Does "sustainable" and "kids party" go together?

Does "sustainable" and "kids party" go together?

Do you want to host a magical and colourful children's party, but at the same time make sure that it is as sustainable as possible? Then we have a few tips for you today.

In itself it's quite straightforward: Keep it simple. Instead of wildly ordering one-way decorations together in the party shop, with a little planning and preparation in advance, you can find much more sustainable solutions. And the fun of doing it yourself comes naturally.

Two important thoughts to remember right from the start of your planning are

1. REUSE INSTEAD OF THROWING AWAY

AND

2. LEASE INSTEAD OF BUY

When you think about your party planning, try to include as many reusable or compostable options as possible right from the start. Do you need to buy things new, or can you rent items?

With these simple ideas you can make your next party much more sustainable:

1. Decoration

The "best" party decoration is the one that does not end up in the trash after the party. On Stadtlandkind.ch in the section "Birthday, Party" you will find a variety of decoration ideas made of reusable materials such as fabric, paper or cardboard. I especially recommend the products of the company Grimm's. The birthday table can be individually adapted to the birthday child with the birthday spiral or the birthday ring and the many different plug figures and number plugs. Due to the durability and variety of these wooden products produced in Germany, a tradition can be created that your children will remember with joy for a lifetime.

If you want to try something out for yourself, turn a rainy day into a handicraft day and get creative with your family, sew or tinker your own pennant chains or make pompom garlands from old wool scraps. There are many tutorials on Youtube that show you exactly how to do it. Your kids will certainly be happy to help out when it comes to their own birthday party. Even with cake coasters, you can quickly and easily create something magical - I, for example, love this idea by Jo Williams for a girls' party in the summer or a garden party.

When your party is over, you can store the decoration for the next party, swap it with friends and acquaintances or give it away. This way it can continue to spread joy to another family.

2. gift wrapping

Yes I know, wrapping paper is beautiful, but let's be honest: How long does it take until it is torn and lying in a corner? Besides, many papers can't even be properly recycled as paper because of their laminations, glitter and colours, so, unfortunately, they end up in the normal waste.

Next time, try this:

● painted pictures and artworks of your children (I often don't know where to put all the drawings and paintings)

● a piece of cloth, unworn scarf, napkin, gym bag or cloth bag - so the beautiful packaging is also an important part of the gift

● old maps of places you visited before there was online navigation (yuppppp, that brings me right back to the 90s)

● pages from books, comics, newspapers or magazines

● Paper or cloth bags that you already have at home

3. plates, cups and cutlery

An easy way to make your party more ecological is to avoid using disposable plastic dishes and cups. For example, the purchase of bamboo tableware would be worth considering. Bamboo is more resistant to breakage than porcelain and will faithfully accompany you at many birthday parties (or even in everyday life).

You can also avoid plastic drinking tubes, as they are also available in paper or cardboard.

You can collect small containers such as yoghurt cups made of glass or confectionary jars for the planned snacks in advance and thus give them another task before they are recycled.

If you want to use disposable dishes, make sure you choose compostable versions, for example, made of bamboo or palm fibres.

Finger food is also a good idea to keep waste to a minimum at a party. Children love fruit and vegetables. Cut into small pieces and skewered onto sticks, they don't need extra plates or bowls.

4. renting instead of buying

There are a large number of small companies in Switzerland that rent out party decorations and games. For example, you can easily rent popcorn machines, bouncy castles, costumes for your next theme party or rental boxes for party games.

For my overnight parties, you can rent all the teepees and equipment you need, so you won't have many tents, mattresses and decoration material standing around at home unused after your party. I compensate for the trips to set up and take down the tents out of conviction with the climate protection organisation MyClimate so that I can keep my CO2 footprint as low as possible. And, if you really want to have your own tepee at home after the party, you can also buy a beautiful one from Stadtlandkind. Did you know that when you order something from Stadtlandkind, the parcels are also delivered ecologically? Thanks to "proclima" your orders are now shipped climate neutrally.

You see, with a little imagination and planning you can do a lot to ensure that your next party has less impact on the environment. Have fun rethinking!