How To Host an Eco Chic Unicorn Party: 10 Ideas + 5 Activities for a Sustainable Kid's Birthday Bash
Does throwing an earth-friendly unicorn party (or any eco-themed-party for that matter) feel a bit daunting? No worries. I’ve been there.
For “A’s” birthday this year, she wanted one thing: a unicorn party. At the same time, I wanted to try my hand at throwing an eco-conscious soiree, all without sacrifice style.
It took a bit more planning time (and a heck-o-lot more research) but the our green-friendly unicorn party turned out really lovely. Here’s 10 ideas, 5 activities and 1 free download to help you throw a truly magical (and oh-so-green-friendly) unicorn party too.
IDEAS
Idea 1: Go Paperless in the Prettiest Way
We sent our invites out via Paperless Post. This is mostly because I’m rather obsessed with how easy Paperless Post makes it to track RSVPs, send updates via text, and go paper-free. Plus, the evites (with the matching envelopes) are honestly gorgeous. Paperless Post actually collaborated with Meri Meri (the amazing company I ordered most of the unicorn party decor from) so the unicorn evite actually matched my entire party’s look-and-feel. It was perfect! Want to do the same thing? Here’s a link to the Meri Meri unicorn invite colab.
If you do prefer tangible invitations but still want to go-green, opt for ordering these customizable unicorn seedpaper cards and cutout inserts from Etsy. After all, what better way to introduce a eco chic party than with an invite that literally blooms.
Idea 2: Grab Some “Greener” Decorations
I read that the best party decorations are the ones that won’t end up in a landfill. So, I invested in some decorations that would either match “A’s” room (she already has unicorn bedding) or decorations that I could also use again-and-again for future parties. Here’s a list of what I ordered:
Meri Meri’s Wooden Glitter Unicorn Mini Garland: This garland truly is mini, so don’t plan on it fitting across your mantle. It’s more of an accent piece. I loved the translucent glitter painted on the tails. After the party, I ended up hanging it in “A’s” room above her nightstand.
Floral Name Garland: My mum bought these sparkle letters and decorated it with some flowers before the party. We didn’t add anything “unicorn-ish” to it so that we can reuse the garland for more of “A’s” parties for years to come.
Meri Meri’s Unicorn Mylar Balloon: I know balloons are a bit of a no-no (see balloonsblow.org) but I committed to reusing this mylar balloon (and only using it indoors just to be extra safe) after seeing this neato tutorial from Dorothy’s blog The Creative Recycler.
Idea 3: Bedeck with Party-Themed Children’s Books
Books make wonderful party decorations. They fill awkwardly-spaced decorative voids and are welcome diversions for any introverted guests. Plus, they are the trimmings that keep giving—when the festivities end, you can simply gift the books to the birthday girl as keepsake. A stack full of party-themed books are also especially nice to have on hand in case your outdoor party activities (see below) get rained out and you need to do an impromptu story-time to entertain toddlers. Here are the books I grabbed:
Jess French: What a Waste: Trash, Recycling, and Protecting our Planet
Aaron Blabey: Thelma the Unicorn by Aaron Blabey
Mary McKenna’s: Compost Stew: An A to Z Recipe for the Earth
Bob Shea: Unicorn Thinks He’s Pretty Great
Idea 4: Upcyle or Rent to Enhance your Whole Vibe
Since this party was partly outdoors, I knew we needed some larger, more substantial elements to help keep things feeling magical. I asked around for a few ideas, and here’s what I ended up using:
Yard Inflatables: I was able to rent one giant inflatable unicorn and one inflatable rainbow. The rainbow even sprayed water to help keep the kiddos cool. I was grateful to rent because it meant the plastics were at lest being reused multiple times by both me and others.
Unicorn Painting: My mum found a beautiful unicorn painting that matched “A’s” bedding. It was her special grandma-gift to “A” that she can keep on her bedroom wall. We put the painting on an easel near the party favors since it matched the party too.
Reusable Decorations: I was able to reuse some older decorations I had kept from a bridal shower, including a paper tissue rainbow tassel and a turquoise honeycomb ball.
Idea 5: Team up with TerraCycle
I wanted to keep recycling front and center, so I grabbed this nifty Dining Disposables and Party Supplies Zero Waste Box from TerraCycle. It’s perfect for anyone like me (who is transitioning into more eco-friendly options) and needed some extra leeway room.
Each TerraCycle box is customized to address difficult-to-recycle waste streams (like seemingly-random party rubbish). The box I bought was made to recycle any single-use paper/plastic cups, plates, storage containers, and utensils. *I just needed to let my guests know to wipe (or lick) off all their leftover food first. My TerraCycle box also let me send in straws, wrapping paper, ribbons, bows, tissue paper, napkins, garlands, noise makers, party favors, punch bowls, balloons, and confetti. I specifically appreciated that it comes with a pre-paid return shipping label. There's even a Waste Consultant from TerraCycle available who is available help answer questions. And yep, this recycling newbie had a few…
Idea 6: Opt For Eco-Friendly Tableware
Plates & Napkins: I grabbed a four sets of Meri Meri’s Unicorn Plates and two sets of Unicorn Napkins. Neither of these options were very eco-friendly, so I set up a station for our guests to quickly wipe the plates and place them in our TerraCycle Zero Waste Box.
If you are looking for a fully compostable/biodegradable plate option, I did find these lovely color-matching plates from SOLAS that I think would’ve looked lovely with the decor too.
Cups & (extra) Napkins: I ended up using some leftover 100% compostable supplies I had on hand from World Centric. These are the napkins and these are the cups I used.
To be honest I really just adore everything World Centric does. Their products are 100% compostable (within 190 days) and made from renewable energy. They are a Certified B Corp that donates at least 25% of their pre-tax profits to support environmental education, waste reduction and economic development around the world. They actively work with environmental organizations to offset their carbon emissions and they donate to help regenerate ecosystems. Every month they even reward and reimburse employees for taking public transportation.
Cutlery: On Amazon, I bought some compost-ready wooden cutlery from WoodAble. They take about 90 days to compost. WoodAble’s products are disposable, recyclable, biodegradable, compostable, renewable, and sustainable. The company is rather incredible and they have a legacy of caring for their land for over a century. You can read more about WoodAble here.
I also considered accenting the wooden cutlery with this amazing unicorn Washi tape from Etsy but I ended up opting to keep things simple. If you did want to use the Washi tape for the party you could invite guests to remove the Washi tape before the dropping the wooden cutlery in your compost pile. Then you can upcycle the recently-removed washi tape by reusing it to decorate a journal for the birthday girl. Here’s a quick tutorial on how to manage that from Clever Poppy.
Idea 7: Revamp Your Desserts and Drinks Game
Meri Meri’s I Believe In Unicorns Cupcake Kit: I adored the sweet ribbon tails on these unicorn paper toppers. Plus, the gold foiled baking cups added a bit of bling. These ended up going in the Terracycle Party Supplies zero waste box for sure!
Meri Meri’s Unicorn Candle: This candle was about 3” long so it made the perfect top, to “A’s” mini confetti cake.
Annie’s Organic Confetti Cake Bake Mix: I picked up two boxes for the cupcakes and cake. I made both the night before with “A” and it ended up being a sweet memory. No pun intended. Her favorite part was how the confetti pieces somehow appeared in the batter after you whisk it (which was impressive to me too). The cake turned out great. It wasn’t overly sweet and had a good crumb.
Annie’s Organic are certified organic. They are free from artificial flavors, synthetic colors, and synthetic preservatives. This mix was also made without bleached flour, hydrogenated oils or corn syrup. Annie Withey (the founder of Annie’s Organics) believed that a truly successful business was also equally socially conscious, here’s a neato timeline of the causes the company supports. “A” and I are even thinking of applying for Annie’s Grants for Gardens program.
Honest Kids Recyclable Drink Pouches: Berry Berry Good Lemonade is “A’s” favorite flavor.
I grabbed drinks from Honest Kids because they’ve partnered up with TerraCycle® to create a free recycling program for their drink pouches. All you have to do is sign up to the program, gather the Aluminum drink pouches (even the straws can be recycled), squeeze out the extra juice, and ship them (for free) back to TerraCycle. Sign up for Honest Kid’s free recycle program here. Personally, we thought it would be fun to include “A’s” friends in the gathering process to help get them hyped on recycling programs.
Idea 8: Plan on Giving Party Favors that’ll Last
My grandmum found some adorable cute metal cookie cutters in a unicorn shape. We wrapped each on in some compostable gusset bags (made from plant cellulose) from Good Start Packaging and then we printed out a little poem on some recycled JAM cardstock paper and tied it with a bow. You can download the printable poem (and the unicorn signs I created too) at the bottom of this post.
Idea 9: Simplify with Two Themed Gifts
My husband and I decided that we wanted to simplify presents this year. We wanted to give one “tangible gift” and one “experience gift”. It ended up being a welcome change that was better both for the earth and our sanity. For her “tangible gift” I grabbed this Bella Unicorn Toy (made from organic cotton) from Meri Meri too. For the “experience gift” I found out that Oregon’s Historic Carousel Museum (over in Albany) was having a Unicorn Party a few months after “A’s” birthday. It’s a bit of a road trip for us (and ended up turning into a whole weekend) but “A” loved it.
Idea 10: Play Earth-Friendly/Unicorn Savvy Songs
Every party needs a killer playlist, so here are a few theme-appropriate songs. Just press play and watch the kiddos and the grown-ups alike get their groove on.
Jack Johnson: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle - 3 R Song
Danny Quinn: Heather And the Unicorn
John Denver: Earth Day Every day Remix
Conga & The Bongo: Marcus a Little Unicorn
Vivi Melody & Family: Recycle Song
Kidsongs: The Unicorn Song
The Philadelphia International All-Stars: New Day, New World Comin’
Be the Magic You: Unicorn
Louis Amrstong: What A Wonderful World
The Singing Animations: Unicorns Really Exist
ACTIVITIES
Activity 1: Save a Unicorn - Recycle
I placed this sign (downloadable below) near our TerraCycle Dining Disposables and Party Supplies Zero Waste Box. We invited our guests to clean off and recycle their plates, napkins and wrapping paper. We even made it a fun activity for A’s friends by stamping their hands with this cute reduce, reuse, recycle stamp for their efforts.
The English Stamp Company (which made that stamp) does some charming eco-friendly things. Here’s the details if you want to read-up about them and their efforts.
Activity 2: Unicorn Poop - Let’s Compost It
Since we threw “A’s” party at my mum’s house (back in Utah) she coordinated ahead of time with her friend Whitney who runs My Mini Pony Party to bring two “real-life” unicorns to the party. Pretty sure it was the highlight of “A’s” entire childhood! Whitney was beyond awesome and even dressed up for the part. She brought Bell and Jack (two miniature horses) with her.
The unicorn-ponies were a great segway into describing the benefits of composting. We were able to chat with “A” and a few of her friends about how “unicorn” manure makes great fertilizer for a garden.
Want to teach your young guests about composting too? It’s easy. First, show off your composting area or composting bin to the kids. Go ahead and place the unicorn poop in the compositing bin. Then, show the kiddos how you add mother nature’s “carbon-rich” composting tools to the poop (aka dried leaves, dried evergreen needles, and dried sticks). Next, you can demonstrate how sawdust, cardboard, and (yes!) even the biodegradable paper plates/napkins and cups you used for the party, are placed inside the bin too. Last but not least, talk about how air helps with decomposition and show them how you turn the compost.
Activity 3: Pamper a Unicorn
With Bell and Jack (the two miniature horses) in attendance, we were able to upcycle some previously purchased party swag my mum had left over (from her yearly butterfly banquet) to “pamper the unicorn.” There were clip-in synthetic hair extensions (with butterflies glued to the strands) and sticky-jewels for the hooves and harness. You can always recycle any hair extensions through (yet another) awesome TerraCycle box made for both hair and synthetic hair.
Activity 4: Make a Unicorn:
This was also my mum’s idea. She’s the party queen! She gathered some papermache cones, craft twine, foam sheets, glitter paper and then upcycled some greenery and plastic headbands she had to create these magical unicorn headbands for each kid. Then each kid added accessories to customize their own unicorn headpiece.
To make this idea a little “greener” next time we’ll probably DIY our own cones (instead of using papermache ones) by having the guests bring a used cardboard box and upcycle it using the disc method.
Activity 5: Unicorn Horn Ice Cream Cones
This activity was a total hit for kids and parents alike. Plus, it’s incredibly easy to put together.
Here’s what you’ll need to gather before hand:
Waffle Cones: For our party we just did a generic organic brand, but if I could go back, I’d pick up some cones from The Konery (via World Market). Konery’s cones have gorgeous colors/patterns that are far, far more magical. Plus, their cone ingredients are pretty impressive. If you have a gluten-free friend in attendance you can also opt for their gluten-free cones too which is nice.
4 Bags of Fair-Trade White Chocolate: I just grabbed some bags from Sunspire for this. White chocolate is a healthier (and better tasting) alternative than your typical candy melts. This is because companies often cut costs in candy melts by replacing the cocoa butter (it’s packed full of polyphenol and flavanoid antioxidants) with something not-so-goood—like fractionated palm kernel oil or hydrogenated palm oil. For this recipe, just know that white chocolate will burn at 110 degrees, so you’ll want to take your time in the kitchen while warming it up.
Artificial Coloring-Free Sprinkles: We grabbed these sweet mini hearts off of Etsy. These UK creations are 100% natural and-oh-so gourmet! The company even colors the hearts using spirulina, paprika, turmeric and beetroot. Plus, these sprinkles work well for your gluten-free friends and vegan friends.
Three 16-Ounce Glass Mason Jars
Two non-stick surfaces (like a silicon baking mats or unbleached parchment paper).
Two trays
Fruit & Veggie Pigment Food Coloring Powder Packets (I used ColorKitchen).
Here’s the instructions:
Grab your mason jars and fill each one with 1 cup of white chocolate chips and 1/4 teaspoon of organic coconut oil. The coconut oil will keep your chocolate from hardening as quickly. This is especially nice when kids are perfecting their unicorn horn ice cream creations.
Set your microwave to a lower power (50% strength). Warm your first jar of white chocolate in the microwave for 20 seconds. Then remove your mason jar and stir the chocolate. Keep warming up your chocolate at 20-second intervals (at that same power) and stirring until almost all of the pieces are melted.
Next, quickly stir in ColorKitchen’s Plant-Based Food Coloring Powder into the almost-melted chocolate. Wait until the residual heat melts the rest of the pieces and the chocolate looks smooth. For these purple horns, I used part of the pink and blue packets.
Repeat this process for your other two mason jars.
Cover both trays with parchment paper or silicon mats. Then, grab your first tray and place your recently colored white chocolate mason jars on top. Put your sprinkles on the tray as well.
Carry your both trays to the unicorn-horn decorating designated area. Show guests how to dip half of their waffle cone into the white chocolate mason jars (point-down works best). Then cover the melted chocolate with some sprinkles and turn your creation (this time point-up) on your second tray to dry.
After the cone is dry. Fill it with ice cream. Enjoy!
What We’ll Do Differently For Our Next Party
Most wrapping paper isn’t recyclable because of the chemicals and colorants used on the paper. This means a lot (nearly 2 million pounds) of wrapping paper will end up in a landfill each year. It’s crazy. For our next birthday party (my firstborn’s birthday is coming up soon) we’re going to try to come up with some ideas to help cut back on the amount of wrapping paper used (and gift packaging received). Do you have any ideas that you could share with us on how to help with this?
DOWNLOAD
Here are the cute little signs I made to match Meri Meri’s lovely decor. Hope they come in handy for you. Happy downloading!
Hope this post makes your own eco-chic party magical. My sister and I love to see pictures from your own parties too. DM us on instagram to share your own experiences.
Cheers,
Hazel