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Small meal – bird food
10x5 flower marbles in a bag
Small meal – squirrel food
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3 x 1 Flower Marble – All Varieties
Children's birthday party gifts: The phenomenon of gift bags and party favors for children's birthdays
In recent years, my children have been coming home with gift bags more and more often. They were often given as party favors or gifts after a child's birthday party , but sometimes also on other occasions in daycare or elementary school. You may also know them – the Paper bags filled to the brim with sweets and cheap plastic toys that only bring joy for a brief moment before ending up in the trash.
I've been wondering more and more if there isn't a better way to approach these children's birthday party favors – surely it's possible to find contents for the gift bags that don't end up in the landfill?! So I've asked other parents, my fellow city gardeners, as well as educators and teachers, and I've found I've collected ideas for party favors that are entertaining, high-quality, but not too expensive . Here are my results.
Buy sustainable children's birthday party favors
Abstinence and consumerism are undoubtedly noble, but at children's birthday parties, you'll encounter disappointed faces (and more...) when the party bags remain completely empty. Most children also enjoy giving small gifts at children's birthday parties and don't want their guests to go home empty-handed. Besides, party favors have become the norm over the last 20 years, and it doesn't feel good for your own children to deviate from that. At least, that's our experience.
Sometimes, you just have to buy things . Fortunately, there are now many, many great party favors available that are not only sustainable, but also delight the children and make the birthday a lasting memory.
Make your own birthday party favors
However, it's not necessary to have ready-made gift bags on hand. Often, it's a good alternative to incorporate a creative element into the children's birthday party and craft something with the children, which they can then take home. Admittedly, you still have to buy raw materials , but the crafting is fun for the children, and they get something they've created themselves . Ideas for this include:
- Make friendship bracelets or necklaces
- Rolling seed bombs ( craft set )
- Paint T-shirts, baking aprons or hats
- Make your own bouncy balls ( instructions )
- Make feeding bells for birds ( craft kit )
- Carving and painting stick dwarves ( instructions )
- Make a picture frame ( instructions ). Ideal for use with a Polaroid camera, so you can add birthday photos directly to the frame.
- Decorating chocolate bars
Excursions with a suitable gift
Very often, a child's birthday party is combined with an outing, such as a trip to the swimming pool, bowling alley, or trampoline park. In this case, it's often possible to give the children something they can use immediately and then take home as a gift. Here are some ideas for outings with suitable party favors :
- From about age 9, you can take your children to a climbing gym. You can give each child their own carabiner.
- From about 6 years of age, you can take your children to a trampoline hall and give them the appropriate "Jump" socks.
- A trip to a DIY workshop or, more specifically, a pottery class, where the children can, of course, take their work home with them.
- In many cities there are also printing workshops that offer workshops specifically for children (birthdays) and where you can take the resulting prints home with you afterwards.
- If you have your own garage or some space in the garden and good weather, you can create graffiti on plasterboard with your children, which they can then take home. Here's an example from a children's birthday party my daughter recently attended:
- Before a trip to the pool, you can give all the children three sponge water balloons . These are ideal for throwing back and forth or chasing down a water slide.
- Another idea is to go candle-making with the kids. This is especially great in the fall and pre-Christmas season, because the homemade candles can be used right away.
- In many cities and towns, you can rent sports halls by the hour. This also makes a great outing for a child's birthday party. A great party favor is a small ball or a homemade balloon envelope .
Below, we'll answer the questions we've received so far about party favors. But we're done with the ideas here . So: If you have any other ideas for sustainable party favors, please write to hallo@diestadtgaertner.de . We'd love to hear more ideas and would be happy to expand this post! Either way: We wish you a successful children's birthday party!
Useful party favors for children's birthdays - The most important questions and answers
Since launching this site, we've been receiving a lot of general questions about party favors. We've compiled them here for you. If you have any further questions, please send them to hallo@diestadtgaertner.de .
Parents typically spend between €1 and €5 per party favor, depending on their individual budget and preferences. As a general rule, a party favor should not cost more than 10% of the guests' gift.
A good party favor for a child's birthday party is creative, age-appropriate, and practical. It should bring joy to the children and ensure that the birthday party stays in their memory for as long as possible. In our opinion, a good party favor should also be plastic-free, sustainable, and natural.
Many families consider the 10th birthday the limit for party favors. At this age, children are just beginning puberty and no longer want to be treated like little kids. It's advisable to talk openly with your child about this to avoid awkward moments.
Creative alternatives could include taking fun photos with an instant camera during the party or a craft or building activity where each child creates something of their own to take home. Examples include making friendship bracelets, making candles, or carving sailboats.
Who are the city gardeners?
Jan, Derk, and I, Torge, are nature lovers from the countryside who love greenery. After moving to the cities of the world to study, we missed the seasons, and Derk began rolling seed bombs to beautify Hamburg. Soon after, he and Jan and I founded "The City Gardeners." Ten years and 15 million seed bombs later, we've become a real company. 😳 Together, we've now developed over 400 useful, beautiful, and sustainable products. They're all handmade in sheltered workshops for people with disabilities in northern Germany. If you want to learn more, follow the white rabbit 🐇 .
What our customers say
A great gift with a sustainable factor. I ordered the marbles to give as favors for a child's birthday party. Since I don't need all 10 bags, I've already given some to young and old, and everyone loved them.
We ordered seed bombs for a child's birthday party and asked if they could send us the instructions as a PDF (one was already included in the package). This was no problem at all, and we were able to give each child a printout without much hassle.
I give friends and family the wonderful products from Stadtgärtner every chance I get. Everything is so thoughtful and thoughtfully packaged, delivered promptly within 24 hours, and is always a great last-minute gift. 👍
Fast shipping, and everything as expected. The little flower marbles (in little bags) will be our communion favors and were very well received by the child receiving their communion! We also included the fish and sayings. 😉
Fast and intact delivery. The set is a great activity for children. Everything is included – except water. Easy to understand.
I made these flower bombs with my daughter and gave them out as party favors at daycare for her birthday. They were a huge hit. A few were left over and dried without sprouting. I'm curious to see if the next ones bloom as beautifully.
We bought the flower marbles as an additional gift for our friend's daughter. I expected the pack of marbles to be a bit larger, but otherwise I'm very happy with our choice. The packaging looks cute, and there's also a special instruction on how to use the marbles. Everything is drawn and described in a very child-friendly way. We can't say anything about the results yet; the family doesn't want to sow the marbles until spring/summer. But it's sure to be exciting for the kids! So for the price, you get some excitement and fun, and you're supporting a German company.
A wonderful gift idea! I gave these flower marbles to my colleagues in 2020 as a summer greeting. During the holidays, I received many photos of the pathside where the marbles had accidentally landed, as well as of the first buds and blossoms. The motto "he who sows another's flower" really worked. Thanks for your great ideas!