Constuction Themed Birthday Party!

Recently, I wrote a HUB about how to throw the perfect John Deere Birthday Party. I figured while I was at it, I might as well tell you how to throw the perfect construction birthday party as well! As you know (if you read the John Deere Party Hub) my son, Nick, LOVES anything that has to do with heavy machinery. When he turned one, we figured a construction party was in order!

First of all, as most of you have probably figured out, first birthday celebrations are more for the parents than they are the child. Of course, you are creating memories (and hopefully taking a lot of photos) that you can share later in life. My wife and I figured it didn't matter if Nick remembered his first birthday celebration or not. We were out to have fun, eat good food, and celebrate our beautiful boy!

Once again, balloons and crepe paper were used as main party decorations. Can you say cheap but affective! Balloons are inexpensive (especially if you purchase them at an on-line discount store and have them blown up the day of the party). The colors for the construction themed party were yellow, orange, white, bue and green (your basic color selection). My wife went crazy at the dollar store and purchased crepe paper and plastic table cloths. She was also able to find an adorable t-shirt that read "I did being one!" How appropriate! Dollar Stores are truly a gift! If you are planning a child's birthday party, I highly recommend you locate one in your neck of the woods!

Also at the dollar store were plastic dump trucks! Perfect! We purchased several dump trucks of various sizes and used them for a variety of things. In the large dump truck, we placed the eating utensils. Smaller dump trucks were simply used as decorations. Not only were the plastic dump trucks inexpensive, they were a huge hit with the party guests! I guess a little imagination does go a long way!

When it came to food, we decided that pizza was appropriate (since the party was large). Along with pizza, we also had punch, fruit, chips, assorted dips and veggies. My wife made her fabulous cupcakes with butter cream icing and put a dump truck pick in each one.  We also had a small but separate birthday cake so that Nick could "go to town" (and trust me, he did!).

There are many (and when I say MANY, I mean it) discount, on-line party supply stores out in cyber-world. If you take your time and shop around, you can truly find some amazing things! Each child that attended the construction party received a "safety cone" cup. These were a huge hit and did not cost an arm and a leg.

The children that attended the party loved drinking from the bright orange construction cones…and I must admit that I saw some adults drinking out of them as well! I also purchased a bulldozer piñata. Though Nick was too young to actually participate in the destruction of the piñata, he did enjoy hunting for the candy that fell out of it! As for balloons, we decorated using mostly latex, however, we did have a few construction themed mylar balloons as well. The goodie bags that were given out at the end of the party included simple construction themed items such as coloring books, crayons, truck stickers and small plastic construction toys. Oh and before I forget, head down to your local hardware store and purchase a spool of bright yellow caution tape! Caution tape is PERFECT to use as a decoration!

If you know of a little boy that loves bulldozers and dump trucks, consider throwing him a construction themed birthday party! Decorations are easy to find (think Dollar Store) and this party won't drain your bank account. Once again, use your imagination and see what you come up with! Good Luck and Happy Birthday!