DIY Camp Birthday Party with FREE Printables and a Cute Cake!

DIY Camp Birthday Party with FREE Printables and a Cute Cake!

My youngest has wanted a sleep-over birthday party since he was 3. Every year he asks I always say, “Not this year. You have to be older.” I kept putting him off. Somehow, 3rd grade was the magically age which seemed far enough off into the future. Well, the future came quicker then I thought. He’s in 3rd grade this year and just turned 9, so I followed through with my promise and my youngest had his first sleep-over birthday party at our house. To jazz up the party, I decided to make some fun printables with a camp theme. Right now the midwest is going through a heat wave, so there was no camping in our backyard. Instead, we had a campout in our basement! Below is my party plan that I followed and instructions on how to make the invites, front door sign, goody bags and cake. Enjoy!

DIY Camp Birthday Party Plan

The Invite

  • Download and customize a Camp Birthday invite. You can mail the invites, hand them out or email them. {Template instructions below}.

DIY camp birthday invite example

DIY Camp Birthday invite

Decorations

  • Download and customize the 8×10 front door sign then print, frame and hang on your front door. {Template instructions below}.

DIY Camp Birthday door sign

DIY Camp Birthday decor 2

DIY Camp Birthday decor 3

  • Chalkboard banner (I bought this at Target and LOVE it…I will be able to use it for so many things)

DIY Camp Birthday decor 4

Goody Bags

  • Download and customize the goody bag tags. Cut them out and attach to paper bags using a hole punch and ribbon. We filled our camp goody bags with a S’mores kit–chocolate bar, graham crackers and marshmallows), a battery-operated tea light and a flashlight. {Template instructions below}.

DIY Camp Birthday Goody Bag Collage

The Cake

  • Download and customize the cake topper. Cut it out and tape to the back of a wooden skewer or toothpick to insert into your cake. {Template instructions below}. For the cake my hubby baked and iced a two-layer round chocolate cake. I then decorated it. I used two graham cracker halves to make a tent. I turned a sugar ice cream cone upside down and iced it with green frosting to make a tree. For the campfire, I used Twix candy bars and small marshmallows.

DIY Camp Birthday Cake Collage

Food & Activities

The boys were very active…

  • Camp pizza and camp cake
  • Lots of drinks–water, Gatorade, SunnyD
  • Ping pong
  • Soccer
  • Lacrosse
  • Flashlight tag
  • Fort building
  • Video games
  • A movie right before their curfew in the basement while they were snuggled up in their sleeping bags.

What you will need for the Printables:

  • Computer
  • Printer
  • Scissors
  • 8×10 Frame
  • Ribbon
  • Hole punch
  • Paper goody bags
  • Wooden skewer or toothpick
  • Tape

Instructions:

1. Download these 8×10 JPG files {click on each image and save to your computer}.

DIY camp birthday invite template

DIY Camp Birthday Door Sign Template

DIY Camp Birthday Goody Bag Labels and Cake Topper

2. Open the files in Picmonkey.com (it is free) and add text using the text edit, or insert file into a Word or Pages document and add text using a text box. Save file to your hard drive.

3. Upload file to a photo center like Snapfish.com or Costco.com and order prints OR print at home.

5. Mail,  hand-out or email  your invites.

6. Frame your door sign in an 8×10 frame and hang on your door.

7. Fill your goody bags then cut out your goody bag tags and attach to your paper bags using a hole punch and ribbon.

8. Cut out your cake topper and tape to the back of a wooden skewer or toothpick to insert into your cake.

That’s it! The party was a success! Everyone stayed the whole night–no midnight calls to parents. Good luck with your camp birthday party planning! I’d love to hear about some of your favorite birthday party ideas?

DIY Camp Birthday Collage