Lucky ONE! Party
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It’s the luckiest FIRST BIRTHDAY ever! 🍀
Irish or not, you can celebrate that little March birthday in good green style! No matter what the age, this is a super cute St. Patty’s Day party for that little “lucky one” in your life.
photo credit: Martina Picciau @cippicippiphoto
VENUE
Since the name of this game is “go green”, then you can pretty much do this party anywhere you find green grass; your backyard or a park with play structures. That is if whether is permitting. March can be tricky, so it’s best if you have a backup plan. Even a covered porch or empty garage works if you throw down some artificial grass like this or tiles like these, or any fake turf you find at your local home improvement store. (PRO TIP: Artificial turf can be reused for a football party or even your next camping trip!)
Enjoy instant access; edit with Corjl and print today. Comes in green, pink, and blue!
INVITATIONS
We’re using this design for Payton’s first birthday party, so I chose ribbons and gingham for their classic cute charm (just like her!). The “Lucky ONE” and shamrocks are styled in happy-go-lucky green ribbon and you get your choice of the gingham background in pretty pink, light blue, or a clover green. This design is light and fun for any little one! These print as 5x7” invitations and include an optional 4x3” insert card.
Plus, this comes with an envelope liner and BONUS 4 different patterned papers. Shamrocks and gingham for everyone!
FOOD & DRINK
Of course you know how to Google “green” or “rainbow” party food for St. Patty’s Day. But here’s our menu specially selected for really little ones. We won’t be having a main course; this is an afternoon party between lunch and dinner, and working around naptime! So we really want to keep it simple and easy to eat (and clean up after).
If you do want to offer a main course, try a “green” version of your fave breakfast foods, like pancakes and even scrambled eggs. A little green food coloring goes a long way!
MUNCHIES
Green Fruit ’n Veggie Tray; kiwi, green grapes, Granny Smith apple slices, pears, snap peas, zucchini sticks, and broccoli “trees” all work well for this. A cream cheese and marshmallow dip goes great with the fruit and a ranch dip is classic for veggies.
Guac Chips with Guacamole; we love the El Sabroso Guacachips and they come in little snack packs! Perfect for little party-goers on the move. And everyone knows someone who makes the “best” guacamole. Ask them to bring it – they’re usually happy to share (one less thing for you to make)! And this is my favorite “party size” guacamole keeper.
Prepworks by Progressive Fresh Guacamole ProKeeper
Goldfish, of course; um, I’m pretty sure all kids like Goldfish crackers. Even the ones with serious food aversions! And they’re gold, so that makes them perfect for the pot ’o gold at the end of the rainbow. Serve them in a black witch’s “cauldron” (that you saved from Halloween) or offer them in handy snack packs.
Rainbow Jell-O Cups; it’s a rainbow in a cup! Plan ahead to give yourself enough time to make these. Head on over to Yummy Healthy Easy to see how Jen does it. I love these little cups with a GOLD rim! Perfect.
Rainbow Jello Cups from Jen at yummyhealthyeasy.com
DRINKS
Apple Cider; you can do sparkling in a beverage dispenser (this one is a favorite because it’s comes two on a stand AND it’s economical) or do individual cans like these from Tree Top.
Green Gatorade; also known as “green apple” Gatorade. These are great for any age, especially if kids are running around using up all that party energy! Gatorade is even good watered down.
Green Sodas & Bottled Water; soda’s not for the littles, of course, but it’s always good to keep these on hand. Just go for the sodas with green labels, like 7-Up and Sprite, and keep them all in a tub of ice out of reach for the tiny tots.
And Rainbow Straws make any party drink even better!
Luckydo Biodegradable Striped Paper Straws 100-pack
DESSERT
Green Velvet Cupcakes; Stephanie over at Plain Chicken has a good (and easy!) recipe. Go check ’em out.
Rainbow Cupcakes; Google and YouTube are a good place to start. I have made these before, and like the Jell-O cups, you just have to give yourself enough time. I used gel food coloring to color portioned cake batter (boxed white) and pastry bags to layer small amounts of batter for each cupcake.
Either way, gingham cupcake liners are the perfect match for this little party!
Printable and editable pennant banner available in my Shop!
DECORATIONS
PRINTABLE PENNANT BANNER
This pennant banner matches the invitations and is editable and printable! Find it in my shop. You get pink, green, and blue; use one color or mix ’em up for variety. Edit the text and duplicate pages so your banner says whatever you want! You could do “WELCOME” or “KISS ME I’M IRISH” or just “HAPPY BIRTHDAY!”. (The pennant banners come pre-edited with “LUCKY 1”.)
GINGHAM BACKGROUND (PHOTO OPP)
An easy and fun way for guests to interact is with a little photo opp wall. We’re doing a gingham background, which sounds complicated but is sooo not! Turns out, gingham is just 4 squares made up of 3 colors and repeated. Use inexpensive cardstock in the shades that match your party. We’ll use cherry, pink and white. Gaffers Tape and Removable Glue Dots come in handy with this project. As always, test on your surface first to make sure the adhesive won’t cause damage. Check out Oh Happy Day and Lovely Indeed for detailed instructions using the paper square method. Or follow these basic steps:
Paper chains and curling ribbon are inexpensive and easy to use for decorations!
EASY ACCENTS
Paper chains are easy to make and come in any color combination that floats your boat. Of course, you can cut your own strips out of construction paper with a paper trimmer or try these pre-cut strips in 12 assorted colors. Perfect for a rainbow chain!
Curling ribbon is good for more than gift-wrapping. Cut in various lengths and curl. Then scatter around like confetti. Little ones love to touch and feel it and it’s not quite the choking hazard that is traditional confetti! Again, choose your own color combination with these and this black and white gingham is a great accent.
A little green goes a long way!
GREENERY
Live clover is an ideal complement to this party theme! And families can take a little pot of clover home as a thank you gift. Visit your local Dollar Store and nursery for little pots, soil, and clover plants.
And remember that artificial turf we talked about for the venue? Guess what. It’s also great for a table runner!
Instant download available in my shop!
ACTIVITIES
Printable Activity Pages: The set includes a word search, an I Spy page, and a Find Your Leprechaun Name sheet. These are best for kids who can read and write but are also great for parents who want to do these with their little ones. Go get ’em in my shop!
And Click HERE for the FREEBIE Rainbow Maze!
Photo Opp: Remember that gingham wall for decoration? It’s really for a photo opp spot. Stick an extra chair there along with good green props from the Dollar Store and let everyone have a turn taking pics!
Gold Coin Treasure Hunt: Weather permitting, have the kids do a treasure hunt for gold coins (chocolate or plain plastic) and money mints in the lawn. They’ll need baggies (or mini cauldrons, again from Halloween) for collecting their coins. Then they can either “cash them in” for a prize or simply take their treasure home for safe keeping.
If weather is not cooperating, a Prize Punch-Out is a fun way to let the kids grab for their treasure. Check out Grey House Harbor for good instructions on how to make this clever alternative to a piñata. I especially like how she used a box from some packaging that would have gone to recycling.
A little something for everyone!
PARTY FAVORS
For the wee little ones: Rubber Duckies with a tag that says “Lucky Duck”. (Especially if you want to avoid giving sweets to the really young ones.)
Click for the FREEBIE favor tags!
For the chiselers (children): Lucky Charms cereal cups with a label that says “We thank our Lucky Stars for you!” (These are good for a snack right from the cup or you can make them wait until morning to have them for breakfast.)
And for the lads and lasses (teens): Fun size Skittles candy with a tag that says “Taste the Rainbow and Thanks for Coming”. (Or go with the movie theater style “boxed” version, if you’re feeling extra generous!)
As luck would have it, this is a sweet green party for anything from a First Birthday to a classic March 17th celebration.
Erin go Bragh!
