Raritan Headwaters offers fun, nature-themed birthday party programs for children of all ages! Birthday parties take place at Fairview Farm Wildlife Preserve, where we have a Nature Classroom, trails to explore and plenty of open space to enjoy the outdoors! By working with RHA staff to design a birthday program based on your child’s interests and birthday wishes, you can be sure that your youngster and their friends will enjoy a fun, educational time of exploration, games, crafts and other activities!
RHA will provide:
- Use of our Nature Classroom for the party space, or an outdoor area with tables and chairs for all party guests
- Trash bags and clean up supplies (brooms, dust pans, etc.)
- Use of our office refrigerator, freezer, sink and microwave
Your reservation includes:
- Plenty of set-up time before your party begins
- Two hours of party time: One hour of activities including exploration time and crafts led by a naturalist, and one hour of general play time (including refreshments and gift-opening)
- Time to clean up at the end of the party (all garbage must be placed in the dumpsters at the top of RHA’s
driveway)
You will provide:
- Birthday cake and refreshments
- Decorations if desired. All decorations MUST be secured so as not to blow away and litter the surrounding habitat areas (we really discourage the use of balloons unless they are biodegradable!)
- Assistance managing children during the RHA-led portion of the program
- Supervision of your child and guests
Cost: $350
Party size is limited to 20 children including siblings. Smaller party sizes are encouraged, as the party space is small and naturalist availability is limited! Full payment must be received to hold your reservation. Refunds are available if cancellation is made at least 24 hours in advance.
We look forward to sharing this special day with you and your child!
Theme Ideas
MOST POPULAR: Scavenger Hunt (ages 4 and up)
Have fun exploring the trails of Fairview Farm as we search for elements of nature along the way! Option to make this party a treasure-hunt too! The scavenger hunt party can be themed according to your child’s interests (for instance, a Fairy Themed Scavenger Hunt!) Year-round!
Fun in the Butterfly Garden (ages 3 and up)
Everyone will grab a butterfly net and insect viewer as we walk through the meadows of Fairview Farm looking for butterflies and other pollinators, ending up in the bird and butterfly garden! Have fun learning about butterfly life cycles by searching for eggs, caterpillars and adult butterflies! A fun activity for this birthday is to have a tea party in the garden (with yummy lemonade and iced tea, of course), and to make a take-home butterfly craft! Ideal for May through September
Campfire Fun (ages 6 and up)
Gather round the campfire! Our naturalist can lead you on a night hike, play fun nature-at-night games, and more! You can bring your own supplies to roast s’mores, and we can put you in touch with a local astronomer or storyteller (additional fee applies)! Ideal for April through the end of December
Eco-Inspector (ages 3 and up)
Learn how to use binoculars and magnifying glasses as we tromp around the trails of Fairview Farm looking for things big and small and far away! Make paper-tube binoculars as a take-home craft for exploring your own backyard! Year-round!
Water Wonders (ages 5 and up)
Pull on your water shoes for a short hike to a shallow stream where we can splash around and look for stream wildlife like salamanders and water pennies! On warm days we can walk back to the classroom for water games, or on cooler days make a fun take-home craft! Ideal for April through September
Get Crafty! (ages 4 and up)
Bring your creativity for a party full of nature-themed crafts! Using fallen leaves, stones, pinecones and other found objects from the trails of Fairview Farm, we will take home a handful of fun crafts! Think yarn spider webs, pinecone bird feeders, painted stones, and more! RHA staff have plenty of ideas to stimulate the creativity of kids of any age. Year-round!
Orienteering (ages 7 and up)
Learn how to read maps and use a compass to find hidden treasure! Kids will get a basic understanding of reading maps as they use clues around the property to find trinkets to take home. A fun adventure for older children, and can be adapted for younger kids too! Year-round!
Feathered Friends (ages 3 and up)
Everyone will get to try out a pair of binoculars where we will learn different bird calls and walk the meadows and forests looking and listening for song birds, birds of prey and other fun feathered friends. Each child will make a take-home bird feeder! Year-round!
Little Critters and Bugs, Oh My! (ages 3 and up)
Search high and low for six-legged friends around Fairview Farm! Using magnifying glasses and bug viewers, we are sure to find some new and interesting insects to observe on a fun hike around the property! Then it’s back to the classroom for some fun games and take home crafts like googly-eyed insect-painted stones, decorated butterfly nets or lightning bug jars! Ideal for June through August
Home, Home on the Range! (ages 3 and up)
Wear your hiking shoes for a fun ramble on the trails of Fairview Farm to look for animal habitats! We’ll make our way back to the classroom gathering materials to make our own habitat – a grass hut perfectly sized for kids! By the end of this party we will have built one (or two, or three) grass huts that kids can safely play in, and duplicate at home! Ideal for April through early October.
For more information, contact Director of Education, Lauren Theis
