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Sock Monkey
Birthday Party Planning Guide
Exclusively at BirthdayExpress.com
BirthdayExpress.com is every host's secret for making birthday wishes come true! Our Sock Monkey party planning guide offers step-by-step instruction to help you plan, prepare and execute a memorable day for the birthday guest of honor. The helpful checklist ensures that no detail is forgotten, while the themed games and recipes take the guesswork out of finding treats and activities that complement your décor. And we know you're busy, so the entire guide is printable – keeping you organized on the fly, from balloon blow-up to confetti clean-up!
Party Checklist
4-6 Weeks Before the Party
Select Date:
Time:
Place:
Plan a safe, inviting place for kids to have fun. Set time to 2-3 hours for young children, and 3-4 hours for older kids.
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Create Guest List
Just fill out the handy list in this guide!
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BirthdayExpress.com is the place! You’ll find over 150 party themes, with party pack options for all of them. Expecting more guests? Choose our Pack Add-On option
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Order Birthday Costume/Outfit & Gifts
BirthdayExpress.com has lots of fun choices. Look for our costumes, T-shirts, hats and special birthday gifts designed to match our party themes.
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Book Entertainment (optional)
2 Weeks Before the Party
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Order Cake
Schedule to pick it up one day before the party.
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Let the birthday child help by adhering the stamps and putting the invitations in the mailbox.
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Create List of Parent Phone Numbers
Keep on hand in case of emergency.
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Plan Party Menu
Check out the recipes in this guide. Ask parents if kids have any food allergies.
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Choose Party Games & Collect Party Supplies
This guide has ideas that match your party theme!
2-3 Days Before the Party
1 Day Before the Party
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Make Food & Drinks, Bake/Get Cake, Buy Ice
Set out chilled/heated foods just before kids eat.
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Childproof & Decorate Party Area
Remove breakable items and objects that could prevent guests from moving freely. Decorate with balloons, crepe paper, and other items included in your party pack.
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Set Up Party Games, Fill Favor Boxes & Piñatas
Invite your party child to help!
Party Day!
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Fill Birthday Balloons with Helium
After the Party
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Include party photos!
Activities
Monkey See, Monkey Do
Supplies:
- a wide open space to play
Directions:
It's about time to get down to monkey business! Begin this game by having all the party guests sit in a circle. Choose one player to be the first guesser, and have that person leave the room. Next, choose the first monkey. Have the monkey practice making a few silly moves, like patting their head, pointing to their nose, or making a funny face. Have everyone else in the circle imitate him or her. The object is to have everyone in the circle imitate as quickly and seamlessly as they can, so the guesser has a difficult time figuring out which one is the monkey, who's leading the movements. After a few practice rounds, call the guesser back in and have the group continue their series of silly moves. Give the guesser a few tries to figure out who the monkey is. Once the monkey is discovered, that round is over. Choose a new monkey and guesser and play all over again!
Monkey Knot
Supplies:
- a wide open space to play
Directions:
This goofy game looks a little like a human barrel of monkeys—but it sure is a barrel of fun! Have all the party guests stand in a circle, facing toward the center. Have each person extend their right hand and grab onto the hand of another. Then have them do the same with their left hand, but this time, choose a different person's hand to grab. Now, without anyone letting go of their hands, everyone must do whatever they can to untangle the group and end up in one circle again. Players may step over, duck under and turn around to get untangled, as long as they don't let go!
Pin the Tail on the Sock Monkey
Supplies:
- large sheet of felt or butcher paper
- different colors felt or construction paper
- double-stick foam mounting squares
Directions:
Every little monkey at the party will love this new twist on an old classic! Decorate a large piece of felt or paper to look like a sock monkey and hang it on a wall in an open area of your party space. Then, craft some cute tails out of felt or construction paper. On the back of each tail, place a square of double-stick craft foam. Then, blindfold each party guest, spin them around, and have each one try to "pin" the tail on the sock monkey. Whoever gets the closest to the monkey's behind is the winner!
Recipes
Monkey Tail Sandwiches
Estimated time: 10 minutes
Ingredients:
- hot dog buns
- peanut butter
- bananas
- honey and/or strawberry jam
Directions:
These funny monkey tails will be a hit at your sock monkey bash! Begin by toasting the hot dog buns a little in the oven or toaster oven. Spread with peanut butter on both sides. Peel a whole banana and place it in the bun, like you would a hot dog. Then, squeeze a squiggly line of honey or strawberry jam (or both!) down the banana to look like mustard or ketchup. Serve while still warm for a yummy birthday lunch any monkey would enjoy.
Banana-Mango Smoothie
Estimated Time: 1 hour and 10 minutes (includes 1 hour to chill before prep)
Ingredients:
- 3 medium bananas (about 1 lb.)
- 2 mangoes
- ¼ cup apple juice or unsweetened coconut milk
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 cup ice cubes
Supplies:
Directions:
This delicious, nutritious smoothie is a great monkey-friendly alternative to standard party punch. Begin by chilling the bananas and mangoes in the refrigerator for about an hour. Then remove them from the refrigerator, peel and slice them and place them in the blender. Add apple juice or coconut milk and honey. Cover and blend until smooth. Then, with the blender still running, add ice, one cube at a time, through the opening in the lid. Blend until smooth. Serve with decorative red and white straws to fit your sock monkey theme.
Sock Monkey Cake
Estimated Time: 1 hour
Ingredients:
- two cake mixes (chocolate, banana or both!)
- milk chocolate icing
- vanilla icing
- black and red icing (store-bought tubes or tinted vanilla icing)
- about 10 licorice vines
- 2 Oreo cookies
Supplies:
Directions:
This cute cake looks almost too good to eat! Begin by baking two cakes in round cake pans. Chocolate is a classic choice, but try banana or a combination of the two flavors for some extra monkey fun! When cakes have cooled, spread some chocolate icing on top of one and stack the other on top like a layer cake. With the plain vanilla icing, frost a large oval for the outside of the mouth and half circle on top for the hat. Frost the remaining cake, top and sides, with the rest of the chocolate icing. To add finishing touches to the facial features, use tubes of icing or pastry bags of black- and red-tinted vanilla icing to draw on the eyes, nostrils, mouth, and hat details. Insert one Oreo cookie on each side of the head, in between the cake layers, too look like ears. Stick a cluster of red licorice vines in the top of the hat, between the cake layers to serve as the hat's pom-pom. Serve and wait for the compliments to roll in!