Gecko Birthday Party -2yr- Decorate Your Gecko

Gecko Birthday Party-  designed for 2 year olds  For our daughter's 2nd birthday, we had a gecko birthday party.  My daughter fell in love with geckos (like an indoor lizard) when we were in Cambodia adopting her brother and sister.  Since I had never heard of anyone using this theme, I had to come up with some original (and age appropriate) ideas.  In addition, I had to keep in mind that we live in a small apartment on the 14th floor of a high rise.  My greatest challenge was finding the "stuff" I needed to do the party when I do not have a "one-stop shopping" haven like Wal-Mart or party store.   

Preparation: 
1.  I cut out dozens and dozens of simple but large construction paper geckos.  The geckos were cut from a single sheet and color.  I glued the legs on to each gecko in advance.  I cut out different shapes, lines, and squiggles to be pasted on the geckos by the children.  I taped these geckos all over the walls and ceiling in the dining room and living area.   

2.  I purchased several dozen plastic bugs. 

3.   I made a gecko birthday cake using a rectangular pan.  Used small round cake cut the shape of a gecko's head for the head.  Cut out paper feet and head.  I iced the gecko cake green, as well as the paper feet and head.  I used sparkling cake glitter to decorate with spots.   

4.  I made cup cake bugs to go around the gecko all around the table.  I used pretzels, M&Ms, and other local candy to decorate the bugs.  (My daughter even helped decorate the bugs.) 

5.  I purchased gift certificates as prizes. 

6.  I purchased cups to match the bright colors of the spots on the gecko cake's back. 

7.  I purchased a gecko shirt for my daughter (just happened upon this but one could easily be made). 

8. I hung streamers and balloons that matched the geckos sparkling spots. 

Party:  When the children arrived, each child chose one gecko from the wall.  After choosing their geckos, we pulled them down and several children found surprise gift certificates to a local restaurant on the back.  Then we gathered in the living area and each child decorated his gecko with the shapes I had previously cut out.  They also used markers and crayons.  Children's parents helped them with the pasting.  When finished, each child had their picture taken with their gecko (and we included these in our thank you notes). 

Next we talked about what geckos eat and how they stick out their tongue to catch the bugs.  We acted like geckos trying to catch a bug to eat. Then I told them about the bugs that I hid in the dining and living areas.  I paired the older children with a younger child and they became geckos on a bug hunt.  Each team had their bug bag to put the bugs they found.  The team with the most bugs won a prize.  We ended the party by eating the gecko cake and bug cup cakes and opening gifts. 

The kids had a great time and even the parents commented on how much fun it was for their child and how age appropriate it was for the group.  There were 12 children and about 10 adults.  If you live in the States where party preparation items are found in abundance, you can add loads of ideas to the theme like bug boxes to keep the captured bugs, plastic geckos each child, etc.  You could also purchase bug or gecko stickers and decorate the cups and plates.    I hope you can use this idea and that you get as many compliments as we did for an original theme.  It was truly a fun party.