What Does the Fox Say Party: Woodland Fox Party Ideas
Picture a woodland party in warm orange, cream and brown: a rustic wreath on the wall, cupcakes topped with little arrows, guests in fringed party hats and fox masks, and a favor box to carry home. This party is built around the silly fox song kids keep asking for, and it works for any child who likes foxes or the forest.
Most of the decor is paper and card stock, so a cutting machine such as a Cricut speeds things up. Scissors and a craft knife work too. Here are the questions hosts ask most often.
What can you use as a backdrop?
A wreath does double duty. Hang a rustic one behind the dessert table for the party, then move it to the front door as a fall wreath afterward.
- A grapevine or twig wreath base
- Faux autumn leaves, berries and small pinecones
- Felt or card stock fox face in orange, white and brown
- Ribbon or twine for hanging
- Hot glue gun (adults only)
- Lay the leaves and berries around the base and arrange them until the wreath looks balanced, with fuller clusters at the bottom or one side.
- Glue everything in place and let it set.
- Cut a fox face from orange card stock, add white cheeks and a dark nose, and glue it at the center or off to one side.
- Tie a loop of twine at the back for hanging.
How do you make arrow cupcake toppers?
Arrows are an easy way to dress up cupcakes or any small dessert. The trick is to build each one from a simple shaft and two paper pieces, then attach it to a stick.
- Card stock in brown, cream and orange
- Wooden skewers or thin dowels
- Craft glue or double-sided tape
- Cut an arrowhead (a small triangle or diamond) and a fletching (a short fringed or feather shape) from card stock.
- Glue the arrowhead to the top of a skewer, folding it over so it shows on both sides.
- Glue the fletching to the bottom end the same way.
- Trim the skewer to fit your cupcake and push it into the frosting at a slight angle.
Keep the paper from touching the frosting, since grease will soak into it. Dip the end of the skewer in the frosting only.
What about party hats?
Patterned card stock makes a party hat feel much nicer than the plain store-bought kind, and costs little. Use a cone template, either from your cutting software or drawn by hand with a compass or a string and pencil.
- Cut the cone shape from decorative card stock.
- Curl it into a cone and glue the overlapping edge. Hold it until it sticks.
- Glue a strip of coordinating fringe around the bottom edge, or place it on top as a pom-pom style tuft.
- Wrap baker’s twine around the base and add a bow, then punch two small holes at the sides and thread elastic or ribbon for a chin strap.
How do you make fox masks?
Masks are the star of the party because they turn guests into the theme. Make them from card stock or felt, with a cutout for each eye and pointed ears at the top.
- Orange, white and black card stock or felt
- Craft sticks or elastic
- Glue
- Cut an orange base shaped like a fox face with two ears and eye holes. Test the eye holes on a child’s face before cutting a whole batch.
- Add white inner ears and white cheek patches below the eyes.
- Glue on a small black nose in the middle.
- Attach a craft stick at one side or elastic at the back.
Cut extras so the party can double as a photo booth. Keep any small pieces away from children under three.
What favors fit the theme?
Small boxes in kraft or orange card stock are ideal for the take-home treat. If your cutting software has a weld function, use it to join the box shape and a fox-ear tab into a single cut so the pieces do not separate. Otherwise, glue the tab on by hand.
- Fill each box with a cookie, candies or a small toy.
- Tie the box with twine and add a name tag.
- Use tissue paper in autumn colors as filler.
What food and activities suit the party?
Keep the menu simple and woodland-flavored: cupcakes with the arrow toppers, orange fruit such as clementine segments, pretzel sticks as “twigs”, and cider or lemonade. Give each child a fox mask at the door, and play a game of musical statues to the fox song. A parade with masks and hats makes for a fun group activity before cake.
Set up the wreath and table the day before, and make the toppers and favor boxes a few days ahead. Do the cupcake assembly on the morning of the party so the paper stays crisp.
