Our Pet Adoption Party is one of my new favorites! It was so fun and all the kids LOVED every minute. The party was jammed packed minute to minute. We have tons of activities for this party to keep the kids busy and happy. A lot of the activity stations you can prepped ahead of time, which is a lifesaver. The printables for out Adopt a Pet party are available here
When you first walked into the house we had all the pets lined up in their carriers. We used beanie babies, but you can use any stuffed animal. The beanie babies fit perfectly in the white gable boxes we found. When all the kids arrived they were able to select which one they wanted. I was afraid we would have kids unhappy, but they all loved their animals!
To make the pet carriers we cut a circle hole in the gable boxes using this hole punch from Martha Stewart. My holes weren’t perfectly round, but nobody could tell. When doing this, just make sure you don’t cut through to the other side….. You have to place the mat inside the gable box when it’s flat. The circles were about 4″. I would try one first and see if you can get your pet in and out easily. If you can’t fit your cutter inside just cut a circle the size you want the hole to be and trace it onto the boxes and cut it freehanded. Again, just make sure you have a mat or something inside so you don’t cut all the way through.
We had different animals, dogs, cats, mice, pigs, bears, monkeys, dinosaur, dragon and lizards
They then went to the Adoption table and filled out their certificate of Adoption. This is where they named their pet and signed for them promising to love them forever. The kids loved this and I was so shocked by all the cute names they came up with. They were really good at naming their pets! They did these first 2 steps all together as a group.
We then had 3 stations: Make a collar, Hospital for them to give them a check up and decorate their carrier “home”. From this point in the party we started kids at different stations so it was so crowded.
For the collar station just get all different kinds go beads and chanel stems for them to thread. These are easy as they keep stiff for them to thread the beads. They especially loved the alphabet beads to spell out their names or initials.
The next station was the hospital. We had lots of things for them to do.
There was real gauze, band aids and medical equipment for them to give their pets a proper check up.
Each had a check up sheet so they could go down the list and check their eyes, nose etc.
All of the printables can be purchased in our shop here.
The final station was decorate your house
We had pom poms, stickers, gems, pens and glitter glue. This is the section that took most kids the longest at. I will be honest, I would NOT do the glitter glue again. It was too hard for them to do them selves and it got all over as it didn’t dry fast enough. Just a little heads up for you 😉
Also, at the decorate your house we had scraps of material we cut into squares so each kid could take 1 or 2 to put inside and wrap around their pet for a cushion and blanket.
The dessert table we kept simple this time, as I flew in the day before the party so we were rushed and wanted to use all our time getting the activities for the kids done.
Mini favors filled with cinnamon bears with our cupcake topper printable
Animal crackers – always a hit!
We had sandwiches and “Carrot” chocolate covered strawberries and
cat food: goldfish
bird food: gummy worms
dog food: scooby-do gramcracker bones
These were my favorite! “Carrot” chocolate covered strawberries. So easy to make too! We dipped strawberries in orange candy melts (they were even orange flavored!) Dip all the way up to the top so you see very little of the pink & then drizzle some chocolate over the top to make it look textured like carrots.
And of course cake! We made mini party hats for the animals and cakes for each of them made out of smarties, frosting and sprinkles
The number cake toppers can be found in our shop here. They are available in 10 colors!
While the kids were at the stations we had face painting going on. They were able to select what animal they wanted to be
Hello, may I know where you bought the gable boxes from? thanks!
I purchased them from a local shop and then cut the circles out myself. I think you can get them at Paper Mart or someplace like that if you can’t find it at a packaging store.
Debbie
Hi! Do you know what size your gable boxes were? We’re also using beanie babies, and I want to make sure they fit. Thanks!
I don’t remember what size they were…. I think they were 5 or 6″ wide as I think the circle I made was around 3.5″ or 4″. Let me know if you have any other questions.
Debbie
Hello! What are your printing recommendations for the printables? I wanted to order the full set but wanted to know what the best way to print these? Thanks!
I like to print at Office Depot, but you can print at Staples, Kinkos or any local printer. Let me know if you have any other questions.
Debbie
Do you have a party invitation that goes with the printables package?
Yes, we have a coordinating invitation. You can find it here https://www.wantsandwishesdesign.com/products/pet-adoption-adopt-a-pet-printable-birthday-party-invitation
Let me know if you have any other questions.
Debbie
Oh my gosh, I am so excited about this party idea! I am going to do the pet adoption for sure! Where did you buy the gable boxes?
I’m so glad you liked our Adopt a pet party! I bought the gable boxes at a local store here. If you can’t find them let me know and I can ship some to you 🙂
Debbie