Most boys (and some girls) love bugs! So when Nick turned two years old my wife and I decided to throw him a bug themed birthday party! I must say that the party was a HUGE success and Nick still talks about it to this day. In fact, he loved his bug themed party just as much as he loved his John Deere Tractor Birthday Party and I honestly didn't think that was possible! Throwing a bug birthday party is easy as there are many different bug-type products on the market that you can buy in order to make your party a success. With a little imagination and a lot of bugs (fake, of course) you too can put together a bug party that will have your guests talking for months.

When searching for party supplies I always turn to three different sources (the internet, the local dollar store and my neighborhood party supply store). I don't believe that you have to spend a ton of money in order to throw a fun and successful birthday party. Trust me, all you have to do is turn on your imagination and get creative! I usually decide on a color scheme when planning a birthday party (for example, my Niece's Strawberry Shortcake Party colors were red, pink, white and green). Well, since bugs come in all different colors I decided that there would be no particular color scheme for this party (which makes choosing plates, utensils, balloons and crepe paper that much easier). Below is a list of basic supplies that I purchased for the bug party.

• Plastic red and white checkered table covers (gave the room a picnic/buggy feel)
• Plates, utensils, cups (basic party supplies – assorted colors)
• Two dozen latex balloons (assorted colors) and several bug shaped Mylar balloons
• Crepe paper (assorted colors)

If you are on a budget (and most of us are) be sure to buy lots of crepe paper and latex balloons. Both of these items are inexpensive and give you more bang for your buck! I almost always decorate with fresh flowers (which I purchase for a great price at the local grocery store), however, for the bug party, my wife purchased some fake, felt flowers at the craft store and made her own centerpieces! The felt flowers were perfect as each one had different types of bugs glued to them (see picture) and each flower only cost $1.29! Not bad!

As for the cake, my wife purchased a yellow sheet cake with chocolate icing. She asked that the cake be left clean (a blank slate…so to speak) so that we could decorate it ourselves. We shopped for plastic bugs on-line and found a toy company that sold them by the bag full! We decorated not only the cake with plastic bugs…but the cupcakes as well! We also froze some bugs in ice cubes and had them floating in the punch bowl (as you can imagine, the kids were thrilled!). We also hid plastic bugs around the house (under couch cushions, in the bathroom and even in the refrigerator).

There were a few "buggy" extras at this party that made it really special. For example, I found a company online that sells all types of "bug themed" t-shirts. I wore a shirt that had a huge fly on the front while Nick wore a shirt that was covered with assorted bugs. You get the idea. As for games, my wife and I hid approximately 150 fake, plastic bugs in our back yard. Each child received a "bug catcher kit" (which we purchased at the dollar store) and the child that found the most bugs…won! We also had a spider game in which the kids had to throw rings around the spider's legs and a giant bug piñata.  As for goodie bags…well, they were filled with all types of buggy goodness (bug candy, bug coloring books, plastic bugs, etc).

Overall, the bug birthday party was a huge success and fun was had by all! I love to pick a party theme that isn't "commercial." I find that when you have a basic theme, it is much easier to find decorations (and they cost MUCH less!). When you throw a birthday party that has a commercial theme (for example, Scooby Doo) you end up paying more for the character plates, cups, etc. In order to throw a fun birthday party for your child, all you have to do is turn on your imagination! After all, birthday parties are all about creating memories that you and your family will treasure for a life time!