Memorial Day weekend we celebrated Lil' Bro's 3rd Birthday with a Wild Kratts party. Wild Kratts is a PBS Kids show that teaches kids about animals and animal conservation. The boys love it. Lil' Bro was SO EXCITED for his party. Mommy and Daddy worked really had to create an awesome party!
We had some simple snacks: "Caterpillar" grape kabobs, Shark watermelon, "Lion" veggie tray, "Bug Bites" pretzel sticks and cheese cubes and strawberry cupcakes. When asked, Lil' Bro's favorite part of the party were the cupcakes!
In the Wild Kratts show, the Kratt brothers were creature power suits and use creature power discs to learn about the special creature powers of each animal. I made the party guests power suit vests out of black sleeveless shirts and colored duct tape.
I put together some creature power discs and Animal fun fact cards for some of Lil' Bro's favorite animals. We used these for games during the party, and then the party guests took them home. Thank you Pinterest!
Baby Bro didn't really want to take a picture, but how adorable is this!
As the guests arrived, they collected their power vests and discs. Then we started the games. We had 3 group games, and 5 games for them to explore on their own.
Activate Kangaroo Power!
Kangaroo fun facts: Kangaroos possess powerful hind legs, a long, strong tail, and small front legs. Thanks to their large feet, kangaroos can leap some 30 feet in a single bound, and travel more than 30 miles per hour. Kangaroos use their strong tails for balance while jumping. Heat, drought, and hunger due to vanishing habitat are the biggest dangers kangaroos face.
Game: We measured out 30 feet and had the kids hop the length counting how many hops it took them. Lil' Bro was not interested in this game. I think he was a little overwhelmed with the party and people, so we took a quick break to get him engaged.
Activate Cheetah Power!
Cheetah Fun Facts: Fastest mammal on land, the cheetah can reach speeds of 60 or perhaps even 70 miles an hour over short distances. It usually chases its prey at only about half that speed, however. After a chase, a cheetah needs half an hour to catch its breath before it can eat. Cheetahs live and hunt mainly in open grasslands and bushy areas in parts of Africa and the Middle East.
Game: I made some simple cheetah tails using cheetah print felt the kids could velcro to the back of their shirts. Lil' Bro was excited to pass out the cheetah tails. Then everyone ran around the yard pretending to be cheetahs. Big Bro and Lil' Bro also practiced sneaking up on their prey. Also, Big Bro put on his zebra power disc and let cheetah Lil' Bro chase him. He loved that!
Activate Butterfly Power!
Butterfly Fun Facts: Monarchs are large, beautifully colored butterflies that are easy to recognize by their striking orange, black, and white markings. Their markings include bright orange wings covered with black veins and rimmed with a black border and white dots. The entire egg-to-butterfly process, called metamorphosis, takes about a month.
Game: With the parents help, we used toilet paper to wrap the kids up into a cocoon and let them bust out of it to be a butterfly!
The rest of the games the kids explored on their own.
Activate Giraffe Power!
Giraffe Fun Facts: Giraffes grow about 4 feet in their first year of life. The giraffes' height and excellent vision give them a wide view of the grasslands where they live, making it easy to spot predators from a distance.
Game: We used leftover pool noodle light sabers for the kids to make long giraffe necks and run around the yard.
Activate Frog Power!
Frog Fun Facts: Poison dart frogs are considered one of Earth's most toxic, or poisonous, species. For example, the golden poison dart frog has enough poison to kill 20,000 mice. How do poison dart frogs capture their prey? Slurp! With a long, sticky tongue that darts out and zaps the unsuspecting bug!
Game: Nicholas made little paper flies that parents attached to their shirts. The kids used giant sticky hands to catch the flies!
Activate Polar Bear Power!
Polar Bear Fun Facts: Polar bears live along shores and on sea ice in the icy cold Arctic. When sea ice forms over the ocean in cold weather, many polar bears head out onto the ice to hunt seals. Polar bears primarily eat seals. Polar bears often rest silently at a seal's breathing hole in the ice, waiting for a seal in the water to surface. A polar bear may also hunt by swimming beneath the ice.
Game: I froze magnetic things in ice cubes. We put the ice cubs on a tarp and the kids used magnet wands to move the ice around on the "ice cap."
Activate Beaver Power!
Beaver Fun Facts: Beavers are the largest rodents (gnawing animals) in North America. Beavers are powerful swimmers that can swim underwater for up to 15 minutes. As the beaver dips underwater, the nose and ears shut to keep water out. Transparent inner eyelids also close over each eye to help the beaver see.
Game: We put some sand in a water table and let the kids make mud dams using water, sticks and sand.
Activate Zebra Power!
Zebra Fun Facts: Each zebra has its own unique pattern of distinctive stripes, just as humans have their own unique pattern of fingerprints. Zebras stick together in herds. Within a herd, zebras tend to stay together in smaller family groups. As a zebra grazes, it uses its sharper front teeth to bite the grass, and then uses its duller back teeth to crush and grind.
Game: I printed out a picture of a zebra outline without stripes so the kids could create their own individual stripes.
I had also planned to do a peregrine falcon game, but we didn't get to it. Lil' Bro had a great time, and I think the kids did, too, despite the heat. Thankfully our backyard is mostly shady!
It was an awesome party! Well done!
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