Lion King

Lion King Birthday Party Plan
by Diane Livingston
Tunes for Tots - Personalized Childrens Songs

Invitations:
Pick up your matching party invites at
http://thepartyworks.com/shop/index.php?sid=
& pwaff=&action=getcat&category=+Birthday+-
+Kids+Party+Supplies&subcategory=Lion+King+Friends

Tip:
To add a little extra to the invitation - take one of your napkins and fill it with Animal Cookies, pull up 4 corners and tie with curling ribbon. Attach cookies to the paper invite and hand deliver your invitations.

Decorating:
Balloons and steamers are always fun and with the colorful shades in the party ware pick at least two colors. Don't forget to purchase the table cloth and plates, napkins and cups from http://thepartyworks.com/shop/index.php?sid=&pwaff=&action=getcat&category=%2BBirthday%2B-%2BKids%2BParty%2BSupplies&subcategory=Lion%2BKing%2BFriends The colors you pick from your party ware there is now Boys and Girls party ware for The Lion King (which allows you more options).

Tip:
Wrap up your child's birthday gifts in tissue paper that matches the party theme Balloons and Streamers and set them on your table. Put your invite, and center piece on the table and take a picture with no one around. They make great keep sakes. Don't forget to take pictures of the favor bags and what you put in them too!

Cake:
Use your cake as the center piece. At CakeWorksCentral.com scrapbooks are a couple cakes you could use, there is a Lion cake and giraffe cake. At your local bakery since this is a current theme you might be able to get the edible cake topper or add little toys to decorate your cake. Either can keep them for toys for the birthday child or give one to each guest as part of their favor.

Tip:
Purchase a Lion King helium balloon - don't inflate. Then use it as your topper to your cake by adding a little spray vegetable oil to the balloon. This then can be kept as a keepsakes and hang it on your child's wall after the party is all over. P.S. Don't forget to wash it with soap and water to get off veggie oil and frosting.


Games activities:

- Adapt old traditional games is a rule of thumb - instead of pin the tail on the donkey - pin it on the lion or elephant.
- Peanut game - hide peanuts like an Easter Egg hunt and let the kids hunt for peanuts. Then purchase the orange candy kind - put them in a baggie and the person that find them is the grand prize winner. Award prizes according to who had the most, maybe the least and so on. As to be fair everyone should win, so create more categories by saying the fastest as an example.
- Toss peanuts into a funnel (which you call the Elephants mouth)

Tip:
I ordered erasers from Oriental Trading they were jungle animals. I used those for the treasure hunt and there for you would have a favor along with a game. I also made it a little harder because of the age of the kids - they had to hunt for their own color. So each child was assigned a color and off they went. That way everyone got the same amount.

Party Favors:
There are tons of Lion King products on the market - start first with Lion King Friends Tumbler cups from
http://thepartyworks.com/shop/index.php?sid=&pwaff=&action=getcat&category=%2BBirthday%2B-%2BKids%2BParty%2BSupplies&subcategory=Lion%2BKing%2BFriends and fill with candy - try and find Jungle appropriate candy (or bugs like gummy worms). There are so many jungle items on the market that you can find about anything from stickers, pencils, pens, and balls as an example. It should be easy to find exact Lion King items or jungle so that you stick to your theme. Another idea is to use the party hat as your favor bag!

At Discovery School's web site is a puzzle maker or Safari animals. http://puzzlemaker.school.discovery.com/
Giraffes, Zebra and Elephant to name a few. This would work as an activity also.

Misc:
Use cookie cuttes and make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Use the cookie cutters and make sugar cookies up ahead of time and have a contest to see who can decorate their cookie the best (one for an activity, one for the favor bag).

Masks printable on-line at http://www.activityvillage.co.uk/new_page_9.htm scroll down about 1/2 way, cat, lion and many more!