Play Create Explore: Pancake Birthday Party

L turned 2 on July 10th, and a few weeks before his birthday I was contemplating even having a party. He's only 2, so at this age, he doesn't fully understand the concept of a birthday or party in his honor. I finally decided on having a party, but I didn't want to go with the traditional birthday party. I wanted something a little bit more unique, relaxed, and special. I started to think about what L is really "into" these days. Well, when it comes to toys, games, cartoons, movies, etc...he's pretty much interested in whatever you put in front of him until he moves on to the next thing! BUT there is one constant in his little 2 year old life...

HE LOVES PANCAKES!

And so the party theme was born.

I went with a white and tan/goldish theme to represent pancakes and syrup. The image at the top (the cat pancake on the plate) were what I used for his birthday invitations. I printed that image on card stock and wrote his party details on the back! Super easy and cute!

The kitchen was the main focal point of the party, and therefore was really the only part of the house decorated.

The main table contained a simple centerpiece display.

The eggshell candles tied into the "breakfast" theme. They are super simple to make. Crack a few eggs, wash and dry them out, and add tea lights.

The donut sticks were a really big hit! The "sticks" were also edible! I used Pocky sticks (which can be found in the Chinese food isle at Walmart. They are chocolate cream covered biscuit sticks. They are pretty easy to break, so I stuck them in the fridge the night before the party so they were easier to work with that morning while putting on the donut holes. I needed something to firmly hold the donut sticks in place, and the Apple Cinnamon Cheerios I had came in pretty handy!

The focal point of the party...PANCAKES AND TOPPINGS OF COURSE!

Because I was expecting a pretty large crowd, making homemade pancakes was not the best option. I opted for frozen pancakes. These came in baggies of 24 pancakes, for around $3.00! It was so easy to heat up a big plate of them in the microwave for a minute or two and be ready for all the hungry party goers!

The toppings were of course the best part! I wanted as many as I could "afford" basically! haha! I made sure I had plenty of fruit toppings, as well as some fun toppings like gummy bears, marshmallows, sprinkles etc. and some healthy toppings such as granola, nuts, etc. and PLENTY OF SYRUP!

I also put out extra fruit so people could add a bit more variety to their breakfast

I had a few tables set up around the kitchen and living room. Each table contained some extra toppings as well as cookie cutters for the kids to make "pancake art"

Extra Activities

Besides the ceremonious "present unwrapping" I wanted the kids to have a little project that they could work on freely. From a huge cardboard box, I cut out several round "pancakes." I then provided the kids with lots of stickers and crayons so they could decorate their "pancakes" with crazy "toppings"

I didn't really get a great picture of this..but at every kid friendly party I host, I always cover at least one table with easel paper, and provide some crayons and lots of stickers. This provides a continuous extra activity for the kids and often the adults get in on it too!

More Pics from the Party!

The birthday boy and Daddy :)

Present time!

the birthday boy and mommy and daddy

My mom made THE PERFECT PANCAKES in my opinion

An awesome turnout! Lawson had so much fun with his friends and family! I couldn't have asked for a better day for my baby! well...not so much baby anymore :(