All good things must come to an end… and that includes summer break. Whether your kids attend a traditional school or you’re homeschooling like us, eventually it’s time to hit the grind once more. Although some kids will be excited to head back and see their friends, some might be a little reluctant. So, getting them excited and making it fun can ease the transition. Throwing a back-to-school party is such a fun way to celebrate the end of summer and the beginning of a new adventure.
I’ll always do a back-to-school breakfast. Last year I made waffles in the shape of pencils. The kids thought I was a genius lol. This time around though a back-to-school party would be amazing! My kids are home 24/7, so it was kind of hard to keep anything a surprise, but they were just as excited regardless.
The Theme
What comes to mind when you think back to school? Blackboards, pencils, books, apples…isn’t it funny that we associate apples with school? So that’s what I ran with! Funny fact, I dislike the color red, immensely. In turn, when I went with apples as part of the theme, I went with Granny Smith apples. That way I was able to shift the color of the theme from red to green! I love how it turned out!
The Decor
I love to make party décor! It’s one of those things that just make me so happy! Most crafters have a Cricut, but I own a ScanNCut. I’ve been making all my party décor since I bought one. Similar to the Cricut, the Bother SCanNCut is a cutting machine. You can design anything you want, or purchase ready-made templates and cut them out on vinyl, cardstock, or really thin wood veneer. I also use Procreate on my Ipad to draw out my designs.
I knew I wanted a banner that read “Back to school”. I used black cardstock to resemble a blackboard with white lettering. To keep with the green theme, cut out green apples. And made pencils, layering different colors of cardstock on top of each other. I cut out a few of everything and stuck them with tape to the wall.
What’s a party without a balloon arch? I’ve become obsessed with them lol. I’ll find any reason to make one. They are very easy to make with the right materials. Purchase different size balloons in a variety of colors that match your themes. I went with different shades of green. Always get some mini 5-inch balloon to fill in the gaps. Mostly 12-inch ones, and a few larger 18-inch if you can find. I then use this tape to build the arch. You can also purchase an arch kit which will come with everything you need. They come in so many colors.
Start by measuring how big you want the arch to be, leaving about a foot of ribbon at the beginning and end. Then place the largest balloons throughout, alternate passing them through the holes from top or bottom. Afterward, continue with the 12-inch balloons. Stand back once in a while to check your work. Once you’ve filled up your arch, hang it, and then use the double-sided tape circles to stick the 5-inch balloons where needed. I like to add little tissue paper fans here and there for added texture.
The Pinatas
This was my favorite part of the back-to-school party…I think lol. At the end of the day I loved how everything came together, but these were really fun! First off, pinatas are crazy expensive in general, tiny versions will run you 5 $ each! If it’s for a party like this it’s not a big deal, but if you’re getting for a lot of kids, it will add up fast! And most of the time, you won’t find what you’re looking for. Once you get the hang of it, they are pretty quick to make. I had made for my daughter’s birthday one year with papier masher, those were long! But these specific ones are a breeze.
You will need some cereal boxes, tissue paper, tape, glue, scissors, cardstock, and loot to fill it with. To fit the theme, I filled mine with mini erasers, wax crayons, stickers, stamps, led pencils, highlighters, and of course, a little candy. I went back and forth on what to make…either apples or pencils. So we took a vote, and apples won!
The first thing I did was draw out a template. The next step is to trace it onto the cereal boxes and cut them out. You also need to cut 1.5-inch strips. When everything is cut out, you will prepare your tissue paper. Cut strips of 1 inch in height, then every cm or a little smaller cut slits halfway through to make a fringe. Also, cut out a leaf and stem from your cardstock.
Now it’s time to put it together! Take the cardboard strips and using tape, secure them around the base of one of the apple pieces. If your strip is not long enough, it’s ok, just attach another. You will now have a container shaped like an apple. Now it’s time to fill your pinata. Grab the other apple cut out, and with tape once more, attach to the top. At the top of the apple, attach the stem and leaf.
Time to make it pretty with tissue paper! Start at the bottom with the fringe side facing you. With a little glue (too much will make your tissue paper mush) stick one fringe at a time, overlapping the next till you reach the top. Then use a pair of scissors and cut off whatever is dangling around the edges. Next, you’ll want to do the same for the sides with shorter fringes. You can save time and cut them 1.5 long now. I promise after you’ve done one you’ll get the hang of it.
The Snacks
As you can probably tell by now, I’m all about the food! Any reason to bake or make special food, I’m all for it! I’ll find any excuse to turn something into a celebration! Include turning a regular day into a back-to-school party. I love sticking with a theme, so simple green apples seemed to be what that was so far, I tried to find apple foods. We love these oatmeal apple cookies, seemed so fitting for the party.
I always need to make some cake pops lol, so went with apple-shaped cake ball bites. I use fondant to make the stems and leaves. I used the vanilla cake recipe from my Strawberry Shortcake ( my go-to vanilla cake) and mixed it with a little vanilla icing to create a paste. Then, I rolled golf-sized balls and poked a hole with a skewer, refrigerated the dough, and dipped them into cake melts.
For something a little salty, I made pretzel bites. And presented them on a board shaped as a pencil, with the help of white and orange cheddar, salami, and dried fig. The kids loved it! And of course, some apple juice as a beverage served in matching white and green cups and plates. And that was it! We were ready to throw a party.
The kids had a great time celebrating the start of the new school year ahead. I guess I can’t go back to my pencil waffle breakfast anymore lol. I hope this post inspires you to do a little something special for your kids this year. Thank you for stopping by today!
Elisa
