As much as I enjoy planning birthday parties for my children, I don’t enjoy all the disposables that tend to go along with it; one time use candles, plastic ware and table covers, mangled blowers and party hats (that last about as long as it takes to blow out the one time use candle), non-recyclable goody bags filled with trinkets (that hold the attention of my children for about the length of the car ride home)…
Even though our birthday parties wouldn’t be classified as “green” I have tried to reduce the amount of waste our parties generate. After all, Reduce is the first part of the green mantra Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.
One area I have focused on is the Goodie Bag.
Instead of “traditional” plastic bags filled with candy and trinkets, I try to have theme-based items or crafts.
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Last year we held my son’s party at a local gym. Each child received their own reusable water bottle to use at the party and then take home with them.
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The goodie “bag” at my daughter’s last party was an actual flower pot containing a bag of seeds.
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For my son’s Cowboy-themed party each child received a hat and bandana to wear during the party. They also made stick ponies for the stick pony race. These items then became the “goodie bags”. Both my son and daughter have used the items as part of a Halloween costume as well as for everyday pretend play. If the items are still in good shape after they are done with them I plan to donate them to our daycare.
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A while back we were invited to a bowling party where the kids each received a bowling shirt as their “goodie bag". To this day, every time my son goes bowling he dons that bowling shirt.
Our “goodie bags” may not be totally “green” but I hope they are items that the kids use and enjoy and don’t immediately discard.
Do you have other alternatives to goodie bags you would like to share with us? Leave your ideas in the comment section. We love comments.
You can find Lena trying to live a greener life at OverCoffee
(picture from Oriental Trading Company)
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Great ideas!
Our family has established a fun tradition (a product of my sentimentality, but the green-ness is a wonderful bonus); when we celebrated my son's first birthday, I couldn't bear to part with the little "1" candle.
So, I saved! I saved the "2" candle, and the "3"!
And I reuse them; whenever any of our family members has a birthday we dig through the bag and find the needed numbers. When my husband turned 41, we used that special "1"…and on my son's 10th birthday, that same little "1" candle was on his cake.
Frugal AND nostalgic!
This is a great idea! I love the creativity and thought you have put into the various gifts you provide at these events!
Thank you Jeni!
I was so glad to see this! My twins turn 7 on the 8th of November and I'm having their party on Oct 26th so we can *hopefully* have it outside at a pumpkin patch. They provide pumpkins and paint to decorate. If the weather is bad we are having it at a local pizza place but I've made arrangements with the patch to still pick up pumpkins for the kids and we'll use cut out paper to decorate instead. I was worried this wouldn't be an exceptable "goodie bag" but now, after seeing this, I know it will be awesome!
Thanks for the comment Sundi. Glad to "help".
I think the pumpkin patch birthday and "goodie bag" both sound like great ideas!
Hope your sons have a very Happy Birthday!
Aha the loathsome party pack – why are these fashionable – who actually likes them? – The hideous thing is when we go to a party we often come home with se7en bags of junk – the host often feels sorry that some one might feel left out… no I don't think so!!! I love when people take the time to think up some wonderful useful gift to go, especially something the kids have created themselves!
I recently wrote a post on party packs with a couple of more resourceful ideas and you can check it out on my "practical party" page.