DIY Eco-Friendly Woodland Themed Party

A woodland themed party is a fun way to encourage children to bond with nature. An enchanted forest party is best hosted outside where nature’s magic is abundant… with no trace of commercialism.

Woodland parties have been trending for a while now. And for good reason. Themes surrounding nature, forest animals, fairies, and gnomes put classic themes back into party planning.

We’re of the mindset that ALL parties and holidays should respect our resources. So, when it comes to a woodland or forest party, you’ll want to be extra mindful of not just creating a consumerism fest in the name of cute squirrels and foxes. Here are some adorable ways to host an eco-friendly woodland themed party.

WOODLAND THEMED PARTY INVITATIONS

Choose an enchanted forest theme e-vite or opt for a printable invitation like these adorable woodland theme downloads from Etsy. Print on recycled card stock.

ECO-FRIENDLY ENCHANTED FOREST DECORATIONS

Create a warm and welcoming picnic-style seating area outside. Use what you have (notice there’s not a lot of matchy-matchy on the place settings above) and forage for nature’s own decorations like pinecones and wildflowers.

Build the magic with specially selected decorations or ‘gifts’ from the fairies and mark a special forest trail, backyard nook, or park with woodland hints of magic. Outdoor Fairy Doors or Fairy Windows make an easy, reusable, and unique way to intrigue party guests.

Lead children on a fairy walk, scavenger hunt, or eye-spy and watch how engaged and happy they are!

WOODLAND THEMED PARTY FOOD & DESSERT

Sure, parties are a fun time to have treats, but there’s no need for an entire table full of sugar-laden junk. Fruits (and dried fruits), berries, seeds, and trail mixes are healthy yet festive snacks for a party set in nature. Ants on a log, pretzel sticks labeled as twigs, and chocolate acorns make super cute woodland party foods.

This Magical Forest Floor “Tea Cake” from Must Love Herbs is the perfect bright, fresh, and sweet dessert. The cake itself is a buttermilk pound cake. It is not overly sweet and the icing is a creamy version of traditional buttercream.

The vanilla beans add a lovely depth to the sweetness that brings it all together. The cake is decorated with foraged grape hyacinths, chamomile and phlox. The top of the cake is decorated with green colored cake crumbs to give the look of a mossy forest floor. Find the recipe in this Instagram post.

These darling cupcake holders are inspired by a Norwegian children’s book called “Den lille REVEN/The little FOX.” The book is about the two little foxes that live in a cottage together with their mum and dad in a place called Strawberry Fields.

Instead of plastic straws, choose these birch paper straws. Speaking of birch, how cute are the birch wood cupcake wrappers above?

And while we don’t necessarily have the skills to DIY this one, it feels like amazing inspiration for any forest themed party. This darling hedgehog cake by KBCakes Bakery is creative, sweet, and will definitely make your little guests smile.

ENCHANTED FOREST PARTY ACTIVITIES

If you live near, or have access to, a wooded area, a scavenger hunt is a special way to unite older kids with nature.  You can also try leaf rubbing, nature trivia Q & A, or just a hike in the woods.

Younger children will love a Fairy Walk where they travel through nature to see what magical “gifts” the fairies might have left behind. On our Fairy Walk, we set up gifts in advance that the fairies left in the forest to show they are happy living in the trees and to also work as an eye-spy game to keep the young guests engaged. The length of the trail or forest walk would depend on ages and time-frame…our walk lasted about 10 minutes for each guest which was perfect for 4 and 5 year olds. Every 10 feet there was a gift left by the fairies.

There was a tea set in an abandoned tree house built into the forest, felt acorn capped ornaments hanging from branches, a beautiful fairy house borrowed from a friend, wooden bird houses hanging in branches, a bucket of wooden wands that each little girl enjoyed keeping, and our favorite – the outdoor fairy door.

WOODLAND THEMED ETHICAL / SUSTAINABLE FAVORS

Loot bags are the last thing party guests remember about their special day with the fairies! Don’t fill the bags with cheap plastic toys. Instead include a special felted gift to bring the magic home. Felted toadstools, rings, and ponytail holders are practical and fun for party guests to find in their take-home bags.

Woodland parties are perhaps the most fun of adults to plan because within the heart of every parent is a little ‘Peter Pan Syndrome’ – believing in fairies and never wanting to grow up.  Inspire the real magic and savor the traces of magic that stay long after your guests go home.