With the new 3-D Peanuts Movie coming out soon, we know there's been a lot more buzz about Charlie Brown, Snoopy and his friends among our kids -- and we're so happy! We're all big fans of the Peanut gang going way back, and if you're thinking of throwing a Peanuts themed party, we've got a ton of really fun ideas and activities that can help make your Peanuts party starring Snoopy, Charlie Brown, and even the little red-haired girl a great one.
We're also excited to be able to put this together on behalf of our awesome partner, ILoveIceCreamCakes.com who are the folks behind all those irresistible ice cream cakes in your grocery store bakery or freezer case. They've even got a super cool Peanuts Harvest Ice Cream Cake which you miiiight recognize from one of your favorite childhood Peanuts movies.
Okay, so we like to think of it as a Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown cake. You can see why.
– Don’t miss a big discount towards your favorite ice cream cakes below –
Don't worry, no actual Great Pumpkins were harmed in the making of this cake; it's vanilla ice cream layered with mini chocolate chips. Yum. And hey, an adorable store-bought cake means one more thing to cross off your party-planning list. We'd rather spend our time plotting against the Red Baron. Or you know, just putting together these Peanuts party activities below.Have a Cool Lucy or Snoopy Photo Booth
What's a kids' party without a photo booth? We wouldn't even know these days. Check out these awesome ideas for a Peanuts party from Mimi Nguyen Photography. You can make your own Snoopy's dog house photo booth prop and Lucy's psychiatrist booth photo booth prop -- be sure to save your cardboard boxes to DIY, then a simple coat of paint and some Sharpies. (And psst...if you don't already have a Snoopy plush toy, which is a must for any Peanuts party, we found this cute one one on Amazon.) Alternatively, we also found this affordable, ready-made Peanuts photo booth backdrop at Oriental Trading, with a cute Snoopy and the Great Pumpkin theme.Create a Great Pumpkin Patch
This is such a cute idea for you crafty parents via Hostess with the Mostess: Create a DIY balloon pumpkin patch! She has the tutorial on her site, including how to fill them with treats. You can use them as decor, and then later in the party, let each kid pick one to pop for surprise treats inside. Or, you can even have kids decorate their own Great Pumpkin balloons (should you trust them with Sharpies) as a fun Peanuts party activity.Color in Your Own Peanuts Comic Strip
It would be awesome to give the kids a chance to make their own Peanuts comic strip at your Peanuts party, like this giant one captured by Stephen Leung Photography. It just requires finding a strip with decent sized resolution, and printing it on giant paper -- or attaching several sheets together to cover the table. Alternatively, we visited the official Peanuts website and simply saved an image file of some of the comicstrips. Then in PicMonkey, just use the pencil tool at the bottom of the effects menu to "erase" the copy with white. Not that anyone could ever be as awesome as Charles Schulz, but we can't wait to see what our kids come up with.Draw Charlie Brown and Snoopy
We were once at a Disney event where the kids learned to draw Mickey and Goofy, and they totally loved it. So we thought it would be fun to try that with the peanuts characters. If your kids are a little older and really want to show off their illustration chops, we found this tutorial on WikiHow for how to draw Snoopy using basic circles and other shapes. Or, check out the cool YouTube video of Charles Shultz drawing Charlie Brown (with some great narration about his cartoon alter-ego, too). It's neat just to watch, but it's easy enough to screenshot it in segments like we did here, then set it out for kids to try and copy.Take a Shot at a Football Pinata
So maybe Charlie Brown never got to whomp that football, but your kids can have a shot at it as a football pinata, like this activity, one of lots of great ideas from the Harris Sisters' own Peanuts birthday party. So much good stuff there. We also like her ideas to retheme classic party games like musical chairs with names like "The Peanuts Shuffle" or having an orange water balloon "Great Pumpkin Toss." Smart mama!----------------
About our sponsor
While the Peanuts Pumpkin Harvest Ice Cream Cake is adorable, if you just can't have a Peanuts party without Snoopy, also check out the Peanuts Snoopy Flying Ace Cake at ILoveIceCreamCakes.com. On the site, you can use their store locator tool to find some of these awesome cakes in a grocery store near you. You can also get $5 off your next ice cream cake by joining the Crunchie Club (how cute is that?) on the site, along with some online coupons and deals. Sweet! Tip: One of our favorite ways to serve ice cream cake at parties is to slice up the cake and use it as the base for a DIY ice cream sundae bar. Set out fun sprinkles, hot fudge, candy corn, caramel sauce and other favorite toppings. Kids love it, plus it helps stave off the debates about who got more clouds or who got more of Snoopy's face on their slice.----------------
Peanutize Your Guests
On the Peanuts Movie site, we recently shared the fun Peanutize me page which lets you turn yourself into your own personalized Peanuts character. Open the laptop or iPad and let each kid have a turn creating their own, then send them home with a fun little favor they can pin to their bedroom walls.
