Last weekend we planned our kid’s birthday party, simple and outdoors. Mira turned five at the end of April. Up until now, her birthday parties have been mostly indoors. We were at the Tiny Greenhouse for her 3rd, and it was an extraordinary creative art party experience. But, this year, we waited for the weather to warm up a bit before inviting her school classmates to join in the celebrations.

For the entirety of this year, Mira has been into princesses, fairies, balloons, and birthday cakes. Although, this year we wanted to host a simple party, yet festive. Most importantly, striking a delicate balance between bash and doing things with less waste and low impact.

Where, When, What

We headed to our nearby neighborhood, Van Vorst Park, with a small lawn area with trees, flowering plants, and a picnic table.  We scheduled an evening Saturday party, which provides ample prep time. For the decorations, we mostly trusted the blue skies, green grass, and colorful flowers. We added a few Ornament globes, wood stars, Cloth Hearts to the Shrubs for a more decorative vibe. A dropcloth covered the picnic table, and flowers from our balcony with a few balloons marked the spot.  We hung a Pinata filled with goodies, and the kids had crazy 30 minutes breaking it open. We planned a few party games like Caterpillar Hunt and Toss the ring. And, when kids decided they were mostly not interested in them, they had their freedom, playtime, and friendship!

We set up quick bites from our favorite local place, Stella’s Empanadas, and a pie of Jimmy’s Brooklyn pizza for kids. Also, we placed a basket full of snack goodies for a nibble and juice for kids. We had a small stack of recycled paper cups, paper napkins, and compostable paper plates to keep our supplies minimum. We had tie-dye cupcakes and birthday cake from our local caterers Bread and Spoon, and we couldn’t be more fascinated with the splash of color.

Mira loves goodie bags and gifts for friends. We wanted to include something playful but not wasteful. We decided to have a small basket filled with colorful Jump Ropes with wooden handles.

That was it! The kids were able to run riotously, and they found free rein in their troupe. We did it differently this year, I guess! It wasn’t perfect but simply possible.

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