When my daughter turned 6, a month ago, she wanted us to throw her a ‘Rebel Party’. In all my excitement and enthusiasm, I decided to pick this up as a cue for one of those fantastical zero-waste parties we’ve seen sustainability influencers post about. I even tried suggesting a zero-gift model to her, but let’s be honest, opening presents is part of the fun of a birthday party.
And so, we had what seemed like a typical 6yo’s birthday party, with musical chairs and pass the parcel, and kids bringing in all kinds of presents—some lovely, some only good enough to pass on at another party. We had return presents, too. And yet, we managed to keep it largely waste free. Here’s some inspiration on how to throw a low-waste party for kids.
Encourage rewear
Not only did she herself not ask for new clothes, she’d decided on the clothes she was going to wear, weeks in advance. In large part, that’s because as a family, we don’t encourage conversation around getting new clothes for special occasions. It doesn’t happen overnight.
The dress she wore to school is a hand-me-down from a friend’s daughter. She had intended to rewear her birthday dress from last year, but that somehow wound its way to the laundry basket. Fortunately, we had a quick fix at hand. No fuss! The dress she wore for her Rebel Party, was her flower girl dress from my friends’ wedding, earlier this year. She was supposed to be Elizabeth I, but rebel, so at the last minute, switched the tiara out for a colourful bow.
Go easy on the decorations
My daughter refused to run with balloons because ‘they’re bad for the planet’ and insisted on making the decorations herself. The three ‘porchaits’ drawn by her, clipped onto an outdoor railing in the party area, was pretty much all we had. And guess what, no one noticed! Not one kid asked where the balloons were or why we didn’t have blow-ups or buntings or cut-outs or flex boards or whatever else seems to be the trend.
Make the food fun
Chocolate shake with edible straw, apple boats with cheese sails, sandwiches shaped like animals, hearts and clouds (that’s what we called the leftover pieces after the shapes had been cut out). The kids were so fascinated, the food all got polished off. Plus, all the eats, including the cake, were made at home, so no disposable boxes and plastic knives. We used melamine plates, borrowed to make up the numbers, and employed regular, everyday glasses, to keep our kids’ party low-waste.
Be mindful with the return presents
This was the toughest part, really. I wanted the return presents to be either thoughtful or useful (and yes, the two can be mutually exclusive). The challenge was making the numbers. Eventually, I put together a ragtag assortment, with whatever I could find in whatever quantity: Steel bottles, seed pencils from @barenecessities_zerowasteindia, flash cards for the youngest ones, upcycled clips, brooches and WA dolls from @lovetheworldtoday.in. All packed in bags we made from old newspaper, held together with ‘ribbons’ cut from scrap cloth.
The key, as we realised, is to make sure the kids are having fun. Those who got ‘out’, became the jury for the games, there was impromptu singing and dancing, and they were really enamoured of the fact that the cake was made at home.
It’s a great idea especially if your guests have a great time while appreciating and following up on the intent. Would be great if other children start impressing upon their parents to follow suit!