A Rawr-some idea

The heart of this business is sustainability. I want to start by saying this isn’t about making anyone feel guilty; David Attenborough does that for us. This is about sharing sustainable party ideas, inspiration, and ways to design our beautiful tables and chairs. When I have hosted parties in the past, what always makes me so stressed is the clean-up operation. I love planning, especially events; I feel a buzz when others may feel stressed. But, the aftermath, the bin bags, all the bin bags! Even if you have bought recyclable paper plates, they still need to be separated, and if you have purchased a set to match a theme, you may have been left with three or four, so they tend to join their friends in the recycling bin. If you are at a venue, you may want to get out of there quickly; your ears are ringing, the children are sugar-crashing, the guests have left, and only the faithful friends are helping clean up, so you make life easier for everyone involved; you grab that bin bag, and off you go. But there is another way. And it is just as easy as a bin bag. It’s a box, and I’ll clean it all for you. Over a series of blogs, I’ll share some simple party solutions to help you get your party on the go.

Let’s get down to prehistoric business.

Children love a theme, and the likelihood hood you’ve picked a theme because it is something your child already loves, so there may be an obsessive amount of these toys already in the home.

Take a good look around your home. What do you already have that you can use to decorate? A little can go a long way for children.

This party set-up was created using a bucket of dinosaurs, a wipe-clean tablecloth, tots pastel plate set and white wooden chairs.

• Bucket of Dinosaurs

• Preowned table cloth

• Egg shells

• Paint

I looked around our house and found the dinosaurs, and I already had the tablecloth from summer parties. Although the children regularly play with the dinos, putting them in a different set-up with the table and chairs created a new experience.

I mixed and matched the green and yellow plates to match the colour already in the dinosaurs and the tablecloth. That is simple and colourful, and nothing has gone in the bin. The dinosaurs can be played with during the party or used as place settings. They could be used as a party favour instead of the party bag as a bonus if you wanted to.

To add some decoration, I wanted to create some dino eggs. We painted them green with blue spots, and the children got involved, which killed two birds with one stone—making decorations for the party theme and keeping the children busy. It didn’t matter if each one was slightly different. I hid little chocolate eggs under them as an extra surprise, or you could easily use them for a dino egg hunt afterwards. Most importantly, these shells would end up in the bin anyway. Sustainable decorations at their finest. They are a little rustic, and I would suggest using acrylic paint. We used our green finger paints because the children decorated themselves, and I wanted an easy clean-up operation, but it depends on how polished you want the final look. This could also be used as a craft activity during the party if you wish for entertainment.

It is all reusable, the plates will be washed and reused, and the dinos will continue being played with for years. To top off the good news, I haven’t spent a penny to watch it disappear, and the children had a dino-mite time!