Springtime Babies

Baby animals and little kids are made for each other, and if your party will be held in the spring, it is a perfect match. The idea is to expose the children to as many baby animals as possible. 

There are lots of good children’s videos on this subject, of course, and they might be good to have as a back-up plan in case of bad weather, but real animals would be great too. Many city parks and zoos have separate “petting areas” for young children, which are terrific. Some of them even allow you to book the whole facility for an hour or two for your party.

You could also contact local 4-H clubs and farms to see if they would allow you to visit their young livestock. Recruit plenty of adult helpers to act as chaperones. But you can do a party like this even in your own home. If you have a young dog or cat or rabbit, or know someone who does, you are off to a good start, but the baby animals don’t all have to belong to you. Check the “give away” ads in your local paper. Many people would allow you to “borrow” a litter of kittens or puppies for an hour or two. Just be sure the animals are old enough that your young guests will not hurt them. 

Invitations: Use pictures of baby animals on your invitations, of course. Let your guest’s parents know your plans and check for any animal allergies among your visitors. Encourage them to dress appropriately for being around animals. 

Arrival: While waiting for everyone to arrive, you could show an animal baby video or play a little game of “What am I?” and try to guess what kind of animal each child is pretending to be. If your party includes a field trip, consider giving everyone a hat or t-shirt of the same color so they will be easy to spot. 

Main Event: Go over some rules with your young charges before you let them see the young animals. Remind them that they must be gentle when handling anything smaller than they are. Explain that they should speak softly and move slowly so the animals will not be frightened. Be sure they know that they must stay with one of the adults in your group. When you arrive at the park or zoo or farm, let the kids go at his or her own pace and visit the animals they are most interested in. Be ready to answer questions and compliment kids when they remember to be gentle and kind.

Refreshments: Animal crackers and animal-shaped fruit snacks would be good choices here, or anything portable that can be carried away from home.