(Catching up since I'm behind in my blogging.) My oldest son wanted a tree climbing party (for his 8th) but that idea was negotiated and morphed into a treasure hunt/obstacle course designed my talented hubby. Here is his description.
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The Treasure Hunt Adventure started with the boys being split into 3 teams, of 2s or 3s. The hunt was divided into 6 tasks, each of which involved trying to find a small treasure box which contained the next clue, and maybe some pretend booty, and in some cases some real treasure (aka coin money).
The first task was to shoot a treasure box off a 2-by-4 beam about 7 feet off the ground. They were given their choice of weapons from the armory (aka, gun bucket). There were two styles of nerf gun, and an old-fashioned elastic band gun, all of which were tested ahead of time to ensure they could do the job. The nerf guns were the first choice, of course.
The boys naturally had some trouble with their aim at first, but within about 5 minutes each team was able to knock a treasurebox down and gain access to the clue inside: a Treasure Map!The map was a deliberately simple map of the backyard with a circled 'x'. The only instructions were: "X marks the spot!". The first team to open the map got into the correct area quite quickly but then scoured the ground slowly instead of searching a larger area quickly for any obvious signs of buried treasure. The actual target was a 1' by 1' by 1' hole with three small wooden treasure boxes at the bottom, buried with fresh sand from Lowe's.
An 'X' made from two sticks was placed on top to make it even more obvious. The leading team eventually needed a little help to get them to the right spot, but then they went fast to work. Some digging tools were provided nearby in a bag if they wanted to be industrious and look around (which they didn't).
By this point the second team had opened their (same) treasure map. The birthday boy immediately determined the whereabouts (having watched Daddy set things up!) and ran around to join the dig. The first digging team gave the other teams help by unearthing most of the sand, evening things out time wise. The clue inside the buried treasurebox said: "Look to the trees". The idea here was that they would each have to climb a (pine) tree to get a treasurebox from about 20 feet up. Unfortunately a freak gust of wind 30 minutes earlier had knocked down two of the boxes, and so the first team was able simply to grab a box off the ground. The other box was nowhere to be found. So the birthday boy did the only tree climbing of the day, and shared his find with the 3rd place team.
This clue read: "You will need 4 letters from the Birthday Boy's last name and a special number!" The next box was hoisted up a tree by a rope over a pulley,
and locked in place at the bottom via a combination lock going through 2 loops in the rope. The lock was one of those word combo locks you can get from Lowe's and make up your own code. 
The leading team asked for our last name spelled out and went to working trying some combinations. Another boy guessed the "special number" was the birthday boy's new age. Daddy helped by confirming that they were on the right track and getting the letters lined up just right (the lock is very fussy and you can easily have the right code entered but not have it open because of being off by a few millimeters). This freed the rope and they started to lower this larger treasure box to great excitement.
Once down and opened, the new clue read: "Your next clue is hanging up. You must knock it down!" Three treasure boxes were suspended by fishing line from the gazebo roof. The exact method of access was left to the boys' industry. They could stand on something to reach it, or wack it with a stick, or whatever else they could come up with. Boys being boys, once someone found a long stick, that was clearly the consensus solution! One metal box came open easily spilling coins from the sky, and a clue. The boys raced after the money furiously. The second box fell pretty easily upon being hit. The last one decided it didn't want to go anywhere, so Daddy had to provide some assistance to even things out.
The last clue: "Your key is in a plastic egg at the bottom of a black tube!" The treasure box was easily accessible next to the tube, but it was wrapped in 8 feet of metal chain, bound with a padlock. The key to the lock was in the egg. The tube was too long and too narrow for them to reach in and get the egg. This was a little physics brain teaser for them. I wanted to let them work on it on their own to see what they could come up with before giving them any clues. They were not allowed to turn the tube. After they pondered a while I told them to look around at some available objects/tools. There was a hammer nearby which they jumped to first. That was accidental, but it's never a bad idea to consider smashing something! I told them to try something else though. I pointed out the garden hose. At that point one of A's sharper friends figured it out: fill the tube with water so the egg floats to the top, and then just grab it. The look on his face when I nodded at him was priceless!
They went to work, but unfortunately at this point everyone was crowded around waiting for this egg to rise to the top so they could grab it. It was mayhem. The thing was the egg just sank back down if everyone grabbed at it at once. Eventually they realized that the only way ANYONE would get the egg was if they let just one person take it gently.
Thanks so much to my amazing hubby for organizing the game. Maybe a new side business??
I didn't make a cake this year. I was scrambling to prepare for the party since we arrived back from vacation 2 days previous! Plus, my tendinitis makes it a very bad idea to create fun icing designs, even though I enjoy doing it. I bought a cake from Costco which was delicious.
This is what you get when you ask an 8 year old boy to smile for a photo. :) I still can't believe my son is eight years old and that I've been a mother that long!
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My younger son didn't have anything specific in mind so when I found a giraffe costume at the thrift store for a steal, he said he would happily wear it. This year is probably the last year either of my children will be an animal for Halloween. Sniff, sniff!
Here is my costume:
I found a photo of someone dressed as Mary Poppins on Pinterest and I began my quest. The black jacket, black skirt, white blouse, "sensible" shoes, umbrella, magic purse, and hat were ALL found at thrift stores! The red bow was taken from a cheap headband.
They also had a bouncy house, mini golf,
carnival games, and hot dogs and other food to purchase. A great outreach to the local community.
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