Ladybug Party -7yr- Spider Crackers

For my daughter's 7th birthday we had a ladybug party. 

INVITATIONS: We cut two ovals out of construction paper - one black and one red.  The red one we pasted black sticker dots on and printed "Aedan's 7th Birthday" across it before we cut it in half the long way.  On the black one we printed the party details - We'll "insect" - I mean expect you to come day, date, time place.  It'll "bug" me if you can't! 

We then cut a small circle about the size of a nickle and glued it on the back of the black piece so that it peeked over the edge.  The red pieces we attached with brads/paper fasteners, so that you had to open the "wings" to read the invite.

DECORATIONS: We had black and red balloons and streamers, a black plastic tablecloth and red paper plates.  On each paper plate I laid a piece of black licorice down the middle and then two chocolate wafer cookies (like 'nilla wafers, except chocolate) on each side of the licorice.  I had red plastic cups and cut the ends off of red licorice to make straws (what a hit!!! Kids loved it).  I also made red punch ice cubes.

FOOD: We made spider crackers by sandwiching peanutbutter between Ritz crackers, and adding pretzel sticks for legs and tiny dabs of peanutbutter to the top and adding raisens for eyes. 

We also had ants on a log made from celery stickes with cheese in a can or peanubutter and raisens or KIX cereal and the cupcakes were frosted red with chocolate chips for spots, a black gumdrop for a head and shoestring licrice for antenna and the line down the middle.  They didn't have it then, but I have seen a bottled koolaid type drink called bug juice in the market now, and I would have had that.

ACTIVITIES:  we made beaded ladybug keychains and the 2 boys we invited got to make dragonflies.  We also had each kid make a headband with pipecleaner anntenna which they wore.  I found an adorable small rubber ball screenprinted to look like a ladybug and we played hot potato with that. 

GOODIE BAGS:  I got bug boxes at the dollar store and put ladybug stickers, tiny bottles of bubbles and decorated them with bug stickers, bug candy (like sweet tarts, shaped like bugs), red and black jelly beans, and gummy spiders. 

This party was 3 years ago, and I can't remember what else we had to eat or in the goodie bags, but it was a lot of fun to put together and the kids had a great time.