Ultimate Guide for an Autumn Birthday Party _The trees spoke to one another softly. “Wisha, wisha, wisha,” they said. “Wisha, wisha, wisha!”_ – Enid Blyton, The Magic Faraway Tree (1943) Remember that marvellous slippery-slip slide that took readers from Moonface’s circular treehouse room all the way to the forest floor via a trapdoor? Talking trees, colonies of imps and elves, nimble fairies with translucent wings, sly foxes, wise owls, squirrels with aprons and bunnies called Bobtail, nothing captures a little girl’s imagination like the forests of folklore and fairy tale. And never is the wood more magical than in autumn, when carpets of crisp orange and rust-coloured leaves rustle underfoot, hedgehogs start hibernating, red apples never fall far from trees, and conkers with prickly green shells drop from branches, ripe for the roasting. / So, if you’re planning an autumn birthday party, why not go wild and make it a woodland wonderland? Outdoor autumn party games and activities include scavenger hunts in nature, hide-and seek among the trees, leaf-blowing competitions, apple bobbing, den-making, twig collecting, and crown-making. And if arts and crafts float the birthday girl’s boat, nothing will butter her nut quite like pumpkin carving or cupcake decorating. / AUTUMN BIRTHDAY PARTY GAMES A NATURE SCAVENGER HUNT Arm each child with a list of what they’ll find in the woods or garden - bugs, bluebells, bramble, pinecones, dandelions and dried leaves, for example. Give them a basket, bag or treasure box, set a time limit and set them off to scavenge. Offer prizes for completing the list. For younger children: Turn the scavenger hunter into a ‘follow the fairy’ trail. Hang fairies from the branches of trees or lead children with lanterns, toadstools, elves, and angels to a magical tree where the fairies are said to sleep. BONKERS FOR CONKERS If you’re lucky enough to have a horse chestnut tree growing in your garden, and if your bugged out by creepy crawlies, put conkers on the scavenge list instead. While playing conkers is not always a good idea for smaller girls, separating the seeds from their prickly green skins has its own rewards. Plus, parents of partygoers can take them home and put them in their children’s cupboards to prevent moths from getting to their clothes. (Horse chestnut seeds contain a chemical called triterpenoid saponin that acts as moth-repellent.) FOREST HIDE AND SEEK One player with a torch[HR1] becomes ‘It’ and counts while everyone else hides. The goal is to evade the light. If a player is caught in the torch’s beam, they are out. The last person caught by the beam wins and plays ‘It’ next. Take care they don’t shine the light directly into each other’s eyes. THE LEAF BLOWING GAME The children blow a leaf across a table with a straw. (If possible, choose sustainably produced, recyclable paper straws to respect nature while benefiting from its bounty.) The first one across the table is the winner. You can arrange this in a round-robin fashion, and write party participants' names on their racing leaf of choice, to prevent the game from descending into autumn anarchy. BOBBING FOR APPLES Apple bobbing is always a party favourite. But if you’re a germaphobe or trying to stave off change-of-season sniffles, Apple Hanging is a great alternative that won’t have your lunging for the antiseptic every time someone goes in for an apple. How to: Tie strings to the apple stems rather than floating apples in a container. Then hang each string from each apple to a clothesline, tied between two trees. Each player chooses an apple and stands beside it until the referee yells “GO!”. The player who eats the most apple, or bags the most bites, in a set time, wins. The only rule: Hands have to stay behind the back. DEN BUILDING A make-believe world without adults, without rules, where imaginations run wild, where all dreams are possible, and any character from any book is free to sit beside you …building a forest den is as enchanting and instinctive for children, as is a nest of sticks and leaves to a hibernating hedgehog. How to: Find a slanting tree branch or a big branch with a fork in it. Collect some long branches and place them against the fork on each side so you end up with a tent shape. You could even cover it with moss to camouflage your den, or cover it with old sheets and blankets. If you can’t find a big enough branch, use two sturdy trees instead. Take thick cord or rope and tie it from one tree to another. Throw blankets or tarpaulin over the rope and use tent pegs to hold it in place. Carpet the den with scattered leaves from the forest floor. And if the idea of a den is daunting for younger children, a tepee tent works just as well! / AUTUMN BIRTHDAY PARTY ARTS & CRAFTS /TWIG CROWN MAKING Every princess and fairy queen wants a crown. Why not let the birthday girl and her guests make their own with autumnal foliage foraged from the garden. Twig crowns can be simple to make with craft wire cut to the head’s circumference, some tape to secure it, twigs and stems for adornment, and a little adult help. PUMPKIN CARVING Oh my gourd! October 31 is Halloween so why not make your birthday celebration part of the preparation? / HOW TO PICK A PUMPKIN PRIME FOR THE CARVING: Look for pumpkins with flat bottoms and less wobble. Give it a knock. The hollower the better, for carving purposes. / PREPPING FOR PUMPKIN PARTIES: Purchase pumpkin carving sets that are safe for small hands. (Adult supervision still required.) ‘Disembowel’ the pumpkins. Hollowing them out before the big day, will make carving easier and save hours of clean-up. To extend the life of your pumpkin to the party – and all the way to Halloween - soak them in a cold bath with a dash of bleach to prevent mould. Rub dry straight after soaking. / CUPCAKE DECORATING For younger children, pumpkin carving might spell mess and mayhem and be fraught with frustration. So, opt for cupcake decorating instead. Set out a tray of edible fairy dust or candied eyeballs and other Halloween-themed toppings, pastry bags of coloured frosting, and un-frosted cupcakes. Get all the supplies set up ahead of time. The kids will adore squeezing the icing out of the pastry bags, and spooning sprinkles on to the cupcakes SETTING THE SCENE: AUTUMN BIRTHDAY PARTY TABLE DECORATIONS An enchanted forest party is ideally hosted outside where nature generously provides all the magic you need. Hang garden lanterns from trees, replace matchy-matchy place settings with recyclable paper plates and serviettes, and decorate with pinecones, wildflowers, and heaped plates of autumn flavoured. leaf-shaped biscuits made with sugar and spice and all things nice. (For an easy recipe go to https://www.amummytoo.co.uk/autumn-cookies.) BRINGING THE OUTDOORS IN Poor weather need not dampen the magic. Simply take it indoors, close the curtains, light the lanterns, and decorate with all of nature’s offerings. A bonfire becomes a fireplace fire, a scavenger hunt, a house hunt; and apples are hung from ropes between walls. Move a table here, stack a chair there, reshuffle the couches and “Faith, Trust and Pixie Dust” … the living room is a forest floor! Let the games go on. THE AUTUMN BIRTHDAY PARTY MENU THINK CHEESE OWLS MADE WITH MINI BABYBEL CHEESE AND EDIBLE CANDY EYEBALLS, EVEN EASIER OWL SANDWICHES MADE WITH BROWN BREAD, SPREAD, THE FILLING OF YOUR CHOICE, AND BLACKBERRIES; AND CHOCOLATE DIPPED GRAPE ACORNS SERVED ON WOODEN LOG PLATTERS. THESE AND OTHER FABULOUS IDEAS FOR A FOREST FEAST CAN BE FOUND AT WWW.EATSAMAZING.CO.UK. If you're short of time and patience, make it easy for yourself by packing ready-made food in compostable party picnic boxes; wrap sandwich triangles in brown parchment; including a sprig of grapes, a chunk of cheese, a mini scotch egg or cocktail sausage and a few savoury snacks. We especially love these woodland themed delights. SWEET SURRENDER WHILE WE’RE ALL FOR HEALTHY EATING, A PARTY ISN’T A PARTY WITHOUT HOT DOGS, TOFFEE APPLES, OOEY-GOOEY TOASTED MARSHMALLOWS, AND HOT CHOCOLATE FOR CAMPFIRE TALES. IT’S A CELEBRATION AFTER ALL! THE BIRTHDAY CAKE A wonderful cake is the icing on the top of any autumnal party. And a woodland theme gives you creative license to go wild. The simplest homemade option is a decorated tree trunk. Simply bake a chocolate cake, or turn a chocolate Swiss roll into a log, and finish with woodland themed cake toppers. (You can buy them on Etsy or Amazon.) Super quick and super easy. Of course, if you’re up to Bake-Off standards, you can be more extravagant, crafting leaves and woodland animals out of marzipan or icing. Masterful cake-decorators can even create a fairy woodland on top of a sandwich cake, complete with little fairy doors around the outside for added interest. And if baking doesn’t raise your batter, there are many delicious shop-bought options to choose from. We love the Waitrose Pink Toadstool Cake or, if you’re in a hurry, Colin and Connie the Caterpillar Cakes from M&S are sure-fire winners. WHAT TO WEAR TO THE ULTIMATE AUTUMN BIRTHDAY PARTY It all starts with a tutu or party dresses in layers of ruffled and tiered tulle. Add polo necks, or Peter Pan collared blouses, cosy cardigans or coordinated track tops, and matching socks. Accessorize with chunky hats and scarves; and wellingtons or bow-tipped boots. Then wrap it all up with reversible coats, lined with lush fleece and frill-trimmed hoods, designed for warm hearts and wild minds.