  It was an absolutely GREAT party. My daughter just loved it and so did the other kids. All the parents were so impressed. Now I'm planning my other daughter's fairy princess party.   "