Parties need games, and lots of them. A Greek Myth theme fits nicely with the format of a Quest, so we based all of our games on the need to fulfill a Quest. Quest: Earn three Drachma in order to play the Game of the Gods [I found that it was cheaper to use pennies or nickels than it was to purchase fake gold coins. The Game of the Gods is what I called Left-Right-Center. It is a great party game for this age group --fifth grade. I got the idea of using LRC from Small Hours and Little Wonders.] Boys had to win Drachma in a series of challenges given to us by characters in Greek Myths. Dionysus Challenge #1: A cookie is placed on each player's forehead. Holding his hands behind his back, the player needs to try to eat the cookie. If it drops, the player may pick it up and start over. [Our winner got his cookie by very slowly and carefully raising his eyebrows and twitching his cheeks until the cookie was on his lips.] Medusa Challenge: In teams, the boys had to transfer rubber snakes from one bucket to another, while blindfolded and using only chopsticks (you can't look at or touch Medusa's snakes!). The Sphinx Challenge: Using the book What a Beast, by Sophia Kelly, my son read humorous descriptions of mythical beasts. The winner was the guest who correctly guessed the most beasts. Arachne's Challenge: The boys sat in a circle. One boy wrapped yarn from a ball around his ankle (loosely), and then tossed the ball to the boy who followed him alphabetically. The winner was the first boy who could not wrap the yarn because the ball ran out. What a tangled web! (See their togas in the picture below...they did such a great job with their costumes. You can even spy Eros's wings.) Dionysus Challenge #2: We split up into two groups. I gave each group a brief myth for them to act out. Three judges (my two young party-helpers and myself) voted on the best skit to win. I wasn't sure how the boys would like doing an activity that involved reading, but they loved putting on the skits. For this challenge, I chose the stories of Daedalus's wings and Theseus vs the Minotaur. Both stories related to the labyrinth, and I wanted the guests to be familiar with the story so they'd better appreciate the labyrinth challenge which comes later in the quest. Kid-friendly versions of the myths can be found online. Zeus Challenge: Toilet paper togas! Need I say more? Teams worked within a time limit to dress one team member in a toga that would stay on by itself. Hercules Challenge: We hid symbols of each of Hercules 12 Labors in the yard and teams competed to find the most. I got the idea for using the 12 Labors from this site. Our gang had to find a lion, a hydra, a stag, a boar, a sponge and dustpan (to represent cleaning the stables), birds (we hid ten), a bull, mares (we hid 17), a belt, cattle (we hid nine cows), an apple, and Cerberus, the three-headed dog. Most of what we hid were toys we had (we have toys of Cerberus and the hydra, believe it or not), but pictures would work, too. The apples had to be picked from our trees (took the boys a while to figure that out). A list of Hercules' labors can be found online or in the book Oh My Gods, by Megan Bryant. Dionysus Challenge #3: My helpers (my daughter and niece) hid a cookie in a plate of whipped cream for each boy. Hands behind the back, the first boy to find the cookie with his mouth was the winner. The boys quickly realized that the 'real' winner was anyone with a face full of whipped cream! Theseus Challenge: Find the toy minotaur hidden in the labyrinth! After the challenges, all of the boys had enough coins to play Left-Right-Center. It was lots of fun. We followed the game with cake and presents. The boys then played outside in the labyrinth until pick-up time.
Bead Crafts knock my socks off. The low cost of wholesale Mardi Gras Beads keeps it cheap, while keepin’ it real with a whole lotta shine & bling. Bead crafts can transform into seriously effective DIY party decor. Remember beaded curtains? Former flower children & alternative types know what I’m talkin’ about: that sweet jingle jangle of plastic strands as you ... Read More
You guys. I did it again. I baked my own birthday cake. I know that some people gasp in horror or baulk at the very idea of such a thing. On one’s birthday, one is supposed to just sit back a…
my good friend threw an awesome phineas & ferb birthday party for her little boy {who LOVES phineas & ferb}. she did a great job! when i told her i was going to feature the party on my blog she told me to tell everyone that you don’t have to spend a lot of money […]
Here are some bee-themed cookies that I made yesterday. I had been planning to make these for a while… I had an image of the circular ones in my head. I used my bee cookie cutter for some o…
It's true what they say - the days can be long but the years are so short. How the heck is our girl already one?!Watching her grow and being her Mom is the greatest joy in my life. She amazes us every day. We love watching her learn new things and how she takes in the world around her becoming exactly who she was made to be. She makes the big adventures and little mundane routine so much more fun. She has enriched our life in every way possible. She truly is magic. We can't wait to see what life
You don't have to be a sushi chef to make this Kit Kat candy sushi! Serve up some fun at a party with this quirky and charming dessert!
Behold, the Internet rabbit hole that is #HarryPotterWeddingCakes. These masterpieces, straight out of Honeydukes, would all make J.K. Rowling proud.
DIY your own ocean or under the sea themed birthday party with these decoration, game and food ideas. Head to the blog for free printables!
How to Host a Kids Sleep Under Party
Awesome indoor and outdoor glow in the dark activities that you can use to ROCK yours kids summer with this year! Kids love everything GLOW IN THE DARK! Check it out!
From invitations to thank-you cards, get an up close and personal look at some of the most creative kids parties ever thrown
Thinking about planning a Disney Themed Party? It's never too early to start planning and you've come to the right place! After taking several trips to Disney (check out how we go for half-price), looking at the changes to Cinderella's Castle, and planning another Disney Trip for this year, it's not a surprise that our
A Coachella themed party could be catered to kids or adults, but for this article, we’ll be focusing on an adult party.
You don't have to be a sushi chef to make this Kit Kat candy sushi! Serve up some fun at a party with this quirky and charming dessert!
Entertaining with Emily shares all the sources, inspiration and DIY projects so you can create an amazing at-home spa day partyfor kids.
