At one too many parties, the kids in my neck of the woods have gotten high, literally, from the copious amounts of sugar offered to them–from the pinata, party favor bags, and cake.

This time around, I am limiting the traditional forms of sweets (i.e.; candy and cookies) served, and turning towards nature’s simple sugars to satisfy any sweet fiends attending the party. I am serving bananas.

How perfect is this treat for the King of the Jungle Safari theme I am going for for JT’s first birthday party? Jungle, monkeys, bananas…get it? To entice the children, however, I am:

1) Calling it a snack that the natives of the jungle eat

2) Freezing them on lollipop sticks, and

3) Allowing them to adorn and create their frozen bananas as they please with a dipping station.

Here is a list of what I’m providing as dipping items for the children’s bananas:

-whipped cream

-marshmallow creme

-sprinkles

-fruity pebbles

-caramel

I am choosing these particular dipping items because I am hoping that it will encourage the children to
eat whatever they can while sitting at the station, and not sneak any off with them. The marshmallow creme and whipped cream also work as an adhesive for the other dipping items.

Here is how I created the frozen bananas:

1. Cut each large banana in half.

2. Push a skinny, short lollipop stick through the flat edge of the banana half.

3. Wrap in foil.

4. Freeze overnight.

In theory, the children should have fun creating an item they’ll be eating, and satisfy their sweet tooth at the same time. I’ll let you all know how it all works out this Sunday!

UPDATE: The children thoroughly enjoyed the frozen banana treat. On the day of the party, we had a little snafu where the bananas were not put in the freezer at the facility we had the party at, but in the refrigerator…for 3 hours. So, the bananas ended up with a soft, creamy texture, instead of a hard, icy texture. Surprisingly, when I tasted it, it was much better than I’d expect it to be–it felt and tasted like banana ice cream. My sisters and some other adults commented on how good it tasted. Let this be an example of how glitches in our party can actually be beneficial!

What unique treats have you done at your parties? Anything cool happen by accident?