Tuesday, May 31, 2011

birthday in a blog: army party - part 1



my oldest turns 8 in a couple of weeks. he doesn't love having a summer birthday as his birthday parties usually revolve around when the neighborhood pool is available. this year we decided to try something different. he wanted an army party so i scoured the internet looking for great ideas and here's what i found. if you have a boy or a girl that is interested in a military themed birthday party, feel free to copy and paste away.

invitations: in keeping with the military theme, we did induction letters. just stick them in a mailing envelope and you'll be ready to go without spending a dime (well, maybe a dime, but you get the idea). i used the army emblem at the top of each invitation to make it look official.


invitation:




OFFICIAL RECRUITMENT NOTICE


THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES




MAY 17, 2011




YOU ARE HEREBY ORDERED FOR INDUCTION INTO THE ARMED FORCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. YOU WILL BE JOINING AN ELITE SPECIAL FORCES UNIT FOR A SERIES OF TOP SECRET ASSIGNMENTS TO HONOR PRIVATE FIRST CLASS ________________ AND HIS 8TH BIRTHDAY.


PLEASE REPORT TO CAMP (LAST NAME) , ADDRESS, MAY 27, 2011 AT 1700 HOURS (5:00 PM) FOR A SPECIAL OVERNIGHT MISSION.






YOU WILL NEED YOUR OVERNIGHT GEAR INCLUDING A SLEEPING BAG AND A PILLOW. COME DRESSED IN YOUR FAVORITE MILITARY ATTIRE OR ANYTHING SUITABLE FOR A TOUGH DAY OF ARMY TRAINING. YOU CAN DRESS IN CIVILIAN CLOTHING ON SATURDAY. RATIONS WILL BE PROVIDED ON FRIDAY NIGHT AND SATURDAY MORNING.


THE MISSIONS WILL BE COMPLETED AT 0900 HOURS ON SATURDAY MORNING AND ALL SOLDIERS WILL BE RELEASED AT THAT TIME.






PLEASE CONFIRM YOUR WILLINGNESS TO SERVE TO COMMANDER (LAST NAME): 555.555.5555.


FAILURE IS NOT AN OPTION, SOLDIER. WE WILL SEE YOU THERE.



the boys had to complete a series of missions. there were nine missions in all and they were a ton of fun for me to plan and get together. some of them were harder on the boys but i had several boys come and tell me how much fun they were having. this is nothing short of miraculous for an eight year old.


timeline:


here's the timeline for the evening. ours was a slumber party but it could easily be changed to an afternoon party as well.




8th Birthday Timeline


Before arrival day of: hide equipment at Neighbors, set up targets in back yard, have obstacle course prepared and directions written out, fill up water balloons, Find place for pinata with rope, hide treasure instructions in backyard,


· 5:00-5:15 - Arrival & Face Painting


· 5:15-5:30 - Photos (Hide the army men in the front yard)


· 5:30-5:45 - Arm Men hunt


· 5:45-5:50 - Team Break Up


· 5:50-6:00 - March To Neighbors


· 6:00-6:30 - Equipment Scavenger Hunt


· 6:30-7:00 - March back, wash hands, serve pizza, clean up


· 7:15-7:30 - Target Practice


· 7:30 - 7:50 - Obstacle Course


· 7:50 - 8:05 - Bomb Diffusal


· 8:05-8:20 - Piñata


· 8:20 - 8:35 - Wounded Soldier


· 8:35- 8:55 - Cake (hide treasures)


· 8:55 - 9:15 - Treasure Hunt (prepare for smores)


· 9:15 - wash hands & get ready for smores


· 9:20 - Smores


· 9:50 - Showers


· 10:00- Bed

remarkably, we stayed pretty close to schedule and the boys were so busy that by the time they went to bed, they were out!


items you will need:






  • birthday cake (any kind is fine and it's way cheaper to make your own.)


  • plates and cups (we found camo plates and the kids loved this)


  • about 300 little army men (i found these in the dollar section of target)


  • military face paint (this is optional but the boys thought it was so cool!)


  • two different colors of ribbon, cut into 18 inch strips (to mark the different teams)


  • two different colors of duct tape (these can be found at target or walmart)


  • water balloons (we found grenade balloons at walmart)


  • two bags of marshmallows, (2) two-foot long pieces of 1/2 inch pvc pipe with a 1-inch connector for each one (you'll have to hit home depot for this)


  • two to four good water guns


  • two buckets for water


  • targets (you can make your own out of cardboard or you could go to a shooting range to see if they have any cardboard targets they'd be willing to give away. cardboard works really well.)


  • paint


  • piñata (i found a tank piñata at www.birthdayexpress.com)


  • two beach towels


  • four rolls of toilet paper


  • flashlights and pencils for each child


  • two clipboards


  • manilla envelopes

tomorrow i'll post all of the missions the boys accomplished and give you any tips i may have. i've done the work for you so all you'll have to do is copy and paste to create your own. like i said, birthday in a blog.


are you overwhelmed yet? i know it seems like a lot but you won't be disappointed. the items you'll need are really inexpensive and it makes for a great birthday. besides, how often do we get to call ourselves "commander so and so" and get to dole out push-ups if anyone talks back? maybe it should be my son's birthday everyday.









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