Day: October 31, 2021

Third Birthday Party: Daniel Tiger

1 Comment

Veronika is three! Daniel Tiger is such a natural theme for this age, since almost every preschooler is going to be familiar with that friendly tiger face. The birthday girl needed attire to set the stage, of course, sporting a personalized Katerina Kitty Cat t-shirt printed with her name and age.

Daniel Tiger invitation templates are easy to purchase online, making invites a cinch!

You can likewise find Daniel Tiger party supplies with ease. We ordered from Birthday in a Box for a tablecloth, plates, napkins, and party hats. Red and yellow balloons from the local toy store kept up the color-scheme, along with red plastic utensils and serving bowls, and yellow napkins. If you have any Daniel Tiger toys or figures, add them to the display!

Because kids at this age still tend to engage in parallel play rather than directed activities, we set up four stations that the little guests could rotate through at their own pace. The stations included:

O the Owl’s Reading Nook

Miss Elaina’s Music Shop

Daniel Tiger’s Craft Table

and Katerina Kitty Cat’s Dress-up Box

That left Prince Wednesday’s royal feast for the final touch!

For a mid-afternoon party, we kept the noshes simple. We needed a big fruit salad in keeping with the show’s frequent fruit banquets in the enchanted garden. We added chips and dip and then dessert, including store-bought vegan vanilla cupcakes and a homemade pumpkin cake for fall flavor. Spiced Pear Cider was the perfect beverage!

Plus there was an autumnal selection for the grown-ups:

Finally, friends went home with trolley-shaped treat boxes. The items inside featured trinkets that Daniel Tiger might enjoy, including a colored pencil for craft time, a bouncy ball for playground play, a magnifying glass for nature walks, bubbles (not shown), and a few candy treats (Smarties and lollipops).

Veronika declared the party grr-ific!

 

Advertisement

Fall Birthday Treats

Leave a comment

The flavors of fall lend themselves perfectly to drinks, desserts, and other treats for special occasions. I prepared the following two recipes as part of Veronika’s third celebration, but they would be equally at home at a grown-up birthday party or other fall gathering!

Pumpkin Poke Cake:

  • 1 (15-ounce) package yellow cake mix
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin
  • 1 (12-ounce) jar non-dairy caramel topping
  • 1 (11-ounce) jar sweetened condensed coconut milk
  • 2 cups non-dairy heavy whipping cream (such as Silk)
  1. In a bowl, whisk together the cake mix and cinnamon, then add the pumpkin and stir until moist. Spoon the batter into a greased 9×13-inch baking dish; the batter will be thick.
  2. Bake at 350 degrees F for 25 minutes, or until a pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely.
  3. Using the handle of a wooden spoon, poke holes all over the surface of the cake. This is a fantastic step for kids to join in! Reserve 1/4 cup caramel topping for later, and stir together the remaining caramel topping and condensed coconut milk. Pour over the cake and into the holes, spreading evenly.
  4. Meanwhile, beat the heavy cream with a stand mixer until medium peaks form (about 3 minutes). Spoon over the cake, spreading evenly, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 3 days.
  5. Just before serving, dust the cake with additional cinnamon to taste and drizzle with the reserved 1/4 cup caramel topping.

Slow-Cooker Pear Cider

Ingredients:

  • 8 pears
  • 1 orange
  • 6 cinnamon sticks
  • 1 (2-inch) piece fresh ginger
  • 1 tablespoon whole cloves
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 1/3 cup maple syrup
  1. Cut the pears into quarters and place in the bottom of a slow-cooker. We used a mix of red Bartlett and green Anjou pears, for a beautiful color contrast.
  2. Peel and slice the orange and add to the slow-cooker, along with the cinnamon sticks, ginger, and cloves. Cover and cook on high for 4 and 1/2 hours.
  3. Srain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl or pitcher. Stir in the vanilla and maple syrup, and chill until ready to serve.

The cider can be served warm or chilled.