Adventure awaits in this absolutely adorable camping first birthday party! If your little adventurer is about to celebrate his first birthday, no party theme could be s'more fun than this one! Filled with age appropriate activities and the cutest free Camping Party Printables, this first birthday celebration will be hard to beat! So gather up all of your little man's best buddies and have them join him for a fun day of exploring the great outdoors!
Playing in a tent is one of the most fun things about camping! To set the scene for our camping party, we wanted to make it feel like a real campout. We set up a Play Tent for the little ones to play in, and displayed a Personalized Camp Party Double-Sided Yard Sign that welcomed everyone as they arrived. Of course, no campsite is complete without a campfire, so we set up an Inflatable Campfire to make the campsite feel like the real deal.
Once the kiddos all arrived and had some time to play in the tent, we did a little outdoor exploring. We used Printable Camping Scavenger Hunt cards to search for things around our camping area, and took some time to talk to the kids about nature. We marked off the things that we found using Crayola® Cone Tip Washable Markers.
When we got back to the campsite, each kiddo got to make their own campfire, toddler style. We used the My First Campfire free printable to create a messless fingerpaint fire.The kids could use their fingers to spread the flames (aka paint) and watch their fire change...without getting covered in paint! This is a great sensory activity and we love that there's no mess! Learn how to create this "My First Campfire" activity here.
We also wanted to give the kids something that would allow them to continue enjoying nature after they went home, so we created a Firefly Jar Activity. Before the party we used Black Permanent Markers to draw firefly shapes on plastic Quart Mason Jars. During the party, we had the kids dip the tips of their fingers in Yellow Washable Paint, then point to the bugs on the jar, which added fingerprint "lights" to the lightning bugs. We let the paint dry during the party, then gave the jars to the kids, along with a Bug Net, to take home and catch lightning bugs later.
By the time all of our fun activities were done, everyone had worked up an appetite! We made our way to the pavilion for camping treats and birthday cake. A "ONE Happy Camper" Sign that we created out of Foam Board, Pacon® Fadeless® Weathered Wood Paper Roll and Rustic Twigs Bulletin Board Letters hung above our treats table and welcomed the happy campers.
Our camping birthday cake was definitely the star of the show! It was simple to make using Pop-Tarts®, ice cream cones, pretzel sticks, frosting and marshmallows. We even created a little personalized camp flag using a small piece of cardstock and a toothpick!
Every campout need s'mores, and this party did not disappoint! We opted for individual s'mores dips served in mini cast iron skillets for our little party guests.
Camp Party Paper Dessert Plates and Camp Party Luncheon Napkins matched the theme perfectly and added bright color to the table. They were also perfect for loading some camping trail mix onto and carrying down to the dock to eat.
Before heading down to the dock to eat, the kids were encouraged to fill Little Fisherman Drawstring Bags with goodies. We created a favor stand out of Large and Medium Round Wood Slice Centerpieces, then displayed a Printable Favor Sign and party favors on it. There were Camp Whistles, Magnifying Glasses, Camp Favor Boxes full of Camp Stickers and Mini Mason Favor Jars filled with gummy fish that the kids could load into their bags.
With the adorable fish bags in tow, the kids took all of their treats down to the dock to eat.
Camp Bandanas created a colorful runner for our table, and a Camp Party Centerpiece served as the focal point. Vases filled with tree clippings sat atop Wood Medium Round Centerpieces with Natural Pinecones, and lent to the natural setting of the party.
Place settings were made up of Faux Wood Paper Chargers, Camp Party Paper Dinner Plates, Pumpkin Orange Plastic Forks and more Camp Party Luncheon Napkins.
Each place setting also got its own Canteen, which we topped with a Printable Canteen Label. These canteens doubled as party favors that the kids could take home with them!
This party was such a hit! We hope that it's got you feeling the all camp vibes and that it's inspired you to treat your happy camper to a camping party of his own!
