5 Yr Old Golden Birthday

We did a going away present for a teacher and used a terra cotta pot. I got them at Michael's They have a ton of different sizes and coupons in Sun paper or you could get the pots elsewhere. But right next to them they had a special paint designed to use on them. They may want to put them outside eventually so you don't want it to wash right off. It was a lot of fun designing it so the kids should love it. Maybe something like Gerbera Daisies since they are bright and colorful would be fun and can grow indoors. Cute idea!

I used to have a dirt cake every year. We always put it in a plastic flower pot and I did layers of crushed oreos and ice cream. Let the ice cream soften so it is easier to work with. You can also use pudding instead of ice cream. Then add worms throughout (they will be frozen if use ice cream). Once I had all the layers done it went in the freezer and was taken out about 10 minutes before scooping. I also put fake flowers in the dirt on top, just be careful if use candles too, we caught the flowers on fire one year. They also make candy rocks that can be great to put on top.

If you want plants instead of seeds, you can always plant the seeds a few weeks ahead of time so you have small seedlings. Also if you go the plant route, check Home Depot or Lowe's, a lot of time they have a sale rack in the back and you can get 6 packs of plants for 25 or 50 cents and they usually just need a little water and are good to go. I think they seeds would be great. Small sunflowers, pansies, or marigolds are a few I can think of. Maybe pick a few kinds and they can even mix and match a little.

It sounds like a lot of fun and what a great idea!

This is a great idea! I would look into things that grow well in pots and don't need a lot of sun as in August, sun and warmth will be dying down. I think if you go the seed route it's fine. My daughter (2) just attended an Easter party where they planted in little pots and she LOVED it! She has watered and tended to those little seeds regularly and was thrilled when seedlings came up!

Also, since you mentioned it was a golden birthday...I think it would be super cute to spray paint all the pots with some gold paint first then the kids could go over them with paints of other colors (I also like puffy paint...easy to use and not too messy). You could also try and buy flowers that will grow into yellow and gold colors (maybe mums, but I'm not sure what kind of growing conditions they need). You can also find tons of solid color napkins, plates, etc. that I'm sure they make in gold. You can also buy gold "mardi gras" necklaces at party supply shops. Check out Oriental Trading Co. and US Toy. Both have competitive prices on that kind of stuff and you can order on line. Also OTC has lots of specials they run if you get on their mailing list. These are just suggestions...I LOVE a good theme party! Your plant ideas are a great start, though! Have fun and Happy birthday!

We always did chocolate pudding, then a layer of chunky crushed Oreo's the poked the gummy worms in it with just a bit poking out. We put it in clear drink cups so you can see the layers.

If you google it you may come up with a different recipe though.

I want to come! LOL Sounds like a lot of fun.

Acrylic paints should be fine for the pots don't you think?

As for the plants---pansies? Or geraniums? What about aloe plants for the kitchen?

Dirt recipe: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Dirt-Cake-I/Detail.aspx

No info regarding plants to plant ~ no green thumb here!

But as for the Mud dessert, you can really be as creative as you want to be with it. You basically alternate pudding and crumbled cookies, layer after layer. You can add the gummy worms throughout the layers, or have them poking out the top of the dessert. If you use a clear bowl for the Mud (even an inexpensive clear plastic bowl), you will be able to see all the "dirt" layers and worms throughout. I have used oreos, nilla wafers, chocolate chip cookies, really just about anything, and use your favorite pudding flavors! You can really mix and match to your liking! It's super simple, and super cute for a planting party!

And putting it in individual clear cups is a great idea!!!

Sounds like fun! To paint the pots I would get some acylic paint pens from the craft store or walmart. They will be less messy than regular acrylic paint. They come in lots of colors. They are also fine tipped so that will help painting the small area.

A local farm around here lets the kids do their own planting for their Earthday celebration. They always let the kids choose beans or sunflowers. The lady told me that the seeds are larger and easier for kids to handle. And those plants are hearty and grow easily and quickly.

And here's a great recipe for dirt cake...my son loves it. We have served it in plastic sand buckets on occasion and used the shovel to scoop it out. It's also been served out of the back of a plastic truck too. :)
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Dirt-Cake-I/Detail.aspx

Cool, cool idea! I would plant a plant - kids that age might like to see something at once. You can get a lot of baby plants and have them repot them, put some glass stones on top for decoration and to keep soil moist.
If you do want seeds, maybe you can germinate some bean seeds in a moist towel, and have them plant them like in science class. It's cool how the seed pod comes up on the first leaves, and they grow pretty fast.