My daughter turned 11 this year and really didn't want a "Kid Party" so we decided to have her a campout birthday party.  We set up several tents.  With it being so dark outside and us living in town, we needed a way to see the kids without them realizing we were "watching" them. In order to do this and set up boundaries for our yard, we put poles in the yard, and strung icicle Christmas lights to each pole. That gave them light to see by plus light for us to see them by. We also got some glow sticks and tied them to strings for necklaces, turned out the Christmas lights for awhile and played night tag. The glow sticks came in useful not only for their game, but for us to be able to count in the dark to be sure all the kids were there. The kids seemed to enjoy their private party, even though it wasn't as private as they thought. It gave them the freedom they wanted, yet still allowed me to be mother hen without them knowing.  It satisfied us both.