16470

Mutant Ninja Turtle Party - Cowabunga

August 2007

Laura in Porttsmouth, Virginia, USA

Runner Up

TMNT Birthday Bash: Cowabunga! Let's plan a TMNT birthday party  with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle birthday party games, decorations and lots of crime fighting! 

PLANNING YOUR TMNT PARTY  If possible, try to give yourself at least 4-6 weeks to prepare for your TMNT party.  Allowing plenty of time for, shopping, ordering supplies on-line, mailing invitations receiving RSVP's and preparing your party games provides a stress free and fun filled time on party day. To begin, use the party games and ideas below to host a totally radical birthday, dude! 

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles PARTY INVITATIONS Purchase matching invitations, or make your own using card stock paper. Two of our favorite Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle invitation ideas is:    Manhole Cover Invitation    You'll need: Gray cardstock paper Black or dark gray marker green construction paper or self-stick craft foam glue stick and scissors  Fold the gray paper in half. Trace a circle and cut along the traced edges. Leave enough of the folded edge so that your circle will open like a card.  Draw the lines on the top to resemble a manhole. Use the green self-stick craft foam, or construction paper to create two Ninja Turtle hands. Glue the hands on the outside of the cover so that it looks like they are reach up to open the cover. Then write your party details inside. Dude it's time to band together to celebrate Ben's birthday!"  Mask Invitations:  Materials:  various colored construction paper-orange purple blue and red TMNT coloring books Sharpies or magic markers that don't "bleed"  Trace masks from pictures found in coloring books or have a talented artist draw one for you. Another idea is to find a good template of a mask on-line.   Write "Dude it's time to band together to celebrate Ben's birthday!" around one eye hole in the mask. Write the date time and location of the party around the other.  

TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES PARTY DECORATIONS It's easy to go all out or keep it simple with the TMNT birthday party theme. There are plenty of prepared party items to choose from and  if you wish you can add a bit of your own creativity. Fill the party area with green streamers and bouquets of balloons; green red blue purple and orange. Cover your table with gray butcher paper. Now "dirty it up" the table cover using use crayons colored pencils etc. After all TMNT's live in the sewer! Depending on the age of the party goers you can let them "dirty" the table up as an activity!! This provides many minutes of fun and creativity! Use your cake for a centerpiece or tie a bouquet of balloons to a heavy Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle toy. Set the table with and hang a few TMNT posters in the party room. If you have access to martial arts equipment place these as decorations but out of reach and harms way; hang from the ceiling or mount on the walls.  Now you can stop there or….create the Turtles' lair using boxes  butcher paper paint and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle website  and movies for inspiration. Again allowing the kids to make the lair is a fun activity. You provide the supplies and pictures from websites movies and coloring books.  

PARTY GAMES FOR A TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES BIRTHDAY  As your guests arrive transform them into their favorite Ninja Turtle  character. Provide each child with an oversized green T-shirt  cloth belt and mask. Use a sharpie marker to put each child's initials on the shirt label in case the shirts come off sometime during the party. Prepare the masks ahead of time using knit fabric or fleece. No need to sew. Simply cut strips. Also cut strips of black knit fabric for the martial arts belts/sashes. We do not recommend creating full masks with eye holes as they can become uncomfortable and possibly dangerous during game time. A Simple headband will do. Cut enough strips so that your guests can choose which Ninja Turtle character is their favorite. Leonardo-Blue Raphael-Red Donatello- Purple Michelangelo-Orange 

You may also want to provide TMNT coloring sheets and crayons to keep children entertained until all of the party guests have arrived. You can make the coloring sheets into a contest and as each child finishes his or her sheet have them put a number on the top of the sheet. Post the sheets on a wall and then have the kids vote on their favorites.   Ninja Turtle Training Tell the story of how the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles came to be where they live their arch enemy etc. Then explain that the kids have to "Turn it on crank it up and shell it out!"  to protect the city from the evil Shredder. You'll need a master Sensei Splinter (adult or teen helper) to guide the kids through the training games. After accomplishing each training game players will receive a stripe on their belt.    Use a strip of colored electrical tape and wrap it around the end of the belt. When all of the stripes have been earned pass out small prizes.

Ninja Lesson #1  First players must practice their Ninja moves.  Line the kids up along a wall. Have then stand at attention ready to  listen to their Master. Then they will move across the room performing martial arts kicks jumps punches. Etc. Be careful to fully instruct kids to keep a safe distance from each other. Make sure that the room in which you do this is free from anything that would cause injury from the various moves. 

Ninja Lesson #2 Use foam swords (cut pieces of foam pipe insulation) to master keeping a balloon up off the ground. You can set this up a relay race where the children have to hit the balloon to a finish line and back to the next player or each child can play with their own "sword" and balloon. 

Ninja Turtle Lesson #3 Prepare an obstacle course in the yard using lawn furniture tires  appliance boxes etc. the children will take turns running the course. Add the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle soundtrack or them music while the kids are playing. 

More TMNT Party Games If you choose not use the "ninja school" concept these party games  will match your theme as well!  Pin the Mask on Michelangelo Make a game using poster board and a talented teen to draw the image. Cut out mini masks that each participant will then use to pin on the image. 

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Pinata Use a martial arts Bo for hitting the pinata. Make sure participants are carefully supervised during this particular activity in order to decrease likelihood of injury.  Shredder Freeze Tag Play just as you would freeze tag only "it" will be designated as Shredder and home base will be the TMNT Lair.  Follow Sensei Play just like follow the leader. The children will take turns being the Sensei and leading the other players in martial arts moves. 

Turtle Target Game Before the party paint a simple outline of a manhole cover on a large piece of cardboard. Gather the kids into a circle. Place the manhole cover in the center of the circle. Provide a deflated balloon to each child.  Have them inflate their balloons (may need adult help) but DON'T tie them. When you say "COWABUNGA"… The children will let go of their balloons and aim them at the target trying  to land on it. Play this several times giving everyone a candy or small prize when the game is over. TMNT stickers work well as prizes for this game! Tip: Use a permanent marker to mark initials on the balloons to avoid germ sharing.  Variation: Simply use an empty pizza box as the target. 

NINJA TURTLE PARTY CRAFT ACTIVITIES Comic Character Magnets Provide TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES comic books scissors glue sticks and flexible magnetic sheets (craft store). Cut TMNT characters or images from ten comic books and glue them onto the magnetic backing. Then for a more detailed edge cut to the shape of the image. Tip: You can also use the magnets you receive from business doctors etc. If your party is for younger children pre-cut the comic books prior to the party.  Make TMNT Ooze Kids can make their own ooze to take home in small storage containers. Provide permanent markers for decorating the container before filling. Recipe and instructions for "slime" from Kaboose.com   Green Ooze Silly Putty 1 Part Liquid starch 2 Parts Elmer's Glue Food Coloring Mix and enjoy. 

Food for Your Party Turtles you'll need to serve pizza of course! Serve green ooze Italian sodas using Kiwi or lime Italian syrup and soda water half & half is optional. Another drink idea is to make Slime Punch. Slime Punch is made by combining frozen lime sherbert and 2 liter bottles of sprite or ginger ale. This is usually done in a 1:1 concentration. One container sherbert to one 2 liter bottle of soda.  Fruit kabobs are always a party favorite. Vegetable kabobs also are a big hit if made with baby carrots slices of cucumber and celery. This maintains the green theme! 

Party Favors Send party favors home in an extra small pizza box (ask your local pizzeria). TMNT tatoos green glow sticks fruit snacks and a comic book. 

Thank you notes:  Use a digital camera to take pictures of each child with the birthday boy or girl. This can be done after they make their costumes. The picture is then used either digitally with a thank you or the birthday boy or girl can make homemade thank you cards and print the photos gluing the photo to the front of the card. This is a lasting keepsake of a good time! Cowabunga dude!!!!  "

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