Dora the Explorer

Posted on Feb 1st 2016

Dora the Explorer
by shopgirlaudi
(Esmeralda Cavazos)
Written Exclusively for The PartyWorks.com

Join Dora in an adventure. Pack your backpack...let's go!

Invitations:
Buy your invitations or make your own using clip art off your computer. You can go to Nick Jr. and find lots of printables to incorporate into this theme. You can also find more ideas for games, activities and menus.
Make your own invitations. Draw a map and map out the plans for the party; I.e. date, time, place, etc.

Decorations:
Use magenta, green and turquoise. Use Dora party ware available at Party Works. Or go with solid colors using the party colors and mix and match to make your table setting. Use lots of green balloons to make the forest. Hang lots of green streamers to make tree vines. Decorate different areas to be different spots from the Dora show. You can make Blue Berry Hill: use a blue slide or improvise and cover with a blue blanket, cloth, etc. Tico's tree. Put a plush squirrel in a tree or print out a picture
of Tico to put in a tree or use a Tico doll, if you have one. Use a cardboard box or a playhouse or buy one of those big cardboard color houses ( $10 at Walmart ) for Dora's house. The kids can color this in as an activity.

Cake:
Use a Dora cake pan or buy Dora figures to use on your cake. Check out the Party Works cake decorations.

Food and Snacks:
Put out a bowl of Dora shaped cookies. You can find these at your grocery store. They are like Teddy Grahams except in Dora shapes.
Make chocolate covered bananas for Boots the Monkey.
Make ice cream cones from Coney Island.
Put out a basket of blueberry muffins from Blueberry Hill.
or
Have an all out Dora fiesta and serve crunchy tacos, chicken quesadillas, Dora's Spicy Pasta, cheese enchiladas, homemade tortilla chips, empanadas, postre de mango (mango mousse), arroz con leche (rice pudding), or Tinga de Pollo (chicken hash).
You can find all these recipes on the Nick Jr. site.

Goodie Bags and Prizes:
For a goody bag fill Dora party bags or a small drawstring backpack. Use Dora themed party favors; Dora bracelets, Backpack bubbles, Maps, and other Dora favors for goody bags or prizes. Fill the backpack with a pair of binoculars, a compass, a whistle necklace, a mini flashlight and a magnifying glass.

Games and Activities:
Pin the boots on Boots.

Dora Bingo. Make your own cards using Dora stickers on the squares.

Make Dora's bracelet using foam beads.

Make your own Dora Adventure. Print out maps and set your destinations. Set up the areas in your party area that you will need. Use some of the examples from above or...use a big foam puzzle to make Puzzle Bridge. Hide pieces along your "trail" for the kids to find and put back into place when you get to Puzzle Bridge. Make Rainbow Tunnel using a tunnel toy or make your own Rainbow Tunnel using a long box and painting it to look like a rainbow. Make a treasure chest for the end of the adventure. Make one using a big cardboard box and decorating it. Fill it with goodies for the kids to find ( this can be a pinata alternative), or hide the goody bags in here. You can also hand out the filled backpacks, if this is what you are planning on using, at the beginning of the adventure so the kids can use their "tools" on their trip.

Here is an example of what a friend did for her adventure:

Print out the Dora map. Put the destinations as Dora's House, Rainbow Tunnel, Treasure Chest.Get the kids together for their adventure and ask, "What do we need for our adventure"? They should reply, "Backpack"! Pass out the backpacks filled with the above listed contents. Ask, "Who do we need when we don't know which way to go"? They should reply, "Map"! Pass out the maps. Tell them, "Don't forget to keep your eye out for Swiper and yell 'Swiper.'" Go on to Dora's house. Here Dora's house
was one of those big cardboard coloring houses (Walmart $10). Ask them to help you color in Dora's house. Ask, "Is there any thing in your backpack we can use to color Dora's house?" Let them search their bags...crayons in bag. Give them time to color the house. Then off to Rainbow Tunnel. Ask them, "What can we use to keep our eye out for swiper?" Let them search their bags...binoculars in bag. Along the way someone shouts, "Swiper!" Have a plush Swiper or a picture or cutout hiding in
a tree, behind a bush, etc. When they kids spot Swiper, they all do the chant, "Swiper no swipping, etc." Swiper is holding a pair of plastic keys. Take them from him and go on your way. When you reach Rainbow Tunnel a huge bear is blocking the way. Here a large plush bear was used. You can substitute using something else. Ask, "What can we use to wake up the bear?" Let them search again...whistles in their bags. Blow whistles, bear wakes up. Remove bear. Say, "It's dark in Rainbow Tunnel.
What can we use to help us see?" Search...mini flashlights in bag. Turn on flashlights, crawl through tunnel. Treasure chest is at the end of Rainbow Tunnel. Ask, "What can we use to open the treasure chest?" Response, "Keys!" Use the keys you took back from Swiper. "Open" the treasure chest to reveal your goody bags, prizes, etc.

You can alter this adventure in many ways. If you watch the show you can use different areas or different endings. Whatever you would like and use different "tools" for the kids to use along the way. Good luck on your adventure