birthday party ideas

[Ohio12]

dd is turning 6. we are having 15 girls and boys age 5-7 from the neighborhood for a party. i was trying to come up with a scavenger hunt type idea, but it isn't going so well. any ideas for a theme of a scavenger hunt or even just some fun party games for that age? i have never had this many kids. i don't know what i was thinking! last year i put together a really cool animal rescue party for just 4 girls, but my creative juices are NOT flowing this year. HELP!

[Chris in VA]

Instead of Scavenger, can you do Treasure hunt? Pirate theme, send them with clues to about 6 different places around the neighborhood, back to your house for a chest full of candy, fake coins, etc (I used a tin bread box, lined with foil and then filled up--we actually buried it and gave them shovels--Also did a Humpback of Notre Dame/Gypsy party and had them find a treasure bound up in a beautiful scarf/stick--not very pc).

 

A couple games--obstacle course in yard (timed), relays (sponge relay--three teams, 2 buckets of water and 1 sponge each. Race to transfer the water from one bucket to another, fill to line. Carry something on a spoon to another container. ETC.).

[Ohio12]

Instead of Scavenger, can you do Treasure hunt? Pirate theme, send them with clues to about 6 different places around the neighborhood, back to your house for a chest full of candy, fake coins, etc (I used a tin bread box, lined with foil and then filled up--we actually buried it and gave them shovels--Also did a Humpback of Notre Dame/Gypsy party and had them find a treasure bound up in a beautiful scarf/stick--not very pc).

 

A couple games--obstacle course in yard (timed), relays (sponge relay--three teams, 2 buckets of water and 1 sponge each. Race to transfer the water from one bucket to another, fill to line. Carry something on a spoon to another container. ETC.).

 

 

thank you for the ideas! i had considered a treasure hunt, but wasn't sure what the "tasks" would be to find the treasure. I like the bucket idea and the spoon idea A LOT.

[Chris in VA]

Treaure hunts here are pretty simple--make up a rhyme or a clue to where the next clue is to be found.

 

Pick several places and think how you could describe them in an unusual way.

 

Just don't use the word, "labial."

[Mom to Aly]

Not a scavenger thing, but my fave thing is to always make cupcakes, and provide icing and things to decorate with--sprinkles, and everything else--wilton little sugars, shapes, etc. Thin icings, things to write with--once the kids tried to see who could make the tallest cupcake, then fit it in their mouths (quite the picture opportunity), once it was the prettiest; so much to do! Always a blast, and all the kids adore it!

[Dawn E]

When dd was four we had a Peter Pan party. The boys dressed like pirates; the girls like fairies. We had 22 kids there! Ahhhh! but it went really well.

 

Some things we did...

 

*we had a little treasure chest with trinkets and passed it around while music played. Whichever child was holding it when the music stopped got to pick a prize. This did take some time, but the kids loved it.

 

*we had black balloons (cannon balls) with little treats inside for the kids to pop. This did not go over so well with this age. They wanted the treat, of course, but didn't want to pop the balloon. I had to pop them all for them.

 

*We had a treasure hunt. We gave little clues to lead them throughout the building to collect puzzle pieces. They put the pieces together to find the symbol that marked the door to the room where the treasure was hidden.

 

*We used a blue tablecloth and made little cupcakes with palm tree inserts to look like islands scattered in the ocean.

 

I can't remember what all else we did. I was majorly stressed, but the kids seemed to have a great time. There is a book called Hit of the Party that we used for her last birthday (princesses and knights) that was worth its weight in gold. It had pirate ideas as well along with many others.