2417

Bugs Dinos Power Rangers 5yr

August 2001

Mary Beth in Hamden, CT

Special Mention

My 5 year old requested a dinosaur, bug, animal, power ranger, treasure hunt party with the colors being red, white and blue. I really tried to  have him narrow it down....but that didn't work, so I took his challenge and this is what I did. First I have to say I couldn't have done it without this web site!!  I sent invitations with bugs on them(they also have matching fill in the blank thank you notes). I put bug stickers on the envelope..  They  were really cute.  This party was going to cover his nursery school buddies and his cousins, possible 28 kids.  Thankfully, it is the height of summer vacations so 19 attended. (60 included parents, and family)   I planned the party from 10:30 am until 1:00.  My husband cleaned out the garage and we set up a big table for the kids, beverage table, and table for the  food all in there.  we had red, white and blue streamers and balloons.  I borrowed chairs and tables from my great neighbors and mother in law for the parents and family,  and placed them outside and prayed for a nice day.  I had a indoor plan, but was thankful I didn't have to use it!!!!    When the kids got here, we had the front yard filled different tents, balls, basketball hoops, sandbox, riding toys -all stuff that my son was tired of but was new to everyone else!!! I had  little pool filled with plastic turtles and frogs (dollar store, oriental trading, and us toys I couldn't have done without). I had another little pool filled and had floating 10  little 4 1/2 inch foil tart pans (spray painted white, when dried I glued sequins in them -2 had red sequins in them, 2 blue, 2 green, 2 silver, 2 gold). I had an older cousin by it and the kids had to toss poker chips into the color he called out. I had another older cousin at the tattoo stand. kids got to pick out a tattoos and she put them on.  When the kids came I usually greeted them and sent them there- made them feel involved right away.    At 11:00 I had a wonderful lady come with her critter friends.  she introduced her snake, lizard, angora bunny, etc and was fantastic. She included my son through it all.  Very hands on.    Parents and kids did not move for an hour!!   I put a 12x12 awning up (my mother - in -law, again!!) on the side of the house and had it there- so if someone got bored they could go to the front and play and not distract everyone else (there were lots of babies).     After that they decorated treasure boxes.  Actually, I figured they would want to  go play to let off steam and have to  more or less pursue them to do it.  but they were really into it!!  I sprayed painted 6 shoe boxes white and in 2 put stickers (ebay!!), 2 put sequins and rhinestones, and 2 markers.  put stickers on the outside of the sticker box (etc) so the kids would know what is what without having to grab each one and look into. I put 6 glue containers out too.  My brother is in packaging so he made great boxes for this.  but before asking him, I was just going to spray paint shoe boxes.       Next we ate lunch. Kids had hot dog , hamburgers, chips, fruit salad (originally I was going to do fruit kabobs so they would be done ahead of time and just have to be put on the plates - but I STILL haven't found the skewers I bought!!) fruit salad was fine.  Everybody else was offered the same menu, but also a pasta salad.       Now we played a few games.  As they completed each game they 'won' a treasure box.  (printer paper boxes spray painted brown, tied with a gold ribbon).  first game was the infamous popping of the bubble wrap.  each kid was given a piece of wrap (about a foot long) and they had to jump on it to break all the bubbles.  very funny to watch.  next we put a board over the turtle, frog pond and they had to go over it.  after that we threw a bunch of balloons in a tent and the kids had to run in grab on an d bring it out and break it.  now it was to the swing set, and everyone was given a waterballoon and the older cousins sat on the top of the slide (it's kind of like a fort) and were instructed to throw the balloons behind the little ones while the little ones tried to get them.  (they were the bad pirates....)  finally,  our back yard is on a slant and the swing set is on the bottom, so we had a big heavy rope tied to a tree close to the top and the kids had to climb up the hill by holding the rope...they loved that... all are very basic games, but kept them interested.  now we are back to were we began. each was told to get there treasure box and sit back at the table and put on our pirate hats and   we opened the treasure boxes.  one was jewels - Mardi Gras necklaces, and cobra rings, plastic jewel rings.  another was coins- plastic gold coins, and  I combined gold chocolate coins and gum coins in netting. one was bugs -plastic snakes, bugs, roaches, lizards . and the last one was a little goody bag....in retrospect, not needed.    while they were all sitting there playing with their treasures we had cake (dinosaur one from BJ's!!) on power ranger plates.      I had decided not to open presents.  one, because I knew I had a lot planned. and two, because as much I thought I control 19 kids while my son opened presents, I knew I could not!!!!  I explained this to the parents as they left and they totally  agreed with me.  but I still feel guilty... I will be sending thank yous out so they will know that we know what we got them...but I still feel guilty!!!!     I also had spraypainted a bunch of gravel shiny gold and mixed it into the sandbox while the kids were playing the other games.  (I also threw some arrow heads in it - not needed)  they came across it after they ate they cake and that was fun. They thought it was really gold.       It was fun.  A lot of work, but well worth it!!

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