Summer Garden Party

Host an outdoor Summer Garden Party with bright balloons, floral decor and picnic tables or blankets. Pack each child a picnic lunch in a fun container. Create flower pot desserts using Chewy Chocolate Squares, 8 large marshmallows (or 1 cup miniature), candy bugs, and green coconut grass. Have kids decorate Rice Krispies* flowers, go on a bug hunt, and play bug-themed games. After dessert, let children decorate their pots and plant a flower to take home. Remind parents that outdoor play may get kids a bit dirty.

• Decorate with picnic tables, balloons, and garden lanterns for a festive look.
• Serve each child a picnic lunch with sandwiches, veggie sticks, and a juice box in a container.
• Make flower pot desserts with Chewy Chocolate Squares, 8 marshmallows or 1 cup miniature, and candy bugs.
• Host games like a bug hunt, Rice Krispies* flower decorating, and bug-themed Red Light Green Light.
• Let kids decorate their own flower pots and plant a flower to take home as a goody bag.

Decorations:

Hold the party outside in your backyard. Have picnic tables or gingham blankets. Decorate with brightly coloured balloons and flowery decorations.

If the party is being held later in the day, use garden lanterns to light the space.

Food Suggestions:

Pack each child a picnic lunch. Use Chinese take-out containers (available at art supply stores) and fill with a sandwich, carrot and celery sticks and a juice box.

Rice Krispies* Treat:

Buy a small plastic flower pot for each child. Prepare Chewy Chocolate Squares recipe (In a Snap section) but add extra marshmallows (8 large-sized marshmallows or 1 cup of miniature). Mix in candy bugs like gummi worms. While the mixture is still warm, pack into flower pots. Top off with green coloured coconut for grass.

Tip: Colour the coconut by soaking in warm water with a few drops of food colouring for about 30 minutes. Dry on a paper towel.

Games Activities:

FLOWER POWER
Prepare Rice Krispies* Flowers (found in the Ideas that Pop section), but do not decorate. Provide children with decorations, like icing and sparkles. Once done, poke a hole and string through a rope and tie in a knot to make a tasty decoration.

BUG HUNT
Hide plastic bugs around the yard. Challenge the children to hunt the yard collecting bugs. The person with the most bugs wins.

BUG BOOGIE
Played like Red Light Green Light, but kids must move like whatever bug name is called out Worm, butterfly, bee, etc.

Goody Bags:

Once the flower pot dessert have been eaten, let the kids decorate their own flower pots, then have them plant a flower in the pot which they can take home.

Remember:

Let the parents know ahead of time that kids should wear clothes for outside — they may get dirty.