Frog & Friends -1yr- Froggy Sponge Painting

FROG 1st Birthday party! 

Invitations: "Nickel" size lunch bag with green frog face pasted to make a hand puppet.  "Hop on over to Jacob's 1st Birthday" with information under the flap. 

Another option:  Use "Frog and Friends" invitations from partysolver.com. 

Decorations: A kid-sized green inflatable frog chair, green frog-shaped beach balls and clear beach balls with frogs inside on living room floor; Helium-filled balloons in green, orange, and yellow with long curling ribbon; green posters that read "Hoppy 1st Birthday, Jacob!" behind the cake table and "Hop on in . . . For Jacob's 1st Birthday!" at the door; large frog kite hung on the wall, frog-shaped lights framing the doorway; plus the "Frogs and Friends" brand of decorations (from partysolver.com) that match the plates and flatware, including a 7' birthday banner. 

Another option:  frog-shaped beaded curtain from frogstore.com. 

Activities:

Outdoor - fill a small swimming pool partway with water and place frog "soaker" balls and frog "squirters" for the kids to play with.  Add frog beach balls outside to kick around.  Decorate fence with balloons and streamers. 

Other options: play Leap Frog, fingerpaint or sponge paint with frog shaped sponges, have jumping contests, or rent a jumping castle. 

Indoor - Vinyl "pop-up" frogs on the coffee table, balloons with streamers, beach balls scattered in one corner, and a frog bean-bag toss game. 

Other options:  To wind down before kids leave, watch a short "Frog and Toad" video or read a "Frog and Toad" book. 

Other options:  Oriental.com has really cute frog craft kits for older kids! 

Party Favors - Small tin pails in bright colors with each child's name written in white paint-pen, filled with:  satin/velour bean bag frogs, sheet of colorful frog stickers, a frog-shaped necklace with bubbles and bubble wand, and frog-shaped cookies (plus the kids can take home the soaker balls, squirters, beach balls, and/or balloons when they leave).  \*We gave these out as the birthday boy opened his presents so the other kids would have something to do! 

Food -  Adorable frog cake from local caterer, frog shaped sugar cookies, green-and-white gummy frogs, and vanilla ice cream with green sprinkles.  Another option - frog shapped "Jell-O" jigglers.  You can also get frog-shaped pasta from frogstore.com if you want to serve a meal.  Make alfredo sauce tinted green and have "frog legs" (bread sticks) and "frog food" (vegetable tray). 

\*We spread large green table covers (we already had from the Dollar Tree) on the ground and let the kids sit in a group on the floor.  All the above came from oriental.com (tin pails, bean bag toss game, soaker balls, squirters, beach balls, vinyl pop-up frogs, kite, bubble necklaces), frogstore.com (inflatable chair, gummy frogs, stickers, frog lights, cookie cutters), or partysolver.com (entire party set with plates, cups, balloons, spoons, forks, napkins, tablecover, wall decorations, centerpiece, crepe paper, candles, curling ribbon, thank-you notes, 7' banner). 

The entire party cost less than $200. for 8 kids!!  What a "hoppy" great time!