4th birthday dinosaur party

It poured with rain all day for William's 4th birthday party but that didn't stop the delight of a dinosaur party! There were party hats, dinosaur jellies, pizza sticks, popcorn, a dinosaur piñata and an amazing dinosaur excavation dig birthday cake to enjoy. William's Mum Vanessa shares with us her tips and tricks for a four-year-old boys' dinosaur birthday party...

Party: William’s 4th Birthday
Organised by: Vanessa, William’s mum
Location: At home, Sydney
Theme: Dinosaurs



Invitation: T Rex Dinosaur invitations that I made myself.

Cake: Donna Hay-inspired Dinosaur cake. This really formed the inspiration for the party. It was a fabulous 400mmx400mm chocolate cake from Zest Patisserie decorated with a plywood dinosaur, liquorice fence and flake chocolate bars.

Party food: My approach to children’s food in general is to keep it simple, nutritious and minimise scary colours and additives, except for a few treats. I made Donna Hay pizzas-on-a-stick - these were super-easy and quite filling. I also made homemade popcorn in individual cups, jelly in baking cups tppped with The Natural Confectionery Co. dinosaurs, handmade gingerbread men from Zest Patisserie, watermelon balls, grapes and sea salt chips.

Decorations: Paper Eskimo bunting - I have used this bunting a few times and although tedious to string together, they pack down to nothing to use another time. Wooden cutlery, Paper Eskimo party hats and paper straws, IKEA paper cups, plates and napkins. Dinosaur Piñata.

Birthday Boy Wears: Seed jeans, Ralph Lauren Polo, Witchery Kids cardigan, Converse sneakers.

Games/activities: Wet weather curbed a few planned outdoor activities such as an archaeological dig in the sand pit. We moved the Dinosaur Piñata under cover and played pass-the-parcel indoors. The prizes were plaster dinosaur eggs which you dig to undercover dinosaurs.

Tips: Have a plan B for wet weather. We were glad we continued with the party despite the weather. Also, start scouting around for interesting decorations, prizes etc a few months before the party. You will find better things without the stress of doing it all the day before. Also, be prepared to cheat a little to take the stress off you. I kept the menu fresh and simple and organised for Zest Patisserie to supply the plain base chocolate cake. I then simply made the plywood Dinosaur (a few weeks ahead) and decorated it the night before.

Something special: William saw the bare cake in the box the day before his party. He was so excited to see the transformed Dinosaur cake the next morning!

Images: Steph Bond-Hutkin | Bondville