Adopt A Pet Party – kerricreates

Planning birthday parties for my kids is one of my absolute favorite things about being a mom. I love brainstorming ideas with them, scrolling Pinterest for decorations, games, food, and party tips, and ultimately, bringing their visions to life in a way that makes them feel loved, known, and celebrated. I usually start months ahead of time and I thoroughly enjoy the process from start to finish.

But I realize that not everyone thrives in the same way, and what is life giving to me, may not be life giving to the next person. That is one of the reasons I love blogging. I get messages from moms, thanking me for putting party ideas together so that all they have to do is purchase similar items, download my free printables, and set up their child’s party without all of the legwork. It brings me so much joy to know that I am making life easier for those who do not enjoy the creative process of party planning in the same way that I do.

Over the years, I have posted at least 15 different party themes, and I thought it was time to do a blogpost compiling all of these ideas into one for parents who are not sure what theme to go with and would like to browse through all of the parties I have put together over the years. Here is a list of all of the parties on my blog so that you can have quick links to get to each of them to see if any spark interest in your child. Happy party planning!

**PINK DINOSAUR PARTY** https://kerricreates.org/2016/06/12/pink-dinosaur-party/

In addition to these full party posts, I have 15 fun treats and activities that can be incorporated into some of your future parties.

**Rainbow Kabo**bs
https://kerricreates.org/2016/06/09/st-patricks-day-kabobs/

**My Little Pony Marshmallo**https://kerricreates.org/2017/10/03/my-little-pony-rainbow-dash-marshmallow-pops/**w Pops**

I hope that this post provided some fun inspiration for your upcoming events. Leave a comment to let me know what your next party theme is going to be!

My daughter just turned 8, and this year we decided on an Adopt A Pet (Beanie Boo Cats & Dogs) theme for her birthday party. I’m not sure what was more fun, preparing for the party, or the party itself. My daughter and I spent so much quality time planning and crafting together in the months before. Be sure to watch my video compilation (above) of the party.

Beanie Boos can be expensive so I started purchasing these little kittens and puppies early, taking advantage of the 60% off coupons from Michael’s as often as possible. We picked out 6 kittens and 6 puppies and then I set out to find a fence and fake grass. I used my Circut Expression 2 to make the “Adopt A Pet” banner and then did a little photo shoot to use as the cover of the invitations. #CommissionsEarned

I wanted to plan a fun activity for the beginning of the party while the guests were arriving, so I created a super fun game of Beanie Boo Bingo. I have included the pdf below if you want to print out this game to use for your child’s party.

Beanie Boo Bingo pdf

Once all of the girls arrived, I let them choose their pet to adopt. I was a little nervous about this part because each animal was different and I wasn’t sure if the girls would get their hearts set on one and be disappointed. I asked them to think about 2 or 3 that they would love to adopt and then said we would draw numbers to see what order they would choose. We let the birthday girl have the first choice and then went from there. Thankfully it all worked out and everyone was happy with their pet.

The girls got to sign an adoption certificate to make it official.

Here is the link for you to use. pet adoption certificate pdf

I purchased a dozen white gable boxes to use as pet houses, cut a hole in each for a door, and the girls got to decorate a house for their pet. This was such a fun activity and I love watching all of their creativity as they designed a sweet little space for their pet to live in. #CommissionsEarned

I set up another station for the girls to make a collar for their pet using pipe cleaners and beads. These Dollar Tree veggie trays were perfect for holding craft supplies. I have used them over and over for several projects and they have held up really well. Amazon has a wonderful assortment of pony beads and letter beads. #CommissionsEarned

I also made leashes and blankets for each of the pets. Click the links to purchase paw print ribbon and gold rings and clips. One spool of ribbon made 12 leashes. 1 yard of paw print fabric, 1/2 yard of puppy fabric, and 1/2 yard of kitty fabric made 12 small blankets about the size of a baby burp cloth. #CommissionsEarned

We played a couple of fun games. “Give The Dog A Bone” and “Pin The Tail On The Kitty.” I used poster boards to draw a Kitten and Puppy. Then I made three bone shaped bean bags, mounted the puppy on one of our corn hole pieces and cut a hole for the bean bags. These old fashioned party games were so much fun!

I kept the food pretty simple because we also had hot dogs and fruit for dinner. I collected yogurt cups in the months leading up to the party, then used a sharpie to draw a “fish” on half of them and a “bone” on the other half. I filled the cat dishes with Goldfish Crackers and the dog dishes with Scooby Doo bone shaped graham crackers. I covered two pieces of styrofoam with pink wrapping paper to display them on. The Dollar Tree was a goldmine for decorations and pet themed items. I found the large black dog dishes there and filled one with pretzels (sticks) and the other two with Trader Joe’s chocolate Cat’s Cookies. I also purchased three paw print jars from the Dollar Tree and filled them with candy, but you can find similar jars here. #CommissionsEarned The pink and teal hanging paper lanterns were 2 for a dollar as well, making the table setting very affordable. I have included a pdf of the cupcake toppers, activity signs, and “DIG IN” sign for you to print off from home. (see below)