birthday party

An Egyptian Themed Birthday Party

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Ancient Egypt is a fascinating place all these years later. From mummies and pyramids to pharos and scarabs there is plenty of fuel for the fascination pyre. Keep in mind however, that the goal here is for the kids to have a great time, not to be frightened so keep the scary stuff to a minimum if possible (even if your child is brave to a fault that doesn’t mean that some of the guests won’t be frightened and you want the experience to be pleasant for everyone).

Decorations for this are not as difficult as you may think. In fact, some of these decorations will double quite nicely for Halloween or may already be in your Halloween stash. First of all, if you have a canopy or tent lying around this will make an excellent substitution for a pyramid. You can fill your canopy or tent with relics that are authentic looking for what would be inside an Egyptian pyramid. Use skulls (leftover from Halloween decorations) on the floor, gold coins (or doubloons, which can be purchased rather inexpensively at many party supply stores), sequins that look like jewels, and fake jewelry that might have been worn during the period. Of course the piece de resistance will be the mummy wrapped in the corner (if this isn’t part of your Halloween stash it should be after this).

Now, what self-respecting mummies home doesn’t have a great curse to go along with it? Before allowing the guests into the “pyramid” you need to make sure they are aware of the curse that goes along with it. It’s a fun little addition to the theme and a lot of fun to watch their eyes as you tell the tale of the mummy inside and why the tomb is cursed.

If you are still looking for excellent activities, you can bury treasure in your sandbox (if you have one) and let them all take turns digging up treasures and/or artifacts that they can take home with them. Make sure everyone has at least one turn and gets one thing to take home from the digging.

You can either barbecue dinner or order pizza or something simple for dinner. I recommend letting the guests eat inside the pyramid for fun (if it isn’t too terribly hot) and allow for a showing of The Mummy afterwards (provided the audience is old enough and interested). You could also allow them to play in the tomb for a while or make it an overnight event and allow them to camp in the tomb if it’s a tent.

Great goody bag gifts include flashlights, glow sticks, spiders, chocolate coins, stickers, and other candy jewelry. One great game for an Egyptian themed birthday party would be wrap the mummy. Divide the kids into groups of three and have them take turns racing to wrap the mummy (a member of the team) in toilet paper. Do this so that everyone has the opportunity to be wrapped – just be sure to use the cheap brands of toilet paper for this particular project and plan on having plenty in case they get a little overzealous.

Most importantly you want to plan an event that is fun to participate in and that will have all your guests eager to come back for the big birthday bash next year. Just remember you’ll be expected to top the current theme and might gain a reputation for throwing the cool parties.

Camping Birthday Party Ideas

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While girls dream of parties with “jammies” and pillow fights little boys often dream of sleepovers that are held beneath the stars. (Girls do also)There are many ways this can be incorporated into a birthday theme for your little man’s big day. No matter what age, there is something that boys find fascinating about sleeping in the great outdoors and a camping birthday party is a great way to do this, even if the great outdoors go no further than your own back yard.

A favorite theme among those holding camping birthday parties is that of a trail ride. With this you can bring your gear along with you, ride horses, cook, eat, and sleep under the stars. If you don’t have a trail ride, horses, or long trails in the wilderness nearby don’t despair. With a Dutch oven, an open fire, a few sticks, and little bit of imagination you can have your very own cowboy camp out birthday bash celebration. Don’t forget the fixin’s for some s’mores while you’re making plans and be sure to have a camera handy as you create an unforgettably fun birthday bash and camping party for that special guy in your life. Be sure to include a few tall tales to share around the campfire. Now might be a great time to brush up on your Paul Bunyan and Pecos Bill stories.

A military camping birthday party is another great camping party idea. Right now, boys need good solid heroes, and the military is a great place to find them. If you have friends or family that are serving overseas this might be a great way to help your little guy bring them closer to home for an evening and could be the best birthday memory he’ll ever have. Set up pup tents, visit your local military supply or surplus store for MREs (meals ready to eat), have everyone wearing their favorite camouflage, and have an army green face painting contest before bed time.

A safari camping theme is another great theme for a terrific camping birthday party. Begin by having everyone dress appropriately for a day underneath the hot African sun, khakis, and an appropriate hat work well. Create a safari pack (goody bag) for all the kids including really chip binoculars, a net for catching stray bugs (really great for lightening bugs at night), safari themed stickers, and a picture frame that is worthy of a fearless safari adventurer (you’ll definitely want to send them home with photos of their safari attire). Set up camp for the evening and serve animal crackers for dessert. You can populate the tent with stuffed animals of favorite safari animals and supplement the adventure with a trip to the zoo for even grander effect and more fun.

If none of these are getting you very excited, you could always go with a Rocky Mountain sort of theme for your camping birthday party. Be sure to have plenty of stuffed black bears and have everyone wear red flannel and denim. This is a great and fun sort of adventure for the little men in your life and a great fun party idea. It also presents a few wonderful photo ops for souvenirs and your very own memory book. Have the tents pitched in the backyard and the grill should be set up to feed your hungry mountaineers. If you are fortunate enough to have a creek on your property or live very near one you could even have your ‘adventurers’ go panning for gold.

A camping birthday party presents endless opportunities to put your imagination to work creating a new and wonderful theme. Even if the weather, for some odd reason, doesn’t want to cooperate you can bring your great outdoor adventure inside and still have a grand time. If you live in an apartment or an area in which you are uncomfortable having a camp out, there’s no reason you can’t have a wonderful camp “in”.

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