Every year we celebrate Reformation Day on October 31st. Usually we simply celebrate with our church, but this year we had the opportunity to host a Reformation Day party with a LOT of our Wild and Free friends. I didn’t count, but I think our turnout was about 30 kids plus 8 or 9 moms. We had so much fun!

I want to share our party with you in part just because I had a difficult time finding many Reformation Day party ideas online, so I want to share what we ended up doing to help inspire others who want to celebrate the Reformation with fun activities and crafts. I did end up using a few ideas that I found, so I will tag original sources below.

To help the activities and crafts be more cohesive and to help the kids understand (in small part) the significance of the Reformation, I made “passports” that the kids could carry around from activity to activity and check off what they completed. The passports were “tickets” out of the Dark Ages, and had a key saying of the Reformation on the front: Post Tenebras Lux, or After Darkness Light.

For the food, I volunteered to make the Reformation themed treats and drinks. Everyone else brought a dish to share. We ended up having quite the spread! It was amazing and delicious.

Keep scrolling to see pictures from the party, read about the activities we did, and get the free printables to have your own Reformation Day party…not necessarily with 30 kids ;-). Be sure to pin it if you want to save it for next year! 

Reformation Day Party

The Activities

There were six activities for the kids to complete. We decided to have the kids go through the activities first (in no particular order), then to eat lunch, and then to have free play in the yard and inside.

• Gutenberg’s Printing Press
• Martinmas Lanterns
• Five Solas coloring page
• A Mighty Fortress building
• Nail the 95 Theses to the door
• Burn the Papal Bull

Gutenberg’s Printing Press

I set out cardboard pieces, craft foam, scissors, paint, foam brushes, and paper. The kids cut out shapes from the craft foam, and glued them to the cardboard (a low-temp hot glue gun works well for this). Then they brushed paint on the foam and pressed the cardboard/foam onto a piece of paper to transfer the shape. We hung each picture on a piece of string to dry.

I also made a cutout of Luther’s Rose and a cross beforehand for kids who did not want to cut out their own shape. I had a two-minute video pulled up on Gutenberg’s printing press, but we did not get to it.

See the inspiration idea here.

Martinmas Lanterns

The kids made lanterns in honor of Martinmas (St. Martins Day) on November 11th. The lanterns represent the spreading of light that came from the Reformation. The craft was very simple. The kids drew scenes on strips of vellum, glued them to strips of black paper, and then glued them to make a cylinder. We used battery operated tea lights to illuminate the lanterns.

Five Solas Coloring Page

This was super easy, but I love having a low-key option at parties for kids who just want something simple and relaxing. I printed off these Five Solas coloring pages and set out a big box of crayons.

A Mighty Fortress Building

Another key, low-key activity. I set out bins of duplos, wooden blocks, and magna-tiles. I also set out copies of the hymn, A Mighty Fortress, written by Martin Luther, in case anyone wanted to take home a copy. The kids were just tasked with building “fortresses”

Nail the 95 Theses to the Door

When Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to the door of the castle church in Wittenburg, he wasn’t looking for a revolution. Just a debate. But his ideas quickly spread and sparked the Reformation.

I set out a door (that we don’t need) against a tree outside, and printed pictures of scrolls of paper with the number 95 on them. A friend provided hammers and a box of nails. Super easy and super fun for the kids. I also set out a printed copy of Luther’s theses in case anyone wanted to skim them.

Burning the Papal Bull 

The Pope sent Luther a “papal bull” excommunicating him from the church a while after Luther nailed his 95 theses to the door. Luther simply burned the papal bull because he had no intention of recanting.

We made a fire in our fire pit in the backyard and provided the kids with rolled up papers with “Papal Bull” printed on them. Of course, the kids loved throwing these in the fire. And of course, there was adult supervision around the fire too.

The Food

I found some really cute ideas for Reformation themed treats from the Thinking Kids blog. We made marshmallow and pretzel hammers, chocolate Bibles, and set out a bowl of gummy worms. Each treat was labeled referencing its significance to the Reformation.

I also made lemonade, and warm spiced cider in my Instant Pot. Another friend brought honey mead.

Besides the drinks, we had a ton of delicious food! Everyone came through with really great trays and platters of food to share.

The Printables

You can print off everything I used for the party for free! Just click on each printable below to download and print.

• Passport Cover
• Passport Inside
• 95 Theses
• Sola Scriptura Chocolate Labels
• Treat Labels
• Papal Bulls
• Five Solas Coloring Page

That’s it! It was a really great time, and hopefully the kids all took something away from the activities. I hope to make this an annual celebration with our friends from now on! 

If you’re interested in learning more about the Reformation with your kids, check out this post on great resources for Reformation learning as a family.

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Last weekend we celebrated my oldest son’s eight birthday with a reptile party. We had such a great time with friends– playing together outside, enjoying good food, and of course, getting to hold and touch some neat reptiles!

Keep reading to check out..

• The Set Up
• The Fun
• The Food
• Materials List 
• More Party Ideas

Fun Reptile Birthday Party

The Set Up

This was the first year that I used our mantle for party decorations, but I loved it and I will likely do this again for future parties! With the exception of the balloon, everything I used were items I already had around the house.

The chalkboard is from Home Depot. You can get a large piece of chalkboard and get it cut to whatever sizes you want. I asked for mine to be cut into two pieces, one 2/3 the original size, and the other 1/3. The larger one is the one I used here.

The balloon is from Target, as is the wooden circle banner. To do the reptile banner, I printed a page of reptile silhouettes I found online, then just taped them to the banner because I want to keep it reusable.

The J is a a piece I pulled from the boys’ room, and then finally, I just put up different sized pictures of the birthday boy (also just found around the house).

The rest of the decorations were pretty minimal. I bought brown craft paper from the Dollar Store and crumpled them so they would look like trees, then hung green streamers to be vines. We tucked in a few rubber snakes here and there for effect.

The only other decor was something my son created and wanted to be used in the party. He painted the inside of a box to be a jungle, and used craft sticks and construction paper to complete it. The box became home to a brown snake.

The Fun

REPTILE DEMO 

The main activity I planned for the party was hiring a local reptile company (Top Notch Exotics) in our area to come and do a demonstration with several ball pythons and a gecko. There was a good variety of appearances and sizes of the reptiles, which helped to keep the kids’ interest during the demo.

Sierra, the owner, was so great at explaining different features of the snakes and answering the kids’ (and adults) questions. Her snakes are very people/kid friendly so the kids were able to touch and hold several different snakes.

Overall I was really impressed with the demonstration and so happy at how well the kids did! Many of the kids had never held snakes before, but were willing to try something new. Everyone was calm and interested. My kids especially were eager to hold every snake they could!

SNAKE HUNT OBSTACLE COURSE

This was the only “organized” game at the party. And I use the term organized loosely. I had an idea to do an obstacle course that would end with the kids finding a stuffed snake to take home. I ran out of time to put together any kinds of signs or whatnot, but what we did ended up being just fine.

A friend helped me to set up a short obstacle course in the backyard. We used a black hose and told the kids they had to “follow the snake” to get the prize. The course went under the hammock, through the tire swing, through a box, and then the kids had to crawl like a lizard and then chomp like a crocodile until they reached the play set.

I always try to make a party favor that guests can take home and enjoy after the party. We’ve had tool belts, dinosaur tails, wall decor, gem cards, dart belt pouches, art easels, and now stuffed snakes.

I used the pattern for these DIY travel buddies to make the snakes, except that I made them about half as long (but just as wide). Since I was able to use fabric that I already had on hand, it only cost about $5 worth of stuffing to make the snakes.

FREE PLAY

When the kids weren’t holding snakes or running through the obstacle course, they were simply playing together in the yard. We are fortunate to have a big backyard which is mostly shaded. Over the years we have added more things for the kids to do so there is a lot for everyone. The tire swing was added the day before the party so it was a big hit.

Also, with so many older kids who love my littles, I had plenty of hands-free time to coordinate the party, make sure everyone had what they needed, and chat with the adults. It was so lovely!

The Food

Since the party started at 4pm, we planned on grilling hot dogs to keep things simple. I picked up a LOT of beef hot dogs from Costco and found buns at Aldi (marked down to $0.25 a bag!). I made baked beans and super cheesy macaroni and cheese in my Instant Pots.

In addition to the hot food, we had fruit, chips, and veggie straws set out for everyone to snack on as they liked. I told the guests they could contribute sides if they wanted, so we also had potato salad and jello.

I set up the usual drink station with barely sweet Instant Pot tea, lemonade, and water. Easy.

THE CAKE

I went with a Costco cake again this year, but ordered it undecorated so I could decorate it myself. My plan was to use colored M&M’s like this dinosaur cake, however the local store no longer had the individual dispenser of M&M’s so I had to devise a Plan B.

Instead of M&M’s, I bought chocolate “rocks” and smaller candy coated chocolates from 5 Below. My kids were thrilled because they absolutely love this store.

(You can tell how hot it was outside the day we picked up the cake, because the icing melted off one side of the cake. I just covered the wonky area with rocks…)

Materials List

TREAT BAGS :: 

Besides the stuffed snakes, we also put together small treat bags for our friends. We used inexpensive clear treat bags from Target, then filled them with:

• Reptile Tattoos (Amazon)
• Snake Tattoos (Amazon)
• Colored Snakes (Dollar Store)
• Snake “Fireworks” (Dollar Store)
• Sticky Lizards (Amazon)
• Gummy Snakes (Dollar Store)

OTHER PARTY SUPPLIES :: 

• 5 27″ Rubber Snakes (Amazon)
• Brown craft paper (Dollar Store)
• green streamers (Dollar Store)
• gray plates & plastic forks (Target)
• black vinyl tablecloth (Target)
• grass tablecloth (Target)
• gray balloons (Target)
• gold “8” balloon (Target)

And that’s it!

We had a great time and I am so thankful for our friends who came out to celebrate with us! I always enjoy seeing what my kids are interested in over the years, and what themes they want for their parties. Before too long, I’m going to have to give in and try to figure out how to do a Lord of the Rings party…

Thanks again to Sierra from Top Notch Exotics. All the kids LOVED the demo! If you’re in the Triangle/Triad area and are interested in hosting your own reptile party or are looking for a good breeder for a new pet, you should check them out!

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More like this ::

Find even more party ideas here! 

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After having two boys, having a daughter to plan parties for is a lot of fun. Of course, she enjoys plenty of things with her brothers, like LEGOs and nerf guns, but she also has her own interests like babies and pretty dresses and most recently, dancing.

We decided on a ballet party before Christmas, but between having a newborn in the hospital and all the fun of Christmas, I did not do any planning until just a week before the party. Actually, the week before the party was so busy that I was resigned to having a very simple party without the usual effort that I usually enjoy putting into our birthday parties.

Thankfully, though, I had a rush of motivation and a little inspiration the day before the party. So even without the usual attention to detail and planning, the party was a lot of fun and had just enough to make it feel special and like a sweet celebration of my little girl.

Ballet Party for a Happy Fourth Birthday

The Set-Up

I literally did nothing for the party until the day before. I just couldn’t find the motivation! But, I was able to get out and run a few errands the day before the party which helped me to get excited about setting up our home for a party. I picked up plates, tissue paper pom-poms, balloons, and a vinyl tablecloth from the dollar store.

In addition to the few items I picked up, I pulled out a few baskets and pieces of decor from our stash at home. I stayed up until 2 AM the night before baking the birthday cake and setting up for the party. Everything was a surprise to my daughter when she woke up in the morning, which definitely added to the excitement!

I commissioned some original artwork from my children to hang up for the party, too. It may not be Degas, but I love it. I hung up their dancers in the dining room on a piece of white yarn with several white balloons. The string also proved to be usual during the party when we hung up paintings to dry.

Our dining room table was covered with a pink plastic tablecloth (a must for easy clean-up after a party!). I set out a basket of craft supplies and half a dozen pink roses in the center of the table.

The Fun

HANDPRINT BALLERINAS 

We had two main activities at the party, in addition to plenty of free play and a make-your-own-pizza station in the kitchen. The first activity was to paint a ballerina with a handprint tutu. It was a simple craft that only took about thirty minutes for everyone to complete. We started with this activity while guests were still arriving so the table was never overcrowded with crafters.

I put dollops of craft paint on paper plates and then thinned the paint with a little water to make handprints a little easier. I also set out our set of gel crayons, which were a perfect match for the paint because they are so bold and colorful.

DANCE CLASS 

An older party guest who has been taking dance for years agreed to lead the girls in a little dance class. She led them in a simple warm-up, showed them different positions, and then they all played a few games. It was very sweet to watch.

The prep for this was remarkably easy— I pushed our couch back to make more room and set out a basket of play silks. They used the play silks to dance with, to practice leaping over, and for a game of four corners where the girls would dance in the center of the room and then run to a corner when the music stopped. If their color corned was called, then they were out.

For the music, I streamed classical music using the Amazon Music app through my portable bluetooth speaker. We listened to a couple of our favorites– Vivaldi’s Four Seasons and The Nutcracker.

The Food

When possible, I like to provide food at our parties. In part because I simply enjoy feeding people, but also in part because I want people to be able to come and linger and enjoy the time together without having to worry about a meal as soon as they leave. In past parties we have had bbq sandwiches, a nacho bar, and grilled hot dogs. As much as possible, I try to have the food ready to go before the party and have it set out in a way that is easiest for people to help themselves.

Our ballet party started at 10AM and went through lunchtime. I set out a bowl of fresh fruit and a bowl of organic cheese puffs for everyone to munch on during the morning. I also set out pretzel rods dipped in white chocolate and pink sprinkles for snacking.

I debated between a few different options for the lunch and ended up going with a build-your-own-pizza bar because I had everything I needed to for it on hand already. 

I multiplied my thin crust pizza dough recipe by six, and then divided up the large portion of dough into 18 pieces. This dough is really amazing because it is SO SIMPLE and can be made in about ten minutes.

For the toppings, I pulled a couple jars of marinara sauce from the freezer, cut a few vegetables, and put some shredded cheese in a bowl. I used our griddle to cook a couple chicken breasts and a few sweet Italian sausages for meat toppings.

The kids took turns at the kitchen island putting together their pizzas. Since I quickly rolled out each portion of dough on a piece of parchment paper, it only took them a few minutes to top their pizzas. I was able to cook them four at a time on our baking steel, for about 6 minutes.

After everyone finished eating, we sang and cut the cake. I made a coconut layer cake, adapted from a recipe from this cookbook, for my daughter. If I’m honest, I chose this cake largely because I’ve been wanting coconut cake, but my daughter agreed and it was enjoyed by all, so I don’t feel too guilty.

Of course there is always more that I could have done, and considering doing, like little tutus for the guests or simple tote bags as favors, but in the end, there just wasn’t time for that this year, and I’m okay with that. The most important things were covered– friends and family we love, fun games, and delicious food! 

Materials List

• snack food, pretzels, juice boxes, fruit, & roses were purchased at Aldi
• disposable plates, utensils, tablecloth and candle were purchased at the dollar store
• play silks from Amazon (we seriously love these things)
• gel crayons from Amazon

Don’t forget to pin it!

More party fun!

Find even more on the community & parties page! 

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