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Survivor Party -10yr- Marshmellow Shooter

June 2005

Marjorie in Acton, MA  USA

Special Mention

Survivor Party for 10 year olds  For invitations, I hand drew a CBS survivor logo for the top of the invitation and listed the party details under the logo.  For those who accepted the invitation to the party, we sent out a follow-up letter explaining that this party is one of mostly team challenges and that no individuals would be voted out.  Instead, teams that won challenges would win rewards. Also, the party would be outside - rain or shine.  This is a survivor party afterall.  So dress accordingly.   After the kids arrived, they popped ballooons that had a short message in each balloon telling them if they were on the green team or on the blue team.  Each team was then given a laundry basket with the following items:  tarp, blanket,rope,lunch box (for tree mail),1 bottle of water, 1 sleeve of saltine crackers, bandanas (that they had to wear in some fashion during the challenges, a blank flag with fabric paint, body paint,a disposable camera, small paper Dixie cups, bug spray.  They were also given 3 outdoor chairs each.  Each team was to come up with a team name, use the body paint if they wanted to and set up their camp.    We had 7 team challenges and 2 individual challenges.  Before each challenge, we would put a poem in the mailboxes and then blew a whistle for them to check their mail.  Then we blew the whistle again and had them come to the meeting area where they would read the poem out loud.  For each challenge they would choose a team captain.  We would show the kids what reward they were playing for. 

1. Blind Folded Relay - the kids paired up and 1 kid was blind-folded the other was the leader.  The leader had to verbally walk their blind-folded partner thru a zig-zag path around cones and over a broom stick that was resting on 2 bricks to a bucket that had water balloons.  The blind-folded person picked up two balloons and was lead about 20 feet away to another bucket to deposit the balloons and then back to the beginning where the next pair of kids were waiting.  Each team had their own buckets to deposit the water balloons in. Each kid got a chance to be blind-folded and a chance to be a leader. At the end of the challenge, the kids had a water balloon fight.  I had filled extra balloons with water and left them in the buckets so there would be plenty.  The reward: winning team chose between a large Hershey chocolate bar or a large Nestle Crunch bar.  Losing team got what was left.  The winning team also got to take back to their camp site a large (6 ft), inflatable tiki pole from Oriental Trading Co. Poem for tree mail: For this challenge you'll need a friend, to make it to the other end.  In him or her you'll have to trust, try not to let the balloon bust! 

2. 1 Leg Stand - This was an individual challenge.  Kids stood on a large brick on 1 leg.  So this would not take too long, after a few minutes we had the kids raise their leg higher (this caused some to loose their balance) and then a couple of minutes later had the last few kids close their eyes.  The last kid standing won 2 bottles of Silly String. This was given to them at the end of the party. 

3. Marshmallow Shooter - We had zip lock bags filled with the parts to make a marshmallow shooter and a diagram to show the kids how to make the shooter.  The kids had to each find a bag that we had hidden in the yard.  Then they had to build their marshmallow shooter, go over to a designated spot in the yard and shoot a marshmallow out at a target that we had taped to the side of the house.  The targets were those cardboard halloween figures like a witch, etc.  The winning team was the one who had every team member build the shooter and hit the target and get back to their circle.  So, this encouraged them to help each other when finding the parts, building etc.  After this challenge, the kids took their shooters apart, put them in the ziplock bag to they could take it home.  Reward - A big bucket of Gummi Worms vs. a Yard Stick Bubble Gum. Poem For Mailbox before challenge: There will be a great hunt, You'll have to move fast, You'll be using your brain, It will be a real blast! 

4. Test of Knowledge - We asked about 15 questions and the kids came up with the answer as a team and wrote it on white boards.  Some were academic questions,e.g. Which is the coldest planet? A couple were survivor questions e.g. Who won the million dollars on Survivor Palau? A couple of questions were about the birthday girl, e.g. What is Claire's middle name? A couple were funny e.g. Who is buried in Grant's tomb?  And whose head is on a Lincoln penny (the kids got these right, but they were so obvious it took them the longest to answer them). Reward for winning team was Sponge Bob pencils and notepads.  Losing team won nothing on this one. 

5. Obstacle Course Relay Race - Kids had to run up a path in the woods in our yard find a container with playing cards and race back to turn it in to us, climb up the playset to the fort and find the matching card (these were turned face down), go down slide and hand in card.  Then, they had to run to back of yard where there was a little table.  On the table were taped little puzzles (very easy - like dot to dot, simple mazes, etc). They had to complete a puzzle and run back to us to turn it in.  Then they ran a loop to front yard, thru a waterfall (sprinkler) where there was a bucket of yellow duckies floating in the water.  The kids had to turn over the ducks until they found the one with the number from their playing card.  They brought the duck to us to turn it in.  Finally, they had to get in a potato sack and hop to the sandbox and dig to find a large plastic bug and bring it back.  Reward - The winning team sat at a table and the losers came over with order pads and took orders for cold drinks and popsicles.  Losers also handed out face-cloths that had been in the freezer (it was a hot day). Winners also earned forks and spoons to use with the birthday cake.  Which means the losers ate cake and ice-cream with no forks (this was pretty funny).  After the winners were served, the losing team could get their own drinks, etc. 

6. Ice-water and Plastic eggs - Kids were blind-folded and had to scoop out plastic eggs from a baby pool filled with ice water.  Team with the most eggs won.  We gave each team only 30 seconds to scoop eggs.  Reward - once again it was bucket of Gummi worms and Yard stick Bubble gum.  This gave the loosing team a chance to win something they had not won before. 

7. Eating Challenge - We had 6 different foods (baby food spinach, baby food chicken and rice, prunes, olives, grits, dill pickle relish). Kids picked a card and then had to eat food that matched that number.  The kids all ate the food so it was a tie.  We didn't have time for tie-breaker (eating Marmite), so we declared everyone a winner.  Rewards - Candy Necklaces or Wonka Nerd Ropes.  Everyone got both kinds of candy.   

8. Bubble Gum Relay - putting face in plate (soft paper plate) of whipped cream, finding bubble gum and blowing a bubble.  This was going to be our last team challenge, but we didn't have time for it. 

9. Individual challenge - chalk circles on driveway - about 150 circles. Kids stand on a circle and each time they move, put an x on the circle they just stepped off.  Only horizontal and vertical moves.  If you can't move you are out.  Didn't have time for this challenge either.  

This party was scheduled for 3 hours, and we did not get around to the last two challenges.  We were 20 minutes over-time and were not able to open presents during the party.  So, these challenges take longer than you think.  Party favors were Nalgene water bottles with a candy bar in them.  The candy bar had a wrapper that looked like a 100 dollar bill.  Also, the kids could keep their bandanas and marshmallow shooters.

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