If you have a marsupial loving little one, or you’re looking for a novel way to celebrate Australian wildlife with your family, why not plan a koala picnic? Not only will this make lunch time a little more exciting, it’s also a chance to talk about animals and nature. Here are our top ideas for how to celebrate these cute critters with a themed picnic. 

Koala plates and cups

It goes without saying that paper plates and cups with a koala motif are an essential part of your themed picnic. Several online sellers provide tableware with cute koala designs, so pick up enough for the whole family and pack them into your hamper. 

Koala themed food

When it comes to food, koalas are relatively easy to style with anything circular in shape. They are known for their large ears and big noses, which you can recreate with crackers, grapes and other additions. Create a koala face for your little ones with a rice cake, two round crackers for ears, a couple of blueberries for the eyes and a purple grape for the nose. 

Little koala cupcakes are easy to make too. Bake your kids’ favourite sponge cake and top with icing. Then add raisins or chocolate drops for the eyes, a pair of marshmallow ears and a date, chocolate brazil nut or large chocolate button for the nose. 

Add some veggie snacks to your koala themed picnic with cucumber sticks or mange tout cut into the shape of eucalyptus leaves. Many eucalyptus leaves have a long, thin shape that tapers at the top, so cucumber and mange tout are the perfect options for recreating edible ‘eucalyptus’. 

Koala scents

Why not take your picnic to the next level by adding some ‘koala’ scents to the mix? Koalas famously live in eucalyptus trees, so a themed picnic is a great opportunity to introduce eucalyptus to little ones in the form of a scented candle, and talk about its smell. 

It’s important to note that inhaling or ingesting pure eucalyptus oil, or ingesting eucalyptus leaves themselves, is not recommended as the plant notoriously contains toxins and can cause severe reactions.

Koala stories

Why not round off the picnic with a koala bear story while your food digests? While babies and toddlers may enjoy the interactive, tactile nature of That’s Not My Koala, older children will love The Koala Who Could by Rachel Bright and Jim Field. One of the most popular stories about koalas, it tells the tale of Kevin, who clings to his eucalyptus tree until disaster strikes and he learns to embrace change. 

See The Koala Who Could on stage

The Koala Who Could has also been adapted for the stage, and tells Kevin’s story with stunning puppetry, songs and dance. It’s a wonderful way to introduce kids of ages three and up to the theatre, being interactive and just 55 minutes long with no interval. Join the fun with your family and book tickets today at your local venue.