Back to basics: Party in the backyard

Think ‘picnic’ when planning a backyard party. The key is keeping it simple. We were so inspired by Sarah Tennant’s fresh philosophy on kids’ parties that we put her ideas to the test. Yes, you may detect a slight colour scheme (we just couldn’t help ourselves), but all the other components of this party make use of practical everyday items and classic childhood favourites.

The menu consisted entirely of ‘help yourself’ finger-food: cheerios with individual sauce cups, cherry tomatoes and cheese cubes on toothpicks, potato chips, fresh strawberries, and jelly in individual buckets. Also, using recipes our nutritionist Anna Hansen created just for this party, we made ice blocks, banana and blueberry muffins and – no party is complete without them – chocolate crackles!

Drinks were available from the wagon, which we had filled with ice and the cake was a summer crowd-pleaser – chocolate sponge layered with whipped cream and strawberries.

Fresh air and open spaces are always a hit with kids – and definitely provide a calmer party ambience for all involved! During summer, it is well worth hosting parties in the great outdoors and you may not need to look much further than your own backyard. We simply threw out a large woven mat (found in our local variety store) and set up a teepee and matching cushions from Mocka. Then we pulled bikes, cones and balls out of the garage and left some pavement chalk on the concrete.

As with the food, the idea behind entertainment was ‘help yourself’. We filled a drinks dispenser with bubble mixture (clearly marked ‘bubbles’!) and made some wands out of pipe cleaners. Easily refillable plastic tumblers meant even our smallest guests could independently blow bubbles to their hearts’ content. The parents could then grab a drink from the wagon, sit back and relax!