Snips and Snails Birthday Party Theme

Fun birthday party theme for boys of all ages, twins and sibling parties too

Decorations
Decorate in blues and browns.  Cover tables with blue or brown table cloths.  Scatter shells on the table top.  Use pictures of dogs and stuffed animals around the room.  Decorate the party room with balloons and streamers.

Activities
Make snail coil pots out of modeling clay.  Give each guest a ball of clay and show them how to roll it out into a long thin snake like tube.  Try and make the thickness of the "snake" even.  At one end begin to coil the clay in a circle around itself.  Keep going around and around building the pot taller as you go.  When done read the directions on drying and painting.

Games
Pin the tail on the Dog
Play a Pin the tail of the Donkey style game called Pin the tail on the Dog.  Buy or make a poster of a dog - make sure it has a tail showing.  Make copies of the tail by tracing around the tail on the poster.  Make as many tails as you need for each party guest to receive one.  Put the child's name on the front of their tail.  On the back place a piece of double stick tape.  Tape the poster to a wall and line the children up across from the poster about 10 feet away.  One by one blindfold the children and tell them to pin the tail on the dog.  The guest who's tail is closest to the original tail wins a prize.

Dig for prizes
In a large sandbox bury small prizes.  Give the children shovels and sifters and tell them to dig for the prizes. 
Or instead of burying the prizes themselves before the party number the prizes.  On milkbone style dog treats with a permanent marker write a corresponding number to the prize.  Bury the milkbone treats in the sand.    When a guest finds a dog bone they get a prize that corresponds to that number.

Dog Bone Race
Divide party guests into two teams.  Give each team a wooden spoon and one milkbone style dog treat.  About 30 yards (or more depending on the room you have) from where the two teams are lined up place two orange cones as the turn around point.  Teams must one person at a time take the wooden spoon and place the dog treat on the end.  They must then carry the treat from the line, around the orange cone and back to the line without dropping it.  If they drop the treat they must start again at the front of the line.  The first team done wins a prize.
Variation:  For more fun and to make this game last longer after every round make the game harder.  For instance make them walk the course backwards, on their knees, while spinning or even without the spoon and make them hold the dog treat on their nose. 
You can also play "snail / puppy" during one round of this game.  Have an adult call out "snail" or "puppy" during the race.  When "snail" is called out the kids have to go slooow ... and when "puppy" is called out they can go fast again.

Puppy Tail Tag
Give each guest a bandana or piece of cloth and have them place it in their back pocket with a little "tail" sticking out.  Have the kids try and get each others "tail".  The child with the most "tails" at the end of the game wins a prize. 

Party Food Ideas
Puppy Chow Mix (chocolate trail mix)
Recipe for Puppy Chow Mix
9 Cups Chex cereal
1 Cup Chocolate Chips
1/2 Cup Peanut Butter
1/4 Cup Butter
1/4 teaspoon Vanilla
1 1/2 Cup Powdered Sugar
Melt chocolate chips, peanut butter and butter together on the stove.  (Can also be melted in the microwave -  stir every 30 seconds.) 
Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.
Place Chex cereal in a large bowl and pour chocolate mixture over the cereal.  Stir gently to coat the cereal. 
Put into a large plastic bag or brown grocery bag with the powdered sugar and shake well to coat the cereal.  Spread evenly on wax paper to cool.

Serve food in new, clean plastic dog dishes
Make "snail" wraps with ham, cheese and lettuce on tortillas
Use a cookie cutter shaped like a dog bone and cut out shapes from these food items:
Fruit
Cheese
Sandwiches
Jello Jigglers
Brownies

Snips and Snails Party Favors
Land crabs
Dog I.D. tag (these can be bought at pet stores)
Dog ears
Shells

Goody Bags / Loot Bags
New plastic dog food bowls
The bandanas you used in the Puppy Tail Tag game.  Wrap party favors up in the bandanas and tie together at the top.