DIY Birthday Party: Cat in the Hat Edition!

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When I told my daughter, Violet, that I would be combining her birthday party with her little sister’s last summer, I expected some pouting. Instead, she surprised me by announcing that she wanted a Doctor Seuss birthday party featuring the Cat in the Hat! The event was a success, so here are the deets if you’d like to do your own ode to Doctor Seuss.

For Fun…

The Craft:

I always like to offer a craft for the kiddos and I wanted one that was simple enough for both age groups since Sabine was turning two, while Violet was turning four. Also, it’s nice to find a project that the children can do by themselves so the adults can have their own fun. I decided to let the kids make kitty whiskers — easy, fun, and cheap! You’ll need popsicle sticks, black construction paper cut into strips, and either red fuzzy balls or red circle stickers. I went with the fuzzy balls, so I also needed glue sticks. 

craft, table, pompoms, popsicle sticks, glue sticks, construction paper

The Photo-Op:

Face in the hole cutouts! Kids just love these. I actually made this one myself. You can get a huge piece of cardboard from any appliance store that is recycling their boxes. I painted the background white, then found myself a step-by-step guide to drawing Thing 1 & Thing 2. Cut out holes for the faces and voila! Hours of fun. If you have a photo printer handy, you can also print photos for your guests to remember the party. 

face cutout, thing 1, thing 2, boys

The Face-Painter:

You don’t need to hire a professional face painter; you just need to have a friend who is willing to provide this awesome activity. My friend, Jenn, happens to be a gifted face-painter, but let’s face it (see what I did there?): 2- and 4-year-olds may be picky about cauliflower but they don’t really care how that rainbow turns out on their cheek… they just want paint on their faces.

little girl, costume, face painting

The Attire:

Ever since Violet’s Alice in Wonderland Tea Party when she turned two, our family has gotten into dressing up for birthday shindigs. Back then, she was the Queen of Hearts, my husband was the Mad Hatter, and Sabine and I were the White Rabbit (I was seven months pregnant). This time around, Violet and Sabine were taking on Thing 1 & Thing 2, I got creative as the fish in a little orange dress and ping-pong eyeballs on either side of my head, and Dad was the Cat, naturally. Bonus: We totally recycled these costumes for Halloween. Let me tell you, it’s nice to cross the Halloween costume off the list in July or sooner. You’ll feel super organized. (Bonus points if Dad is willing to shave his beard into cat whiskers!)man, cat in the hat, costumelittle girls, outdoors, costumes, seuss birthday party

For Food…

This was a no-brainer: Of course, it wouldn’t be a Doctor Seuss birthday party without acknowledging the books. After perusing the list of Seuss titles out there, this was my final brunch menu, accompanied by print-at-home photos of the book covers.

Rainbow Goldfish, a kid favorite!goldfish, book cover

Fried potato-and-egg squares, an Argentine recipe… absolutely delicious!egg and potato squares, book cover

Bagels with butter (and cream cheese), a brunch staple!bagels, butter, book cover

Popcorn, another hit with the youngsters!popcorn, book cover

Pizza pockets, a delight for littles and parents alike!mini pizza pockets, book cover

And there you have it — a Doctor Seuss birthday party that was light on the wallet and heavy on the fun. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to start planning this year’s extravaganza. Violet has requested a Taco Party and I need to decide if I’m going to be the lettuce or the tomato.

table, food spread, thing 1 and thing 2 faces, seuss birthday party

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