[quote=Anonymous]I think you’re over complicating this. Other than chocolate, you’re probably not going to find much kid-friendly food that’s black, and you’ve already said you don’t want sweets. Trying to find black, savory, tea-party food, that kids will like, is I think reaching too far. I suspect the kids will be less enthused about thematic foods than they will the cake. Just serve whatever food you want on panda-themed and/or black and white tableware (tablecloth, napkins, plates, cups, forks, etc.). If you really want to go all out, you could try getting a panda-shaped sandwich cutter for your cucumber sandwiches, but I suspect that would be more trouble than it’s worth. I think it’s better if you keep the food tea-party themed, and let the decorations carry the panda theme. [/quote]

+1. Other than black and white cookies, there aren’t a lot of black and white food options. Serve food you think the kids will eat - jam or turkey sandwiches, fruit, etc. There are lots of panda decorations to make it panda themed, and if your DD has panda stuffies, maybe have them
in the room. It's a cute idea - my DD is 8 and loves pandas.

If you want favors, my 7 year old is into these. I like to give one nicer things vs a bag of candy or junk
https://shop.ty.com/product/bamboo/42526.html?gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAADyIHZugRx8hST8frGdVoKri08bzH&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIk6SJwez2igMVb0xHAR2yZCtEEAQYAyABEgKlT_D_BwE

Anonymous wrote:Black and white cookies. They sell boxes of minis in many places.

This seems like the obvious one or Oreos.

I hosted a tea party for my second grader recently and I put out macarons, fruit, mini sandwiches and chocolate. Presentation is everything.

We are Asian. I think sushi would look cute. Or pork buns.

Op here. I think you’re right that the games should be panda themed and the food a separate thing.

I theory I won a cake through a school raffle (a bakery was offering) but I’m having trouble coordinating so otherwise black and white cookies might be the way to go. This will be her 4th birthday in a row that is somehow panda themed (last year I took her and some friends to Kung Fu Panda II).

A teacher friend told me to plan activities every 15 mins (and eating counts as an activity). I welcome ideas but tentatively plan:

Color panda pictures as children arrive
Tea party
Face painting and balloon animals (our awesome babysitter who I’ve hired to help has a side business of doing this for bday parties)
Pin the nose on the panda
Guessing game where kids will win trinkets (hopefully panda themed)
Cake
Dance party
Watch silly panda videos while making your own candy bracelet (my mom used to get licorice string and round things like life savers and fruit loops for this)

LOVE this idea!

How about a fruit platter that looks like a panda? I found a few examples with blueberries and blueberries. Just google. I’d make it for the table and if no one eats it it’s still cute. Other than that just let your kid pick the menu.

Anonymous wrote:Oreos. Thin mints. Trader Joe’s chocolate stars with the white sprinkles (if they still have them after the holidays). Serve cake with a scoop or vanilla or chocolate chip ice cream. I know you said you didn’t want more sweets, but a cookie or two extra won’t break you or the guests.

Celery stalks in lieu of bamboo. Use cotton balls to play “stick the tail on the panda.”

+1

Keep it simple for the kids. They do NOT want finger sandwiches with black olives! You can do a tea party with mostly sweets.

This sounds so fun, but there's no way children are going to eat things that are black. I would just stick to having pandas be the decorations. Let her have the sandwiches she wants. Make sure you have plenty of activities planned after the tea party.

Oreos. Thin mints. Trader Joe’s chocolate stars with the white sprinkles (if they still have them after the holidays). Serve cake with a scoop or vanilla or chocolate chip ice cream. I know you said you didn’t want more sweets, but a cookie or two extra won’t break you or the guests.

Celery stalks in lieu of bamboo. Use cotton balls to play “stick the tail on the panda.”

Anonymous wrote:What a fun idea! This might be a bit much but here are some ideas for a panda themed party from Oriental Trading: https://www.fun365.orientaltrading.com/article/panda-party

Maybe there's something you can use. Also, if you have an Asian store near you check out their snack aisle for panda related munchies.

Good luck and have fun!

That page makes me want to have a panda party!

Black and white cookies. They sell boxes of minis in many places.

You can buy white frosted cupcakes and add Oreos and black icing to make them look like pandas. Look online for ideas.

You could also serve the tea sandwiches on bamboo leaves (real or fake). Just line the trays and platters with the green leaves

Baked by Yael makes awesome panda themed cake pops
https://www.bakedbyyael.com/collections/panda-lovers

These panda fruit creations are so cute
https://www.kixcereal.com/kix-creal-food-art-an-easy-panda-bear-snack/

You could probably add panda ears to sandwiches using black olives.

You can sometimes find panda bao buns but they're tricky.

There are those little panda cookies you can get at Asian grocery stores or buy online. Green pocky could be "bamboo".

If you have an H mart or Lotte mart nearby I might wander the snack and frozen aisle. I've seen some panda themed stuff there before, mostly in the snack and candy aisles.