When Gus decided on a rock party for his sixth birthday, the teacher and nature lover inside me jumped for joy. It was as much an educational experience as it was a celebration. We learned to identify so many types of rocks we never knew about before.
The natural beauty of rocks and gems made it easy to decorate.
The first thing I found to set the scene was a beautiful vintage “Minéralogie” poster from Heirloom Art Co.
The party had a little bit of every color since rocks come in many colors, but main background colors were blue, grey, and white. This meant we could reuse some things from Gus’s previous birthday parties since he has loved the color blue for most of his life! I had some light blue chambray fabric bunting and a tablecloth. To create the felt ball garland I mostly used felt balls I’d made in the past but added a few new ones to go with the color palette. I have several jars of felt balls that I’ve accumulated now so for each party I just string up whatever colors are needed.
Having books on hand about the birthday party theme is a must in our family. We collected the books we already had on the topic of rocks, geology, or gems. A Rock is Lively is one of our favorites. It has beautiful illustrations and is also super informative. We found lots of other book on rocks at the library as well. There are many guides and encyclopedias on rocks specifically for kids.
Life has gotten busy lately, especially this time of year since all three of our kids’ birthdays happen within two months, so we ended up going the easy route and purchased four different activities for the kids and their cousins to do. I love to make activities but it’s all about balance right?!
National Geographic has a Rock & Mineral Game Set with rock bingo, mineral memory, gem-tac-toe, and a deck of rock and mineral playing cards. We got this as an easy and affordable form of entertainment for the party. Bingo was my favorite part. The caller pulls out an actual rock from a bag and calls out the name of it. Plus, the bingo markers are real rocks as well!
Also from National Geographic, we got a set of rocks made for parties or classrooms so that each child could see labeled examples of rocks and pick out one of each for their own rock collection. We set up a sort of “rock bar” and they all filled a little bag with their treasures.
From Curious Bear, a local toy store in University Place, we bought “Dig It Up! Minerals and Fossils”, a set of individual clay stones. The kids used a chiseling tool to excavate different types of rocks inside of their clay stone. Then they could look up what they had found on the accompanying field guide.
Instead of a piñata, we got a “Gigantic Geode” (about the size of a grapefruit) that the kids took turns trying to break open with a hammer and chisel. It created much less waste than a piñata. It also had less impact for the kids than a piñata, but it sure was gorgeous when it was opened and sparkling in the sun. Gus displays it on his dresser now.
For favors, we used watercolor gem postcards to decorate brown paper bags.
Inside the favor bag was a large flat agate slice, a Compact Curiosities rock guide from Curious Bear, and crayon rocks from Wild Creek, a small online natural toy store that I love.
I made this gemstone “6” crown for Gus. The fluffy felt is from LilSprigs on Etsy.
To find one of Gus’s gifts, my daughter and I took a trip to Kent to explore an amazing little shop called Moore than Rocks. We got a variety of rocks for him that were a little bigger than any he had in his collection already, including one of his favorite types – lapis lazuli. My mom sat with him before the party and went through each type. I think it’s important for the birthday child to have some calm one-on-one time with an adult to enjoy the details of the party before all the guests arrive.
My mom made a lovely geode cake. Several people thought it was a real geode until they took a closer look!
We topped the cake with a beautiful beeswax “6” candle, handmade in Everett, WA by Oakmoss Candles.
It was a day of learning for the kids and the adults. A day of wonder for nature’s beauty. Birthday parties are all about taking an interest of the birthday child and running with it. We loved exploring Gus’s passion for rocks together.
