We chose a camping theme bday party for my daughter's 8 year birthday. We made our own invitations on the computer inviting the children to Sarah's camping birthday party.  We held it from 5:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. to be sure we'd get some darkness for a campfire. We asked the children to bring sleeping bags "for a realistic experience."  The backyard was set up with 3 tents and flag banners everywhere.  When the children arrived they picked their own plastic canteen and wrote their name on the back with a sharpie marker. Canteens were ordered from Oriental Trading. They could fill their canteens with water or lemonade we provided. We set milkcrates on top of each other on the deck with the kids' names on them for their "cubbies."  I just made their names on paper and scotched tape them on the crates. So, when they didn't want to carry their canteens, etc., they placed them in their cubbies. We bought bandana's at the local craft store and ironed on CAMP (OUR LAST NAME). The iron on transfers were made from the computer as well, with special paper.  We bought 1/2 blue and 1/2 red bandana's to designate teams for games.  We made first aid kits out of empty film containers.  The kids put a small packet of neosporin, cotton ball and a bandaid in each one.  The top of the film containers had a string so they could be worn around their necks. My daughter and I made red cross stickers on the computer and stuck them to the film containers prior to the party.  (CVS was more than happy to reserve 20 empty film containers for me.) We played games such as tug-o-war (over a snake pit made out of plastic snakes), musical hula-hoops (where the hoops were placed on the ground instead of chairs). We had a firefly relay.  I bought some rings that glow from Oriental Trading and put them in old peanut butter jars.  Each team carried the firefly jars in a relay race through the sleeping bag forest.  (I hung all the sleeping bags on the clothesline when the kids first arrived.) Prizes were awarded and consisted of inexpensive red/white/blue medals with the exception of the firefly relay; the kids kept the rings. The birthday cake was an ice cream cake decorated with the camping theme.  After opening presents, we concluded the evening with making s'mores over our back yard fire pit (Colman).  Through the whole evening the kids were in and out of the tents and just having a ball! We also handed out mini flashlights which were a big hit when it got dark as well as glow necklaces. Each child was given a mini canvas bag filled with hamburger gummies and hot dog bubble gum (Oriental Trading). They took home their bandana's, first aid kits, canteens, flashlights and prizes as well as their little baggie. My daughter wants to repeat the party next year!!  I don't know about that, but it did feel good when I saw some of the girls brought their canteens and first aid kits with them to soccer the next day and wore their bandana's to school!!