Camping Birthday Party: Decorating Ideas

Camping Party decor is the next post in our Camping Birthday Party series. So if you are planning to have a camping party theme, here are some decorating ideas.

First off, I wish I could take credit for the adorable camping tents idea, but I saw the plans for these great play tents  over at Under The Table Dreaming blog a long time ago. The plans are perfectly made to fit a flat twin sheet, which you can get a Walmart or Target for about $5.00. I made one tent per child/family. You can also find lots of other tent plans by searching google….even some that fold flat for easy storage and

I knew I wanted to keep the rest of the decor simple because I figured that the tents would be a bit of work. I also needed to stick to a reasonable budget, so I tried to use things I already had or were in nature. The park was the perfect place to have the party at since nature is all around. And better yet, it was free!

For the tableware, I used pie pans for the plates and a checkered tablecloth I already had. $1 bandanas found at Walmart in the men’s section made great place mats. I also had my boys gather sticks, rock and pine cones around the park and used them around the table.

A camping lantern and a large blue enamel pot filled with ice and mini sodas were the focal points of the table.

The rustic waterbottles turn out great. Each place setting had one, and the kids liked them a lot. They were fairly easy to make. Here are instructions on how to make them:

You will need:
• Waterbottles (I used the ones that came with the sport tops)
• Glue Gun with Hot Glue Sticks
• Twine
• Cheap Rope (bought at Home Improvement Store)

These waterbottles could be used for a western party too!

You must have a campfire at a camping party, but a real one was out of the picture at our park. Plus, I don’t think it is the best idea to have a bunch of kids running around a campfire! So I made this super simple fake one with some logs I found in the backyard and tissue paper.

Lastly, or the party favors, each guest got a flashlight and to take home one of the tents. Of course they thought that was awesome, which was great for me because I had no where to store all those tents!

Most of these items that I used for the party can be found at Walmart, they have a great camping section. And in case you missed it, here is the Camping Party Trail Mix post, it has some free printables. Also, stay tuned for the rest of the Camping Party Ideas posts coming soon.

{images via Michelle Photography }