When we began planning my son’s sixth birthday party he had one request: a Wild Kratts birthday! This has been one of his favorite shows and a staple in our house over the last two years. Personally I prefer that if he is watching a screen, that he is at least learning something! After all how many five year olds know what a pangolin is (something I didn’t know existed til I was 26), or can define indigenous and invertebrate on demand?
If you found this article while scrolling through Pinterest you already know that there are LOTS of Wild Kratts party ideas out there. But amidst all the decor and cake ideas there was something missing, I like the show but I LOVE the love of nature and animals that it has inspired in my child even more. I decided to go off the often-trekked Pinterest path and instead chose to focus our party on the animal education aspect of the show (with of course a few additional Wild Kratts elements thrown in). With animal interactions and a nature hike, I think the party ended up being one the Wild Kratts brothers would be proud of (and the kids had a blast!)
*This post may contain affiliate links which may allow us to receive a small commission (at no additional cost to you) for purchases you make after clicking on product links in our posts, to view our full affiliate disclosure click here.
The Invites
Wild Kratts does actually have Wild Kratts birthday party specific invites you can download and print for free located here. But in typical “me style” I designed my own “Wild Birthday” invites! You can download them below! I personally used Fedex Office to print ours (4 per page), mounted them on cardstock, and they turned out great.
Download “Wild Birthday” Invitation (Front)
Download “Wild Birthday” Invitation (Back)
The Venue
I knew we wanted to incorporate his love of living breathing animals into this party, and my first thought was our local zoo. But after doing some price comparisons I found an even better venue (because even with our membership the zoo was a bit pricey), our local Nature Preserve and wildlife sanctuary, The Heard Museum!
The party included admission for 15 children, 2 live animal visitors, a guided nature hike, an AMAZING guide, and a party room for two hours. All for around 250 dollars, which is a steal considering I’ve paid more for a lot less built in entertainment for previous parties and the guests could stay as long as they wanted post-party to explore some more, turning it into a perfect family fun day.
The Decor
We were allowed to decorate the room pre-party and found some amazing decor in the dollar spot at Target (because really what does Target not have?)
We used some super cute adorable “Stay Wild” and “Explorer” reusable canteens as the party favors and loaded them up with candy and other trinkets! They were a steal at three dollars a piece, but if this phase at Target has passed I highly recommend checking out your local Dollar Store and then adding a Stay Wild Waterproof Sticker !
The rest of the decor was pretty simple with a jungle themed table cloth (similar to this Palm Leaf Tablecloth), a Burlap Table Runner, a few signs, and stuffed “fire” to serve as the centerpiece.
The Food
We were hoping the families would stick around after for a day of fun so we loaded them up with pizza and donated the left-overs to the hard working volunteers that keep the sanctuary running. We kept the drinks simple with water and Gatorade seeing as it was pretty warm outside and we wanted parents and children alike to stay hydrated!
My mom actually made the Wild Kratts birthday cake (and did a wonderful job)! It was based on another cake by Cake and Cookie Art.
The Entertainment
Our two animal visitors ended up being a corn snake and a turtle named Frank. My son and all the other kids were over the moon at being able to not only see the animals but actually touch them. One of the major perks of holding a party at a venue like this one is that they are used to field trips and other events with large amounts of kids so they were pros at not only keeping it safe but also keeping the children engaged!
Then the kids got to go on a short nature hike on a trail (it would have been longer but even at 10 AM on a Texas Summer Day it gets hot FAST). My son and the guests alike liked pointing out the different plants and animals along the way and my son looked the part in his explorer hat he JUST had to have.
After the party was over we cleaned up a bit and then headed out to explore ourselves. As we walked around I was so glad to see all the families enjoying the museum, the grounds, and the butterfly gardens on the grounds! One thing is for sure my son and his friends loved their “wild” day!
