Strawberry Shortcake Party -4yr- Strawberry Land

My daughter wanted a Strawberry Shortcake (SSC) Birthday Party for her 4th Birthday. I found some ideas from this site, but I may have some new ones that could be helpful. We had 13 kids, 6 girls, 7 boys.  

INVITES: I found this website (http://www.strawberryshortcakedvd.com/) and copied the background.  I pasted it in a word program and used it as the background- VERY CUTE- then added a picture of SSC with the following, You are invited to a BERRY special party for (NAME's) 4th BIRTHDAY!!...date/time Place: Strawberry Land (Our address below that).  RSVP Come hungry for a BERRY special lunch" I printed them on white card stock and sprayed them with Strawberry Body Spray.  

DECORATIONS: Balloons/crepe paper in pink cups napkins and the tablecloths at the dollar store. All were pink and red.  I also sprinkled red heart confetti on the table. I warmed a wax scent called "Strawberry Sweetie" it smelled just like SSC!  CLOTHING:  My daughter wore a SSC shirt and hair bands (found at Wal-Mart) and a SSC hat that I made her.  It was a little straw hat from the $ store.  I glued red ribbon around it and tied on a green bow.  Then cut out pink and red strawberries out of foam to glue on the hat- it looked great!  

ARRIVAL: As everyone arrived I gave them a little bit of Strawberry lotion to put on. I printed coloring pages of this website (http://www.agkidzone.com/strawberryshortcake.action) of Strawberry (for girls) and Huckleberry Pie (for boys) for children to color as they arrived.  A Strawberry Shortcake movie was playing for every to enjoy as well "Meet Strawberry Shortcake". (Rented at the library)  It's all about SSC planning a birthday party so I used it a few other times during the party as well.  (See GAMES) 

MOVIE: At the end of the movie they sing "A BERRY HAPPY BIRHTDAY TO YOU" so I played that part of the movie while we sang happy birthday.  It was PERFECT!! 

FOOD:  I made Strawberry PB&J sandwiches cut into strawberry shapes with raisins on them to look the seeds. For the strawberry leaves I used Green fruit roll ups.  Very cute!  I served Strawberries and strawberry yogurt and they had their choice of strawberry lemonade or strawberry milk to drink. I put a SSC blanket on the kitchen floor (the party was held indoors due to cold weather) and had all of the kids eat their lunch in the "berry patch". The cake was a very cute strawberry shortcake themed cake that I found online as well.  It was SSC walking through Strawberry land.  Strawberry ice creamed served with the cake.  I also had some pink and strawberry shaped candies on the table. 

GAMES: PIN THE LEAVES ON THE STRAWBERRY.  I drew a giant strawberry on a piece of poster board and cut out leaves from green cardstock.  It was played just like pin the tail on the donkey. 

ANGEL CAKE WALK.   I printed out coloring pages of Angel Cake from (http://www.agkidzone.com/strawberryshortcake.action) colored them numbered them put them in sheet protectors and placed them on the floor in a big circle. Before we began I read a page out of a SSC book all about Angel Cake. We played it just like a calk walk (Played a BERRY HAPPY BIRTHDAY song from the above mentioned movie while the kids walked around the circle stepping on the papers.  When the music stopped I drew a number from a basket and the child on the corresponding number was the winner each time we played until all children won (those who had won and were "out" of the game colored their coloring pages again).  The prize was a bite size piece of ANGEL FOOD CAKE placed in a mini muffin cup wrapped in plastic wrap and tied with pink or blue ribbon.   

GOODIE BAGS: I got red and pink bags 20/$1 for the dollar store red for boys pink for girls.  All got a straw a mini muffin cup full of Strawberry Jelly Beans a SSC cookie a small bottle full of SSC bubble bath.  Girls also had rings SSC hair bands and SSC stickers.  Boys had a pencil Modeling clay and stickers.   

For gifts I had the birthday girl sit in a special decorated chair.  Another chair is placed next to her and as each gift recipant gives their gift to her they sit in the chair and explain why they chose that particular gift.  I started this a few years ago and it helps them remember who gave the gift was from.  Everyone loves it!  Hope this helps with your SSC birthday planning!   "