Hmmm…should we cash in some of our 401k and contribute to the increasingly elaborate, hire a planner, children’s birthday bashes? OR…should we have an old-school, pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey, musical chairs, cake and goodbye party in our backyard? Not having 40 kids and parents to clean up after is written in all caps on the pro side of the “rented hall” list. And as much as I hate to admit it, there is that “coolest party ever!” competition I’m in with all the other parents at Nate’s school. {tsk-tsk}
When Nate declared (through a town crier) that his 5-year-old party would be a Star Wars party, I immediately did some surfing to see what other Moms of Jedi-Junkies had done with this theme. Maybe it was the cleverness of all those Moms, maybe it was purely the unconditional love of my eldest son, or maybe (probably) it was how very cheap thrifty I am…I decided to go with the home-made, DIY party in our backyard.
We decided to call it a “Jedi-Training” party. That way, everyone was on the same side…the good side. We didn’t want some poor kid coming to the party dressed as Darth Vader and getting his “dark side” kicked all over the yard. We try to teach non-violence to our sons, but it’s hard when your husband is a Wookie-lovin’, Solo wannabe. I was determined to make this party as peaceful and Zen as Yoda himself.
The preparations:
Who wouldn't want a "Wookie-Cookie"?
Melted chocolate will give you 3rd degree burns on your tongue...FYI
Obi-Wan Cannolis??? We bought these just for the joke!
We also had Jedi-Juice. It was green Hawaiian Punch. If you add 7-up it’s Yoda-Soda! In keeping with the cheap thrifty theme…I made the cake myself and decorated it with Nate’s Galactic Heros:
Nate chose the white frosting because it "looks like snow" and he wanted to create the snow-something attacking Luke while he's riding on that kangaroo-looking creature.
Sure, it looks home-made and uneven to us but to the kids at the party….”Woah! Cool cake, Nate! Can I have a piece with Luke on it?” Mission accomplished.
The party schedule was this: (Of course there was a schedule! I’m still type “A”) When the Jedi arrived, they were given their Jedi robes and their very own light saber. Both of these items were handmade from online tutorials I found.
The robe was easy. Rectangle of fabric folded in half then cut a "V" out on the fold side. Tie a cord around their waist and viola! You're a genius. The light sabers were pool noodles cut in half with duct tape wrapped around the end! This way, they could beat the tar out of each other without leaving incriminating marks.
After each Jedi was uniformed and armed, they entered the training center for some light saber training:
Keeping a balloon in the air using your light saber. Lots of fun and most importantly...keeps Nate from asking, "Can I open just ONE present now?"
When all the Jedi had arrived, we herded them outside for the Jedi obstacle course:
The playset turned Jedi trainer! Swing over the lava, climb the stairs and slide down into the swamp. Who knew the red vinyl table cloth playing the part of the lava would be such a big hit! PS. 50 cents at Goodwill!
We borrowed a bubble machine from Amber (aka life-saver) so the Jedis could wack at the bubbles while waiting in line. So, I have a fear of snakes...apparently, Mark has a fear of bubbles..
Then we played, “Get Han Solo out of the carbon-freeze” I had taken 3 of Nate’s Galactic Hero Han Solos and froze them in a container of water. We separated the kids into 3 teams. Each Jedi had a cup for water. They took turns dipping the cup into a pail of water and running to dump the water onto their frozen Solo. The first team that got Han out of the ice won.
They were mesmerized by this game and got so excited when Han Solo was finally free! The winning team started helping the other teams..."Must save Solo!"
It wasn't a game to them...it was a science project! That's our Montessori dollars working for us.
After light saber shaped popcicles, we moved back inside to cool off. We played a Star Wars version of the old cake-walk game:
Mark printed out photos of Star Wars characters and I taped them to the floor. An adult game of "Name the character" was also going on. I'm not sure but I think illegal bets were placed.
When the music (Star Wars music, of course!) played, everyone jumped from photo to photo. When the music stopped, you stay on your character. I pulled a name out of the hat and whoever was standing on that character sat down. Last one standing wins!
About halfway through this game, I pulled out R2-D2 and looked up to see that Nate was standing on that photo. I said, “Nate…that’s you! Sit down.” All of a sudden I hear what sounded like a helicopter, “pssst…psst…shhhh..ssssss…” I look up to see EVERY other parent starring me down. “Did you just call the BIRTHDAY BOY out?” They all whispered at once. “SHHHHAAAME ON YOU!” I didn’t know you let your kid win just because it’s his birthday. I’ve seen way too many Lifetime movies about parents who cheat for their kids. I guess I was being overly honest. “Nate…I made a mistake…stand back up!” (before this angry mob lynches me!) So, after a few more rounds…”And the winner is Nate!”
Then it was cake time:
Mark serves the cake. 3 cups of Jedi-Juice spilled on the carpet. Which gave Mark the right to say, "Told ya so!" Little did he know it was my way of getting the carpets cleaned after the party.
Nate wanted a pinata. Even after I showed him all the “America’s Funniest Videos” of people getting hit and mamed for life trying to bust open pinatas…Nate wanted a pinata. I found a Darth Vader pinata online but really didn’t like the idea of hitting him in the head with a bat. Even though he’s the bad guy. We’re trying to teach, “Bodies aren’t for hitting…only for hugging”. Then I found one at the Party Store that was non-violent. It has ribbons attached to the bottom. Everyone takes a turn pulling a ribbon until someone pulls the one that spills the goodies all over the floor!
Pinata/camera tricks! The best present we got was a disc filled with photos from the party. Thanks, Fed and Wendy aka Darth Mom.
Nate pulls a ribbon...nothing.
Andrew (thinking he has the answer) pulls all the strings at once....Taa-Daa! Goodie scramble.
Where ever Sam is...a party's sure to break-out!
The Jedi were awarded their "Certificate of Mastering the Force" and then headed over to the banner for their "class photo".
Oh, yeah…there’s Zeke! Wondering what happened to Zeke? Well, Mommy and Daddy decided to hire a personal escort for Zeke. Thanks, Danielle for keeping Zeke safe, happy and away from the cake!
Mark brought home a life-sized Darth Maul. "We're trying not to emotionally scar the kids for life, Mark!" So he taped a photo of Nate on it! Danielle and Zeke check out his handy work.
After everyone left Nate got to finally open his gifts:
It was like Christmas for 7 kids! I really should have put 3/4 of it away for Christmas.
That night in his thankful prayer, Nate was thankful for, “The best birthday party I ever had or even went to!”
Old-School wins.
Stinky Flowers 