I cannot believe I’m already writing this post as it seems like it was just a few days ago that I was going into labor and delivering my sweet boy into the world. But here we are, Hayden’s first birthday. I was really excited to plan his first birthday party and when deciding the theme I took to Pinterest. I found “Wild One” and although I loved the idea I didn’t love the ideas that were already out there for decor so I decided to take things into my own hands and develop an outdoorsy, sophisticated version of “Wild One”. My son’s friends and cousins are all in preschool and elementary school so I had to come up with fun, interactive activities that fit with the theme and given the fact that the party is in November, that could be done inside. This was a bit of a challenge but I came up with some fun activities that I think you’ll love. Let’s dive into each element and give you a few ideas of your own to pull of your child’s wild party!

All of the pictures are from the amazing Shayna Thompson- if you’re local to the Middle Tennessee area, be sure to give her a call!

DECOR

I found the plaid wrapped trees at Target for $3 each in the Dollar Spot. I found the animals at Walmart and Target for $1 each. The wooden signs were from Target and the words are vinyl. The “One” balloon was from Target as well as the DIY wreaths. I had the trees, we got the banners & balloon arch from Marketplace and I got all my photos for free on the Shutterfly app! If you order through the app, any 4x6's and 5x7’s are FREE (excludes shipping).

Food

I was so excited about hosting a brunch because, who doesn’t like brunch?! It’s perfect for adults and kids so you’re bound to please your guests. Elevate your look with a bit of butcher paper, a runner, dish clothes in cast iron pans, cake plates and wooden trays. We served waffles, chicken bites with Chick-Fil-A sauce (hint: get the chicken bites from Sam’s club & sauce from Walmart), sausage balls, biscuits, this delicious gluten & dairy free egg bake, and ‘tater bites. For dessert I did pumpkin pie bites (inspiration here), gluten/dairy free coffee cake, gluten/dairy free brownie bites and chocolate moose (IKEA). As you can see above, the pumpkin pie bites, while adorable, were a bit of a mess. If you want to do this and cut them out of the pie, go for it, but make sure your pie is cold and you put the whipped cream on as you’re setting them out for serving otherwise it will melt very quickly and create a sloppy, creamy mess. The main cake was a 4 layer chocolate cake with buttercream frosting. I used the bears to create paw prints on top of the cake, the bears are from Hobby Lobby.

Activities

Activities pictured:

Fishing Game

Need: 4 big buckets, 4 small buckets, 4 fishing nets (these were from the fish care section at Walmart), plastic fish and instructions. This was such a hit with the bigger kids!

Animal Dig

Need: A sensory table or buckets low to the ground, corn or birdseed, plastic animals, shovels and instructions. Let the kids go to town and dig for animals. This was such a great sensory activity for the younger kids! Tip: Get a broom or shop vac ready for the end of the party.

Cabin Building

Lincoln logs and a play mat. This was a really fun activity for all of the kids. Simple and easy to clean up.

Art Table

I have a few kiddos who really love their art projects so I made sure to have that set up. I did a homemade ornament and all you need is string, a fun shape punch, markers, a hole punch, glue and construction paper. Cut into thick strips, fold in half and punch the top half with your big shape. have them layer the string under the shape and decorate it as they please. Glue the edges closed and then punch the top with your hole punch, run a string through and they have an ornament. I also made coloring sheets on Canva ad printed them out for them to color.

Birthday Book Signing

I love saving memories and this is a great way to do that for your kid’s birthdays. I got the Dr. Seuss Birthday book and I will have his friends and family sign it every year for the foreseeable future so that he can see the people who love him and have showed up for him throughout the years.

Happy Birthday party planning! If you have any questions, DM me on Instagram (@riley_quin) or send me an email - riley@rileyq.com.

xoxo - Riley