Literary Characters I'd Most (and Least) Like to Invite to a Party

If you could choose any characters from literature to invite to a big shindig - say, history's coolest New Year's Eve party - who would you invite?

(Note that I'm asking about literary characters you most want to PARTY with, which is a far different list than folks you might wish to invite over for a nice dinner party.  Completely different list, and maybe the topic of my next blog post ...?)

So, with apologies to Atticus Finch (love you, but you don't strike me as a party animal), Nancy Drew/Ned Nickerson (hearing about your adventures would be great, but I'd spend the whole party worrying someone might say something off-color and shock you), and Sherlock Holmes (you really need to work on your social skills, dude) - here's a list of the literary figures/couples that would definitely top my invitation list!

1. Lord Harry Flashman/Lady Elspeth Morrison Flashman (various titles, George MacDonald Fraser).  Not only would Lord Harry have hundreds of fabulous (albeit invented) stories of derring-do to share with the guests, but Lady Flashman would provide a comely bit of eye candy, ensuring that none of my single friends - male or female - would go away disappointed.
   
   
2. Bertie Wooster/Jeeves (various titles, PG Wodehouse).  Because someone's got to spike the punch, and then someone's got to make sure everyone gets home safely
   
   
3. Jay Gatsby/Daisy Buchanan (The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald).  Because someone's got to get the rest of the guests drinking and dancing.
   
   
4. Lord Peter Whimsy/Lady Harriet Vane Whimsey/Bunter (various titles, Dorothy Sayers).  Sure to add intellectual depth to the ensemble without dragging everyone down. (Added bonus: Lord Peter's mad piano skills. Sure to keep the party going until late into the morning hours!)
   
   
5. Rhett Butler/Scarlett O'Hara Butler (Gone With the Wind, Margaret Mitchell).  Counting on them to contribute dash, color, and that all-important whiff of scandal to the proceedings! 
   
   
6. Kimball "Kim" O'Hara (Kim, Rudyard Kipling).  He's learned, he's a bit of a rogue, and the stories he could tell about his travels and adventures ...!
   
   
7. The Wife of Bath (Canterbury Tales).  I've always pictured her as that grandmother you occasionally run across at family gatherings - the one that says outrageous things because they can.  Sure to amuse/entertain with ribald stories about life and romance. 
   
   
8. Emma Woodhouse Knightly/George Knightly (Emma, Jane Austen).  In addition to being charming and urbane company, I'm guessing Emma would make the best wingman(woman) ever!

Can't you just picture Lord Peter and Kim talking learnedly about oriental literature while Harriet and Jay cut a rug; Daisy and Elspeth sharing fashion tips while Flashman surreptitiously hits on Scarlett; Jeeves and Bunter one-upping each other with tales of the scrapes their masters keep getting into; Bertie and Harry drinking each other under the carpet; Rhett and Mr. Knightly discussing the perils of colonialism while Emma listens with delighted shock to one of the Wife of Bath's more salacious anecdotes; ? Best party EVER!

Speaking of which, here are the literary characters I'd least like to invite to a party, for the reasons stated:

1. Captain Ahab (Moby Dick, Herman Melville).  Because nothing's more boring than a guest who only talks about the one topic that obsesses them. 
   
   
2. Job (The Bible).  Can you imagine the conversation? What a downer!
   
   
3. Lady Chatterly (Lady Chatterly's Lover, DH Lawrence).  Whine, whine, whine!
   
   
4. Humbert Humbert (Lolita, Vladimir Nabakov).  How icky would it be to have to worry about him hitting on the daughters of my other guests?
   
   
5. Don Juan (legend/fable).  He'd distract the female guests and annoy the male ones.
   
   
6. Ebenezer Scrooge  (A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens). You just know he's going to double-dip those potato chips.
   
   
7. Hannibal Lector (Silence of the Lambs, Thomas Harris).  Everyone would feel oddly uncomfortable eating the meatballs.
   
   
8. Tom Sawyer/Huck Finn (various titles, Mark Twain).  Great guys, but I'm not entirely sure they wouldn't steal the silver.
   
   
9. Tarzan (or Conan) (legend/fable). Sure, they've lived adventurous lives, but is there anything more annoying than getting stuck at a party talking to the guest with the poor English skills and/or indecipherable accent?
   
   
10. The Cat in the Hat (various titles, Dr. Seuss).  I'm not cleaning up that mess!

150+ Themes for Adult Parties

Ever wonder why kids get all the good parties?  Parties with costumes and games and creative foods and decorations?  Why do all adult parties seem to be variations on the same two themes: either "beer & chips" or "appetizers & conversation"?  Not that these are bad parties, but they sure do get repetitive over time.

Hubby and I are lucky enough to possess an eclectic group of friends who enjoy each other's company and, moreover, are more than willing to try new things.  One thing we especially enjoy is taking turns inventing creative parties and gatherings.  Yes, these parties often require a little more work then just throwing out nachos & beer and inviting everyone over to watch the "big game."  But the extra work is worth the reward - so much laughter, so many new experiences, so many great memories!

Where do we come up with most of our ideas?  Answer: NOT the internet!  Have you ever tried to use the internet to brainstorm themes for adult parties?  Frustrating!  Online lists typically possess one or more of the following faults:

• Suggested themes are too childish for adults (seriously, adults are going to have a Dora the Explorer party?)
• Composed by party supply companies, their suggested themes include only those that the company can actually supply
• Suggested themes are too shallow - for instance, a "Black & White Party" makes decorating easy, but what are guests actually supposed to do once they get there?

Have therefore decided to compose & post my own list, cobbled together from various online sources, personal experience, and a little bit of imagination.  The list is pretty diverse, but that's deliberate: all groups of adult friends have their own dynamics, so party ideas that seem lame or "out there" to you may be just right for someone else.  Plus, a diverse list may push you towards considering ideas you never would have considered otherwise. 

Go ahead - take a chance!  Throw a themed party and see how much fun you've been missing!

Traditional party themes.  Because some traditional themes never get old, and there's an element of "safety" in starting off with a party theme that's withstood the test of time.

1. Hawaiian party.
1. Hawaiian luau
2. Tacky tiki party.  
2. Toga party.  
3. Redneck/white trash party 
4. Pirate party.  OPTION: Coordinating your event with Talk Like a Pirate Day (19 Sep)?
5. Dude ranch/Western party.  OPTION: Pair with a BBQ cookoff, chili cookoff, or backyard BBQ (see below).
6. Dog/cat party ("plus ones" must be of the furry variety)

Holiday-themed parties

1. Valentines Day party (14 Feb).  Consider pairing with an all-chocolate buffet!
1. "Naughty" Valentines Day party.  
2. Nice Valentines Day party.  
3. Anti-Valentines Day party.  
2. Groundhog day/spring party
3. April Fools Day party (1 Apr)
4. Mardi Gras party
5. Easter party/easter egg hunt
6. Earth Day party (22 Apr)
7. May Day party
8. Mothers Day party
9. Fathers Day party
10. Juneteenth
11. Patriotic party (Independence Day, Flag Day, Veterans Day, Memorial Day
12. Christmas in July party
13. Halloween party
1. Pumpkin carving party
2. Zombie party
3. Horror-able fil festival
4. Day of the Dead party
14. Christmas party.  So many versions of this classic, they deserve their own blog post
1. Children's craft party
2. Adult craft party
3. Holiday movie party
4. Holiday pot luck party
5. Holiday baking party
6. Cookie exchange party
7. Ornament exchange party
8. Gingerbread house decorating party
9. Happy Birthday to Jesus party
10. Giving party
11. Dickens Christmas party
12. Retro Christmas party
13. Caroling party
15. New Years Eve party
1. Come as your favorite decade party
2. Through the Decades party.  Celebrate a different decade each hour.
16. National __________ Day party.  Congress has given just about every special interest its own day.  Peruse a calendar, pick out a day that catches your fancy, and host an appropriate celebration. 

Around the World parties

1. Mexico
1. Mexican fiesta
2. Cinco de Mio party
2. Great Britain
1. St. Patrick’s Day Party
2. Burns Night party/banquet (Jan 25)
3. Guy Fawkes Night party
4. Scottish games/kilt party
5. The Queen’s Birthday (21 Apr)
3. Bastille Day party
4. Oktoberfest
5. Italian dinner party
6. Down Under Australian party/Australia Day Party (Jan 26)
7. Chinese New Year party
8. Jamaican party

Masquerade parties

1. Carnival/Mardi gras party
2. Beaux Arts/black & white ball
3. Halloween party
4. Come as your favorite literary character
5. Come as your favorite artwork party
6. Come as your favorite scientist party
7. Hippies vs. hipsters
8. Drag queen ball

Elegant parties/celebrations/balls

1. Casino night
2. Formal tea party
3. Prom redux
4. Elegant lawn party/gay 90s party
5. Breakfast at Tiffany's party
6. Formal dinner party
7. Formal ball (you pick the era)

Drinks parties

1. Mad Man party
2. Wine tasting party
3. Wine pairing party
4. Whisky tasting party. Cigars optional.
5. Mimosa buffet.

Food parties/banquets

1. Tapas party
2. Progressive dinner
3. Pot luck dinner
4. Beer & bacon
5. English pub party
6. Wine & cheese
7. Desserts party
8. Ice cream social
9. Mad Hatter tea party
10. Clambake
11. Dim sum party
12. Midnight buffet
13. Cooking party
14. BBQ cookoff
15. Chili cookoff
16. Blackout dinner.  Everyone eats in a room with no lights.  Besides being funny, it's supposed to heighten your ability to appreciate the food.
17. Make your own pizza party
18. Pancake breakfast party
19. Fall harvest buffet. 
20. Spud bar party
21. Fondue party

Movie/television-themed party

1. Hollywood party
2. Downton Abbey party
3. Binge-watch party
4. Awards ceremony party

In the news party

1. Political parties
1. Election night party
2. Political scandal party
2. Stormy Weather party.  Throw a party during a storm - just make sure you've got a backup plan if the power goes out!
3. National Spelling Bee party
4. Back to School party. Celebrate that empty house

Let's Put On a Show! party

1. Broadway Musical party. Everyone come prepared to perform a number from a musical.
2. Stand-up comedy/Saturday Night Live party. Everyone come prepared with a standup act; or, once everyone arrives, assign them skits/commercials to prepare; or, write ideas on slips of paper and challenge your guests to an improvathon
3. Burlesque party. Guests come prepared to perform a burlesque act – ventriloquism, comedy, animal act … perhaps a naughty dance or two?
4. Karaoke party.  Come prepared to sing.
5. Murder mystery party. Buy a prepared murder mystery party kit or create your own.
6. Rock 'n' Roll fantasy camp party.  Everyone come prepared to jam.
7. 1001 Nights party.  Typical sleepover, except everyone has to come prepared with amazing stories to share.

Crafts parties

1. "Create a ________" party.  Pick a single craft (ex: knitting, crochet, screenprinting, tie-dye, etc.) and stock up on supplies.  Guests get to create their own
2. "Create a _________-themed craft."  Pick a holiday/theme (ex: Christmas, summer) and invite guests over to create items related to the theme.  You provide ideas, supplies, food; they supply the creativity
3. "Learn to __________."  Either invite an expert or model one of your areas of expertise (ex: cake decorating, flower arranging, jewelry making). Guests learn and get to try their hand at the activity.
4. Sewing/quilting bee

Games parties

1. Old fashioned parlor games party
2. Game night
1. BINGO party
2. Monopoly party
3. Trivial pursuit night
4. Scrabble/puzzle night
5. Bridge/poker party
6. Charades/tableaus party
3. Game show night
1. Minute to win it party
2. Survivor party

History/Retro parties

1. Ides of March/Roman party (Mar 15)
2. Medieval party/banquet
3. Renaissance party/banquet
4. Colonial party
5. 20s party 
1. Great Gatsby party
2. Speakeasy/Jazz party
6. 40s/50s party
1. Mad Men party
2. Ballroom dancing party
3. WWII Dance hall party
7. 60s party
1. Hippy vs. hipsters party
2. 60s sock hop/diner party
8. 70s Disco/Studio 54 party
9. 80s party
10. College fraternity party.

Novel/book parties

1. Jane Austen party
2. Harry Potter party
3. Alice in Wonderland party/Mad Hatter tea party
4. Come as your favorite literary character masquerade party
5. Murder mystery party
6. Sherlock Holmes party (Jan 6)
7. Twelfth Night party (Jan 6)
8. Dickens Day party (Feb 7)
9. Oscar Wilde Day party (Oct 16)
10. Release Party.  A party to help the hours before the release of your favorite book; afterwards, everyone piles into cars to head for the nearest bookstore

Science parties

1. Pi day party (14 Mar).  
2. Eclipse/asteroid shower viewing party
3. Come as your favorite scientist party
4. Chemistry/Breaking Bad party.   

Nerd parties

1. Steampunk party
2. Dungeons & Dragons/fantasy cosplay party
3. Superhero cosplay party
4. Video game cosplay party
5. LOTR cosplay party
6. Star Trek/Star Wars party
7. Freaks & Geeks party

Outdoors parties

1. Old fashioned picnic
2. Campfire party
3. Lake party
4. Regatta/boat party
5. Pool party.  Host this at your neighborhood pool, your own backyard pool, or buy a few cheap kiddie pools from the local dimestore
6. Beach party
1. Frankie & Annette Beach Party bash
1. Jimmy Buffet “Cheeseburger in Paradise” party
1. Beach Olympics/games
1. Beach banquet
7. Dancing under the stars party
8. Gentile Southern BBQ picnic
9. Glamping/safari party
10. Outdoor Olympics party
11. Summer camp party
12. Fishing camp party
13. Scavenger hunt/geocache party
14. Snow party.  Wait for a snowy day, then invite guests over for snowman-making contests, snowball fights, adn snow ice cream sundaes.

Novelty destination parties

1. Bowling party
2. Barn party/hoe-down
3. Vineyard party
4. Skating rink party (ice or roller)
5. Nighttime pool/hot tub party
6. Zoo party
7. Movie theater party
8. Pool hall party
9. Pub Crawl party
10. Restaurant Crawl party
11. Bar crawl party
12. Ropes course party

Sports parties

1. "Big Event" party.  Gather around the television to celebrate that "big game"
2. Tailgate party
3. Olympics party
4. Kentucky Derby party
5. America's Cup yacht race
6. polo party
7. rugby party
8. Baseball fantasy camp party

“Children’s” parties.  Parties too good to be reserved just for children

1. Slumber party
2. Carnival party
3. Dr. Seuss party (Suess day = Mar 2)
4. Come as your favorite children’s book character party

Just for adults parties

1. ABC (Anything But Clothes) party.
2. Twisted Disney party
3. Drag party.
4. Seven Deadly Sins party
5. Pajama party
6. 50 Shades of Grey party.  

Other novelty parties

1. Come as you are party.  People have to come dressed the way they were dressed when they received your invitation. Consider slipping them under people's doors so they find them in the morning, while still wearing their jammies.
2. Come as you were party.  Dress like you dressed in high school; or, dress like your high school clique
3. Round the world party

Making Your Blue & Gold Banquet Fun!

Back in the day, Blue & Gold Banquets in our pack were a BIG DEAL.  Next to Pinewood Derby, the banquet was definitely the most fun cub scouting event of the year.  When I shared this sentiment with other scouting families, however, I used to get some pretty odd looks.  Turns out there's no real standard for what comprises a Blue & Gold Banquet, and some of them can be, frankly, pretty dull: little more than awards ceremonies with food.  (We actually don't do any awards that night, reserving the night for fellowship and fun!)

Thought I'd go ahead and share some of the things we've done for Blue & Gold Banquet over the years, in hopes that other packs may be inspired to try something new and maybe a little bit more memorable!

1. Theme.  I understand that it's common to adopt a theme ("Out of this world" or "Go West, Young Man") but we always thought this felt a little birthday-partyish.  (Which is technically okay, because the event does celebrate Scouting's birthday.)  We've always stuck to the same theme, year in and year out: "The History of Scouting."  It's simple, apt, and memorable.
2. Invitation ideas.  We always have the boys create these by hand.  The pack can choose one design or each den can create their own.  My favorite was when we used construction paper squares and had the boys decorate them as neckerchiefs.  After they were done, we curled them into tubes and fastened them with leather cording tied in a square knot.  
3. Table Decoration ideas.  Years ago we bought a bunch of blue cloth cheap and, using a fleur de lis stamp from a craft store and gold fabric paint, created a set of blue tableclothes that we now use year after year.  The only other decoration supplied by the pack is blue and yellow balloons, but it's amazing how festive they can make even a school cafeteria look when deployed liberally.  Each den then designs/creates their own placemats & we have a contest to see which den can create the most .... shall we say, "memorable" ... centerpieces.  Past winners have included a erupting volcano; a paper mache mountain covered with plastic bears, tigers, and wolves; a diorama featuring boy scouts fighting dinosaurs (dubious historical accuracy, but VERY funny); a tiger dressed in a cub scout uniform; and a small tree stump with rapelling army men painted in webelo scout uniforms.  Some dens spend months planning and executing their centerpieces!
4. Food ideas.  I admit, this is something we usually don't spend a lot of time on.  Either we do a pot luck or have the event catered by a local restaurant.  Our most popular menues have been Italian fare (catered by a local italian restaurant), cookout foods (potluck), and pancake dinners (cooked in situ by the cub scout dads, with potluck for the sides).  Usually we have someone (a volunteer or a bakery) prepare a "Happy Birthday Scouting!" cake, but once or twice we've left this out and substituted a cake decorating contest instead: the cake that the most "scoutiest" wins.  (Honestly, the certificate we hand out says "Most Scoutiest".) 
5. Activity Ideas.  Bored kids are fidgetty kids, and fidgetty kids make for a bad banquet.  One thing we always try to emphasize is having lots of activities underway before the eating begins to keep the boys busy.  Here are some of our go-to activities. 
1. Boy Scout Trivia Contest.  Questions are on a page folks pick up at the front door.  Kids can work with their friends or parents to answer the questions.  At some point we announce the answers (along with a little history) and the team with the most right answers wins something "scouty".  I've posted a list of our go-to scouting trivia questions here.
2. Boy Scout Crossword/Word Search/etc.  Also at the door we have piles of paper-based games for the kids to enjoy - word searches, crosswords, etc.  The trick is to add some topical references and humor: "Name the color of the tent that collapsed on Mr. Frank at the lake campout" or "Name the scout who won "best bellyflop" at the pool party".
3. Boy Scout Museum.  So many of our dads were scouts themselves, we like to set up tables where they can display their own scouting relics.  So many great anecdotes and conversations ensue!
4. Slide Show.  In yet another corner of the venue, we set up a slide show with photos of events from the past year.  The kids love remembering their past adventures.
5. Getting to Know You Activities.  Usually we have a couple of these "getting to know you" activities in our back pocket, just in case dinner is delayed.  Here are the two we use most often:
1.  "Find someone who ..." Print 4x4 matrix on paper.  Fill squares with random characteristics: has a big sister, keeps a rodent as a pet, is left handed, etc.  Kids  run around trying to find people who possess each characteristic - only rule is that you can only use each kid once (forcing kids to talk to other members of the troop they may not usually interact with).  Scouts who match names to every characteristic on the sheet win a small prize. (Trail mix bar or the like.)
2. "Who am I?"  Write the name of animals on 3x5 index cards and attach them to the backs of the scouts with masking tape.  At "Go!" scouts have to figure out which animal they are by asking their fellow scouts to answer questions.  The hitch: They can only ask yes/no questions.  The more weird the animals (worm, parrot, beetle, wasp, hamster, gekko, toad), the longer the game will last.  If you're planning on playing multiple rounds, you'll need a LOT of creatures since the game quickly gets dull once the kids have the creatures memorized.
6. Plays & productions.  We always include a play about the history of scouting.  The two we use most frequently are below - click on the name to connect to the scripts.  (The scripts were written by us, so there's no copyright enfringement if you use them ... I guess just don't sell them or anything!)
1. The History of Scouting. 
2. The Three Ghosts of Scouting (an homage to A Christmas Carol)
7. The Main Event.  At one time we used to hire entertainers, which the boys enjoyed but which tended to be expensive.  More recently we've been stealing television game shows (past and present) and turning them into scouting game shows.  Below are three that were particularly successful, but feel free to get creative and create your own
1. Scouting Feud.  Modelled after Family Fued.  Months in advance, we poll kids/adults and get their answers to easy/funny scouting-related questions (Name the worst thing that can happen on a camping trip; Name something a scout does with a knife; name the hardest thing about camping; name the animal you least want to run into on a scout camping trip; if you had to change "Webelos" to an animal name, what animal would you pick?  etc.)  Dens compete against each other to see who can earn the most points.  (Ex: Round one: Tigers vs. Wolves, using easy questions.  Round two: Bears vs. Webs, using harder questions.)  We've built a wood panel with 6 slide-open doors which sits on top of a big pad of chart paper on which we write the categies and answers in marker - one page per round.  One of the mom's can double as Vanna White .... or, one of your male scout leaders in a wig and gown is always an option!
2. Scouting Fear Factor.  Modelled after Fear Factor.  This takes some setting up, but once created, you can use it every year.  (In fact, the kids will beg you to do it every year!)  Set up some kind of game board with 2 chart pads side by side.  On one chart pad, write questions.  On the other chart pad, write "stunts" that the losing den can perform.  One den per round.  Each den gets asked thee questions.  Each time, they can choose to earn points by either answering question correctly or doing stunt.  (Don't make questions too easy; you want them to do the stunts!)  Some favorite stunts include:
1. Mystery box.  Scouts have 60secs to dress one of their own in whatever clothes they find in the closed "mystery box".  We like to have at least 4 boxes standing by:  a scuba gear box, a box with girls' clothes, a box with princess clothes, and a box with pieces from assorted Halloween costumes
2. Animal challenge: tie a worm in a (loose) knot; outline your name in worms; fetch a toad from a deep box and kiss him
3. Eat this!  Have a variety of disgusting items prepared - ant candy (can be ordered online), french fries with syrup, pudding with live flowers (be sure they're edible!), a drink that combines milk/catsup/syrup which you prepare as the kids watch and groan ...
3. Scout Minute to Win It.  Like the above game, but the challenges can be less funny/gross!  Lots of ideas available on the internet

10 Fun Baby Shower Games

Baby showers are sweet but almost always lame.  Here are some game ideas sure to perk things up:

1. Baby Name Darts.  Pin a variety of baby names on a dartboard.  Throw darts.  For the rest of the party, refer to the baby by the name that was struck by the most darts.
2. Baby Outburst.  Make a bunch of "top 10" lists having to do with babies (see suggestions below).  Form 2 teams.  One team reads category; other team has to guess as many items on the list as possible in 1 minute.  Alternate turns until all cards used.  Keep score. (This is adapted from the game "Outburst".)  (Potential categories: Top 10 ... boys names, girls names, reasons babies cry, toys, books, baby food varieties, aphorisms for "poop", baby nicknames, items in nursery, items in diaper bag, Disney movies, "firsts", songs with word "baby" in them, nursery rhymes, baby songs, etc.)
3. Baby Bingo.  You can purchase this game or make your own, using clipart.  Use pink or blue m&ms as placeholders.  Allow guests to eat their placeholders after each round.
4. Guess Mom's Width.  Hand out pieces of string and scissors.  Each person cuts string to approximate width of mom's stomach.  When done, wrap strings around the mom.  Person who comes closest wins. 
5. Baby Scattergories.  Identify 10 categories having to do with babies (see "Baby Outburst").  Create card/checklist listing the 10 categories, leaving a line after each category to allow guests to fill in info.  Make duplicates.  Put letters of alphabet in hat.  Mom draws letter.  For each category, guests have to come up with word that starts with that letter.  Person (if small party) or team (if large party) that comes up with most ORIGINAL (not duplicated) answers wins.  You can play as many times as you want - just draw new letter for each round.  (This is adapted from the game "Scattergories".)
6. Clothespin game.  Issue everyone 3 clothespins.  Every time they use the word "baby", guest who catches them using the word gets one of their clothespins.  Guest with most clothespins at end of shower wins.
7. Baby Mad Lib.  Create a customized "Mad Lib" for the mom of honor.  Be sure to build in lots of opportunities for humor.  Have guests contribute missing words.  Read finished product aloud.  (I usually create a story in which mom reflects back on her grown child's life - careers, achievements, family, etc.  Lots of potential for humor there!)
8. Guess the Baby Accessory.  Wrap baby-related items in tissue paper.  (Wrap them loosely but well; use tape!)  Place them in small paper bags.  Number bags.  Give guests paper, pen, and one bag.  Assign someone to act as timer.  Guests have 5 seconds to feel object through tissue paper, without removing from bag.  Then, they write their guess next to the bag's number on paper.  Pass bags clockwise and repeat until everyone has guessed contents of each bag.  Have folks unwrap/reveal objects.  Person with most correct guesses wins.
9. The Price is Right.  Give guests a list of common baby supplies & have them guess the cost of each. Then give out calculators to have them add the items up. The guest who comes closest to the actual price of the items wins.
10. Baby Predictions.  Purchase large matte for 5" x 7" photo. Write "I predict ..." on top.  Using acid free pen, ask each guest to contribute a prediction about baby or parents.  Predictions can be serious or funny.
11. Guess the Gerbers.  Pour small samples of a variety of baby food  into small plastic panekins (a.k.a. disposable condiment cups "liberated" from your local fast food restaurant).  Assign each type a number and number cups accordingly (use indelible ink).  Give each guest pencil, paper, and 5 random cups.  Have guests try to guess contents of each cup, recording their guesses next to each cup number.  Person who gets most right wins.  (TIP: Use particularly disgusting flavors, like green beans or squash.  Blends are particularly hard to guess.)

Halloween Horror-ible Film Festival

 

The idea behind the HHFF (Halloween Horror-able Film Fest) is to gather friends together to enjoy (and heckle) really, really bad horror movies.   

Since we don't happen to have a movie theater in our house, we set up a make-shift movie studio in our biggest room by attaching a DVD-playing laptop to a desktop projector (iPod speakers to amplify the sound) and projecting the picture onto a huge sheet.  Bet it would be even more fun to project it onto one of those blow-up outdoor movie screens you can rent these days! 

Without further ado, here's a list of suitable movies (with food accompaniment) to inspire your event.  May I respectfully suggest choosing one from each category?

Genuine attempts at horror that went terribly, terribly wrong:

1. Plan 9 From Outer Space.  "Future Events such as these will impact your future!" intones the narrator ... and it just gets better from there!  Watch as scenes mysteriously alternate between daylight and nighttime; enjoy as aliens arrive in spaceships that clearly dangle from strings (their cockpit just as clearly constructed from chairs turned backwards and a shower curtain); wonder at cardboard gravestones that sway everytime someone walks by them; ponder the fear inspired by zombies that move at a rate slower than geologic time.  Best of all, admire the way that the director, undetered by the death of his film's star, substitutes his dentist (why not his barber? we'll never know) by the clever contrivance of having the guy hold a cape over his face everytime he appears in a scene.  So bad and yet so good!  [For hors devours, serve devilled egg zombie eyes]

Deliberately campy horror movies that went wonderfully right

1. Attack of the Killer Tomatoes.  "That's not blood, that's ... tomato juice!"  Rarely has a more improbable line been spoken in movie history.  By the way, the movie really is about mutant killer tomatoes, and was filmed in the 1970s as a parody of B horror movies in general.  My favorite scene is when a school of tomatoes attack a swimmer, a la Jaws.  Wait - it's when our heroes, intent upon saving the world, infiltrate the bad guys disguised as giant killer tomatoes.  No, wait - it's when the tomato rises out of the trash compactor and kills the woman.  Drat!  I just can't decide - the whole movie is just so memorable!  [For hors devours, serve - what else? - hamburger sliders and french fries with ketchup!]
2. Army of Darkness.  An intentional send-up of both the horror and action/fantasy genres that succeeds brilliantly at both. The movie stars legendary B-actor Bruce Campbell as a mild-mannered S-Mart clerk who is transported back in time to a medieval kingdom where, in the process of fighting an army of the dead and retrieving a magic book, he becomes a bad-ass action hero.  The plot is wholly preposterous, the genre references outrageously campy, the dialog clever and hilarious, but it's the delightfully cheesy special effects that will leave you cheering and wanting more! [For hors devours, serve thigh bones made out of meringue]

Classic monster movies

1. Godzilla vs. King Kong. Because what could possibly be better than watching a monster destroy Tokyo? Answer: watching TWO monsters destroy Tokyo! Guaranteed to stimulate howls of disbelief and lots of thoroughly enjoyable heckling. [For hors devours, serve sushi and bananas]

Pastiches and homages

1. Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein. Actually, this is a monster trifecta, in which Dracula (played by Bela Lugosi) is trying to resurrect Frankenstein's monster using Costello's brain, but the Wolfman (played by Lon Chaney) is trying to stop them. It's worth noting that Quentin Tarantino loves this movie and cites it as one of the great examples of a mixed genre film. However, I don't feel that this prevents me from adding to to my list of really awful horror movies. [Fors hors devours, serve anything that can be skewered with a wooden stake (toothpick or bamboo stick)]

Events for Beach Olympics

Every year our family - all three generations - hit the beach for a week of relaxation and togetherness.  One favorite activity is Beach Olympics, a series of events that changes from year to year.  We do a few events each day, keep track of points, and award prizes at the end of the week, but sure this could be done other ways.  For most activities we pair really young kids with older kid/adult to keep the teams fair.  Here are some of the events we have attempted over the years - feel free to use these or make up your own!

1. Tallest sandcastle contest
2. Human pyramid contest (prizes for highest pyramid, pyramid that lasts longest)
3. Most creative sandcastle contest (we have had haunted castles, princess castles, wild west castles ...)
4. Relay races (each team member carries scoop of sand to bucket, dumps it, then returns; winner is team that fills bucket first)
5. Crab races (carve circle in dirt, put crabs in middle; first crab to leave the rink wins)
6. Boat races (dig channels in the sand, close enough to ocean to fill with water; use breath to waterguns to propel boats forward)
7. Sea doggie contest (contestants stand with back to waves; last one standing wins)
8. Beachball contest (which team can keep their beachball continuously in air for longest time)
9. Frisbee throwing contest (prizes for length, accuracy)
10. Deepest pit contest
11. Buried alive contest (who can completely bury thier teammate under sand the fastest)
12. Raft raiding contest (played in ocean; which team can take the other team's raft by force or stealth)
13. Raft riding contest (which team can get cram most team members on a raft without falling/sinking)
14. Worst sunburn contest
15. Long jump contest
16. Limbo contest
17. tug-of-war contest
18. Surfing contest (person able to stand on surfboard/boogieboard longest wins)
19. Sea creature sand sculpting contest
20. Loudest snoring contest
21. Dodgeball contest (using beachball)
22. Precision water gun shooting (most fun if you use cold water and a human target)
23. Beach scavenger hunt (who finds most items in assigned time; or who finds all items first)
24. Wheelbarrow races (funny because if you drop your partner, they land face-first in the sand!)
25. Funniest "hot sand!" dance

15 Fun Themed Christmas Party Ideas

Holidays are supposed to be about getting together with family and friends, but there definitely IS such a thing as too many holiday parties, especially if they're all cut from the same mold: a few decorations, holiday music, appetizers, and conversation.  Next year, mix things up with one of the following themed holiday parties and make some memories that will actually last!

1. CHILDREN'S CRAFT PARTY.  Invite the kids in your family over for an afternoon of holiday crafts.  Put a washable tablecloth over your dining room table (or a few card tables) and organize 3-4 holiday-themed crafts for the kids to do together.  (Project ideas: ornaments for tree, bookmarks for gifts.)  Don't forget to program in a break for food: allow the kids to decorate holiday cookies or cupcakes, then eat them.
2. ADULT CRAFT PARTY.  Why should kids have all the fun? Invite your girlfriends over for an evening of holiday crafting.  You can provide the supplies or ask your friends to BYO.  (Project ideas: homemade christmas cards, homemade gift tags, decorated gift bags, ornaments.)  Supply hors d'oeuvres, beverages, craft tables, and basic supply "staples" - scissors, tape, glue sticks.  A great chance to laugh and gossip while getting some useful holiday work done!
3. HOLIDAY MOVIE PARTY.  Invite friends/family over for a holiday movie screening or all-day holiday film festivals.  Turns out these holiday classics are even more special when you enjoy them with extended family/friends.  Over the years my family has turned White Christmas into an annual event, featuring a roaring fire, cookies, milk, and lots of shared memories. Other years, often after we've all come back from the Christmas tree farm, we gather the children of the family together for a double feature: Charlie Brown Christmas and How the Grinch Stole Christmas.  (Don't have a big screen TV? Rig up a temporary theater by attaching your DVD player to a projector and projecting the result onto a wall.  You may want to also attach your ipod speakers to boost the volume.) 
4. HOLIDAY POT LUCK PARTY.  Better than a traditional holiday party because your guests provide the food!  To make this event more fun, assign a theme: "dessert bakeoff" competition & potluck (award prizes for best desserts); "Holiday Costume party" potluck (everyone comes in costume); "Christmas in Hawaii" potluck (everyone dresses in summer clothes, tropical decorations); or the ever-popular "Ugliest Holiday sweater" competition & potluck (person sporting the ugliest holiday sweater wins!).
5. BAKING PARTY.  Invite 1-3 of your closest friends/family over for a day of baking holiday treats.  Baking is so much less boring when you do it with friends, and more efficient too, since you can rinse/reuse bowls and keep the oven constantly filled.  Gossip, share baking ideas, swap ingredients, and sing Christmas carols as you work.  My best friend Julie and I have been doing this for over a and it's one of our favorite holiday traditions.  (One word of advice: parchment paper!  This will allow you to reuse baking pans without having to clean them in between batches.) 
6. COOKIE EXCHANGE PARTY.  In advance of the party, ask each guest to bake a big batch of their best cookie and print out multiple copies of the recipe.  (One recipe card + 3 cookies for each person invited.)  On the designated evening, everyone brings their cookies + recipe cards to a central location and sets them out.  After some food and conversation, everyone collects 3 of each cookie + recipe cards to take home with them.  SO much easier than baking multiple recipes, and a great chance to discover new favorites.  The gals who host the one I have been attending for years now always offer wine and non-sweet hors d'oeuvres to offset all the sugar!
7. ORNAMENT/GIFT EXCHANGE PARTY. In advance of the party, instruct guests to buy and wrap (anonymously) a holiday ornament or gift.   (You can set a price limit if you want - say, no costlier than $10.)  At the party, all wrapped gifts go in a central pool and guests draw from a hat a number from 1 to #(where # is the number of people at the party).  The person who draws #1 goes first, picking and unwrapping a package.  Then, the person who draws #2 chooses one of two options: (1) select & unwrap a new package, or (2) "steal" an item that is in the possession of another guest.  If someone has their ornament/gift "stolen," then they get to replace it via one of the two options described above before play resumes.  The game continues until the last ornament has been unwrapped.  Done right, everyone leaves the party with an ornament, but impossible to predict which one!  My sister-in-law hosts this party every year and does a wonderful job, offering a plentiful buffet lunch before the gift exchange and desserts after.  Works best with good friends, because people who don't know each other well may be too timid to "steal"items from others, which makes the party a LOT less fun.  (To prevent the opposite - too much stealing - announce in advance that a gift can only be "stolen" three times; meaning, the person who steals it the third time gets to keep it.  This introduces a nice element of strategy into the game too!)
8. GINGERBREAD HOUSE DECORATING PARTY. Cheap gingerbread kits are plentiful during the holidays. So stockpile a bunch of them, whip up a HUGE batch of frosting, lay out decorating bags/tips and a variety of candies, and invite your friends over for a gingerbread house decorating party.  Better yet, make it a contest!  My family does this every year and the fun starts in November, when we all start strategizing what our houses will look like.  Last year's winner was a "Zombieland" gingerbread house ... gruesome but unique!
9. HAPPY BIRTHDAY JESUS! PARTY.  Celebrate the reason for the season by throwing a birthday party for baby Jesus, complete with birthday games and cake.  Consider allowing the kids to stage a nativity skit, include bible readings, and join the rest of the guests in wishing for "peace on earth" as you blow out the candles.
10. PROGRESSIVE DINNER/HORS D'OEUVRES/COCKTAILS/DESSERTS.  Christmas is the perfect excuse to organize a progressive celebration with neighbors or friends who live in geographic proximity.  The idea is to move from house to house, enjoying a different course or treat at each.  Divides the responsibility for entertaining between multiple hosts and gives everyone a chance to enjoy and admire each other's holiday decorations.  Tip #1: Set a time limit, so folks don't linger too long at any one destination.  Tip #2: If you're doing a progressive drinks/cocktail party, no driving!
11. GIVING PARTY.  Organize a party to earn money for a charity, collect food for a food bank, make food for a food kitchen, or prepare care packages for local charities, overseas charities, or U.S. soldiers serving in foreign lands.  There are so many good ideas for how to give back to the community, I should probably start a new list ...!
12. DICKENS CHRISTMAS PARTY.  Channel your inner Mr. Fezziwig and throw a traditional holiday celebration, complete with draped greenery, traditional Christmas carols, Victorian foodstuffs/hors d'oeuvres (wassail, goose, pudding), traditional games (blind man's bluff, 20 questions), mistletoe, Christmas crackers, and a yule log burning briskly in the fireplace.  Provide holly sprigs for folks to throw onto the flaming yule log for luck in the coming year, and don't forget to hide a coin in the plum pudding!
13. CHRISTMAS IN __________ PARTY.  Choose a country and host a celebration that honors that country's holiday foods, games, songs, and traditions
14. RETRO CHRISTMAS PARTY. Go retro by hosting a party that evokes the 1940s and those fabulous overseas USO shows during the war.  Think retro decorations, big band holiday music, dancing, cocktails, and Spam hors d'oeuvres!
15. CAROLING PARTY.  Gather family and friends for an evening of caroling through the neighborhood or community.  If you have senior citizen residence or hospital in your community, be sure to include them in your itinerary.  End up somewhere that has hot chocolate!  Tip: Provide booklets of printed lyric, because those second verses can be tough to remember!  Tip #2: if possible, ask someone with some musical sense to begin each song in a key likely to be accessible to most of the guests. 

Children's Halloween Party

My children always thought it was grossly unfair that they only got to wear their costumes Halloween. I thought so too, so one October I invited a bunch of their friends over for an impromptu Halloween costume party. It was such a hit, it became an annual event. While the games have gotten more creative as the years have passed, the essential appeal of the party remains unchanged: everyone gets to wear costumes and indulge in sanctioned mayhem! As such, I strongly recommend that this particular party be hosted out of doors. You could probably adapt most of the games for indoors, but do you really want a bunch of highly excited princesses, vampires and Sponge Bobs running amok inside your house?

1. INVITATIONS. Use whatever invitations you like, but make sure they include the following "guidance": (1) dress appropriately for the weather, (2) costumes should allow guests to move (and run) freely; (3) no face makeup (it will come off during "Dunking for Apples". If costumes don't lend themselves to movement, then encourage the kids to wear them to the party anyway, so that they can show them off, but to have an acceptable layer of clothing on underneath so that the costume can be peeled away and safely stored until the end of the party.
2. DECORATIONS.  Whatever Halloween decorations you have around the house will do!  We like to dangle cheesecloth ghosts and minature carved pumpkins from tree limbs.  Orange and black balloons add a festive touch.  Use halloween-themed plates/cups/napkins from any party store.
3. PRIZES.  Fill a bag with novelty halloween items: plastic skeletons, glow in the dark spiders, glow sticks, etc.  After each game, the winner(s) has to reach into the bag and, without looking, choose a gift by feel.  I recommend that you hand out gift bags in advance so the kids can store their prizes in them throughout the party.  There's no need to fill the goodie bags in advance - each game will have multiple winners, ensuring that every child leaves with plenty of prizes and candy by the end of the day.
4. THEME.  GAME #1_ZOMBIES IN THE GRAVEYARD.  As your guests arrive, start off with a few rounds of Zombies in the Graveyard - a spookier version of musical chairs.  Instead of chairs, create "tombstones" out of construction paper.  (Have fun cutting them out in different shapes & embellishing them with funny epitaphs.)  Set out tombstones in a large circle, with one less tombstone than there are guests.  Start a spooky music CD.  When the music stops, whoever isn't standing on a "tombstone" is eliminated.  Keep going until only one guest is left.  To add to the atmosphere, instruct the kids that they need to lurch around the tombstones with their arms held out in front of them, a la Frankenstein's monster, groaning and moaning as the mood strikes them.
5. GAME #2_MUMMY WRAPPING.  For this game you will need lots of toilet paper!  Divide the guests into teams of 2.  At "go!", one teammate attempts to completely wrap the other in toilet paper.  The first team to achieve "total mummification" (no body parts showing) wins.  Plan to play this game at least twice, as each kid will want an opportunity to be wrapped!
6. GAME #3_PUMPKIN THIEVES.  Setup: with masking tape, divide your room or yard in half, and set off a back corner on each side to serve as a "pumpkin patch" (big enough for approx 10 pumkins).  Place 5 small pumpkins in each patch. Also outline a "jail" at one ed of the center line, big enough to hold 4-5 kids.  Divide the guests into 2 teams and make sure they can identify each other easily.  ("Black team" can sport black crepe paper belts; "orange team" can sport orange crepe paper belts; or you can use black/orange pastic necklaces or leis from a party store.)  Objective: each team tries to steal the other' pumpkins adn carry them off to their own pumpkin patches.  Pumpkins can be acquired by either(1) stealing them from the opponent's pumpkin patch; or (2) tagging a player who is carrying a pumpkin.  As long as players remain on their own "side" they can't be tagged by the opposing team.  But once they venture into enemy territory (cross the center line), they are fair game.  When/if tagged, they must surrender their pumpkin and go directly to jail, from which they can only be rescued by being tagged by a teammate carrying a pumpkin.  The winner is the first team to collect all 10 pumpkins. 
7. GAME #4_DUNKING FOR APPLES.  You know this one!  Fill a tub with water.  Float ~10 apples in the water.  Guests kneel in front of the tub with their hands behind their backs and try to "catch" an apple using only their teeth.  (TIP: allowing folks to kneel on a towel, and providing extra towels for folks to dry off afterwards, will make this game MUCH more pleasant!)  Limit each turn to 60secs.  Winners are those who succeed in catching an apple.
8. GAME #5_MONSTER MASH.  In advance of the party, find an old board or door and paint a life-sized ghost on it.  Nail or otherwise secure it to a tree trunk.  (It WILL fall if it's not secured.)  Use masking tape to lay out a line ~10ft away.  Place apples in a container next to the line.  Have guests take turns pitching apples at the ghost.  Score 3pts for hitting the face, 2pts for hitting any other party of the ghost, or 1pt for hiting the board.  Go through the line three times, so everyone gets three throws.  The person with the most points wins.  NOTE: This is most definitely an outside game!  A big part of the fun is watching the apples "splat!" as they hit the board!
9. GAME #6_GHOSTBUSTERS.  Inflate 10 white balloons and 10 orange balloons. Before the party (or as a gathering activity), use indelible markers to draw spooky faces on the balloons.  Divide the guests into 2 teams.  At "go!", each team has to launch their balloons in the air and keep them airborne for as long as possible.  The first team to have all their balloons touch the ground loses.  
10. GAME #7_PUMPKIN BOWLING.  This is a great activity if you have a hill for it!  You'll need several (4-5) medium sized pumpkins and 6 partially full water bottles.  At the bottom of the hill, set up the water bottles in a classic bowling triangle.  (If they are too full they won't fall over, but if they're too empty they won't stand up, so do some experimenting first to determine the right amount of water to leave in the bottles.) Guests at the top of the hill take turns rolling the pumpkins down the hill in an attempt to knock down as many bottles as possible.  The guest with the most cumulative points wins.  (This activity is hard on the pumpkins, so that's why I recommend having plenty of backups on hand!)
11. GAME #8_POPCORN RELAY RACE.  For this game you'll need 4 buckets, 2 cups, and a lot of popcorn.  Separate the guests into two teams.  Establish a starting line.  Fill 2 buckets with popcorn and place them approx ~15ft away.  Leave the other buckets (empty) at the "starting line".  Each team gets 1 cup.  Object of the game is to transport the popcorn from one bucket to the other, one cup at a time, relay-race style.  Winner is the team that fills their bucket first. 
12. FOOD.  Offer a buffet of spooky treats, including bones (made out of piped meringue), fingers with blood dipping sauce (mini-franks with a side of catsup), eyeballs (green grapes), brains (popcorn), blood punch (any red punch wll do), and jellied spiders (squares of green jello containing gummy spiders).
13. GAME #9_PINIATA.  Remember those prize bags you handed out earlier?  Have the kids retrieve them and then line them up, youngest to oldest (to increase odds that everyone will get at least one swing before the piniata drops its load).  If especially young kids are going to participate in this activity, we always make sure they have a parental "minder" who makes sure they aren't squashed in the ensuing mayhem and who also ensures that they get their fair share of the loot!

Pirate Birthday Party

If you are brave enough to arm a bunch of 5-12yr olds with swords, this is the party for you!  Some games work better indoors, other outdoors, but with a few accomodations can be made to work in either location.  What I love about this party is it's universal appeal - it's perfect for a group with mixed ages and genders.

1. THEME. The party is designed to be a competition between two (or more) pirate "crewes". Throughout the party, the crewes compete against each other to earn dubloons. (I recommend foil-wrapped bubblegum coins available from party suppliers such as http://www.orientaltrading.com/.)  Then, after the party, each crewe divides the dubloons they have earned between its members so that each child goes home with their share of the accumulated loot.
2. PREPARATION.  In advance of the party, make up honborary pirate names for all the guests (Scarface Chase, One-Eyed Andrew, Cutlasss Katie, Matt the Black, Brian Bones, etc. - the more harrowing the better!)  Then, post crewe "rosters" on a convenient wall (or tree), showing which crewe each guest will belong to for the duration of the party.  If you only have one birthday kid, then make the captain of the other crewe a sibling, best friend, or someone else.
3. GOODIE BAGS.  For this party, plan to give out the goodie bags first, so the kids can enjoy wearing their pirate costumes throughout the party AND so they can use the bags to store the "treasure" they earn from the games.  Any pirate-themed party bag will do; or, make your own using black paper bags, white paint, and a homemade skull-and-crossbones stencil.  Then, fill the bags with plastic cutlasses or knives, eyepatches, pirate hats or bandanas, ship-in-a-bottle kits, and/or candy coins/jewelry/treasure.  (Maybe even a copy of Treasure Island?)
4. DECORATIONS.  For centerpieces, stick miniature pirate flags (print them out and glue them onto dowels) into styrofoam cones wrapped in black cellophane.  Then add pictures of historical pirate flags (printed from the internet) for the walls, pirate party supplies (from the local party supply store), and black/red/white balloons.  The main attraction, however, should be a "treasure chest" on a separate table, overflowing with bubble gum "dubloons".  You will use these dubloons throughout the party as prizes for the games!  You can buy an appropriate chest (if you can find one); or, make one by painting a box brown and then affixing felt straps and buckles.
5. GAME #1_CREATE YOUR OWN PIRATE FLAG.  The first activity should be to have the kids create their own pirate flags.  Open by explaining that each pirate had their own flag, so that ships would know exactly which pirate was attacking them.  (Here's where the downloaded pirate flags you put up for decoration will come in handy, as illustrations.)  Then give the kids black construction paper and pages of pirate "clipart" (bones, skulls, cutlasses, fists, hourglasses, hearts, lightening bolts, knives, etc.) and let them cut/paste flags that will strike fear in the hearts of potential victims!
6. GAME #2_FACE PAINTING.  Since the guests will finish their flags sooner than others, fill in the time by offering facepainting.  Offer their choice of scars, mustaches, or fearsome "tattoos" (skull & crossbone, third eye, bleeding heart, crossed swords, etc.)
7. GAME #3_WALK THE PLANK.  For this game you'll need 3 long wooden boards (approx 6ft x 4in x 1in) and a couple of blindfolds.  Lay the boards end-to-end.  Each guest must "walk the plank" while blindfolded.  5pts if they get to the end without falling off the plank.  1pt deducted for each time more than 1/2 of a fot touches the ground. Team with the most cumulative points wins 50 dubloons.
8. GAME #4_SWAB THE DECKS.  For this game you'll need 2 brooms, 2 sets of small balls (each set needs to be a different color), and masking tape.  The objective of this relay-race activity is to "swab" the balls from one side of the room to the other, being the first team to successfully complete a given number of trips.  All theballs must cross the line before the broom can be handed to the next teammate.  The winning team wins 50 dubloons.  (Using different-colored balls is necessary because they will roll everywhere & may become intermingled!)
9. GAME #5_SEA BATTLE.  For this game you'll need a wooden catapult (kits available at most craft stores), beanbags, 3 pictures of ships, 2 pictures of sea monsters, and masking tape.  Position the catapult on a table about 3ft from the wall.  Hang the ship/monster pictures on the wall.  Crewes take turns launching bean bags with the catapult in an attempt to "sink" the ships.  Each "hit" is worth 3pts.  Each time a sea monster is hit, however, take away 3pts.  (Pissing off a sea monster is never a good idea!)  The crewe with the most cumulative points wins 50 dubloons.
10. GAME #6_TUG OF WAR.  No need to explain this one!  Mark a line down the middle of your room, give the kids an 8ft rope, and commence tugging!  The first crewe to pull the other over the center line wins 50 dubloons.
11. GAME #7_TREASURE HUNT.  This one is for outdoor parties.  Give each team a treasure map (different, so they don't just follow each other around) and a riddle that, when solved, will reveal the spot from which they are supposed to start.  Then have them follow the directions on the map (so many paces north towards the tree, so manypaces south towards the rock), crisscrossing the yard until they arrive at a concealled "treasure."  Each crewe gets to keep the treasure they find!
12. FOOD.  After rowdy fun, nothing settles kids back down like food.  Offer a buffet of pirate fare: bones (made out of piped meringue), hardtack (crackers), sliced apples and oranges (to prevent scurvy), and grog (ginger ale). 
13. CAKE.  Must be a treasure map cake, of course!  Starting with a rectangle sheet cake, swirl brown and tan frosting together to create a "parchment" effect.  Ice cake.  Using piped icing, create the outline of a scroll.  Inside the scroll, draw a simple treasure map with a big red X marking the spot.  Finally, consider using sparklers instead of candles - they look just like cannon fuzes!

Harry Potter Birthday Party

This party is suitable for ages 7+ and can accomodate a large number of guests.  It's designed for two “birthday kids” (joint party) – but could be easily adjusted for 1 birthday child , or up to 4.  Best of all, the cost is relatively inexpensive, as the party calls for relatively simple props and homemade decorations.  The party was a huge hit with our kids and their friends: after this one, kids lobbied our sons to be invited to their next birthday bash.

1. THEME.  An ongoing competition between Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw to successfully navigate their way through a day of magical “classwork” and earn points for their house team. At the end of the party the House with the most points earns the House Cup. Each birthday child serves as Head Boy for one of the houses, directing their team’s participation in each of the subsequent events.
2. INVITATIONS.  We used parchment paper & envelopes, an antique-looking calligraphy font, a Hogwarts school logo downloaded from the internet, and wording as close to Rawling’s original as possible. 
3. LOCATION & DECORATIONS.  Because of the size of the party & games, we rented a room at a local community center. On the walls, we hung big banners in the colors of each Hogwarts house (created at home using felt, scissors & glue). From the ceiling, we hung strings of banners sporting the symbols of the 4 Hogwarts houses (created at home using clipart, paper, scissors & string). For seating we set up two tables on opposite sides of the room, one decorated with balloons, placemats and centerpieces in the gold and black of Hufflepuff, the other decorated with balloons, placemats and centerpieces in the blue & silver of Ravenclaw. (Centerpieces were cute & homemade but too complicated to describe here(!); placemats were “woven” out of construction paper by the birthday boys.)
4. GAME #1_DIVINATION. To provide structure while guests were still arriving, we had the kids proceed directly to Divination Class, a table against one wall equipped with all the supplies necessary to create fortune-tellers. Nothing more complicated than the paper fortune-tellers we all folded in elementary school, but created using parchment paper, Harry Potter stickers, and sporting funny Harry Potter-related fates such as “Due to a tragic transfiguration error, you will spend several years of your life as a sausage,” and “You will be stampeded by a herd or raging hippogriffs.” (We posted a list of fortunes such as these on a poster on the wall, for copying or to inspire creativity).
5. GAME #2_QUIDDITCH. Once everyone had arrived, we launched immediately into Quiddich Practice, the objective of which was to be the first team to have every teammate successfully hit a bludger (balloon) through one of two goals (2 hula hoops hung by string from the ceiling) using the provided bats (nerf bats). This isn’t as easy as it sounds … balloons were flying everywhere! (This is why it is important to equip each team with different color balloons.) After each successful “goal,” the next player in line was handed the nerf bat & another balloon to try their luck, relay-style. (To make the game harder, set the hula hoops spinning.) Acquiescing to popular demand, we ended up playing 3 rounds of this game, awarding the winning team 50pts and the losing team 40pts for each round.
6. GAME #3_TRANSFIGURATION.  Next came Transfiguration, the objective of which was for each guest to figure out who they had been Transfigured into. First, we lined the guests up facing a wall. Then, we affixed to each guest’s back a nametag displaying the name of a character from the Harry Potter series. Finally, we gave each guest a checklist of all the names that had been assigned. At GO!, guests had to run around the room chasing down other guests and checking off the names on their backs, using process of elimination to figure out their own mystery identity. Chaos ensued as the kids tried to simultaneously espy the nametags on other guests’ backs while concealing their own nametags from view! We lined up 7 chairs along a wall, labeled 1 through 7, and instructed the kids sit themselves down, in order, as soon as they thought they knew who they were. Whichever house had the majority of winning players (folks who guessed their names wrong didn’t count) was awarded 50pts, while the 2nd place team was awarded 40pts. At the kids’ request, we also played this game several times, in one case awarding both houses 45pts due to a tie!
7. GAME #4_DEFENSE AGAINST THE DARK ARTS.  For this game, we created a “map” of Hogwarts, using a matrix (10 x 10) of pieces of parchment paper (8.5” x 11”) laid out on the floor with enough room between sheets so that guests could stand on adjacent sheets without touching. Each piece of paper was labeled with the name of a room in the castle (i.e., Potions Classroom, Dining Hall, Main Hall, 3rd Floor Corridor, Dungeons, Broom Storage Closet), with a paper labeled “Main Entrance” (i.e. START) on one side & pieces of paper labeled “Hufflepuff Common Room” & “Ravenclaw Common Room” on the other side, exactly the same distance away. This in effect became a “human game board,” with each House’s Head Boy (aka birthday boy/girl) acting as the game pieces for their respective House. Objective of the game was to be the first House to reach their Common Room, by avoiding various monsters, spells & other perils awaiting them on the hidden sides of the parchment paper “game pieces.” Using a coin for a dice (heads = 1 and tails =2), each team moved their Head Boy the appropriate number of spaces in any direction. Then, the Head Boy lifted the piece of paper they landed on to display the outcome. On the obverse of some sheets they found nothing – which meant that they had managed to achieve forward progress without running into any obstacles. But on the obverse of other sheets they found bad news – messages such as “There’s a boggart in the cupboard! Flee in terror to the Broom Storage Closet!” or “Your cauldron exploded while attempting to produce a sneezing potion; Professor Snape deducts 10pts from your house.” In some cases, the message contained a challenge for the whole house to perform, such as: “A mantacore approaches! Your House has 30 seconds to create a human pyramid which will serve as protection against the mantacore’s powers!” or “A sphinx guards your way forward! Either successfully answer it’s riddle or lose one turn” (whereupon the whole team has 60 seconds to guess the answer of a riddle). 50 pts was awarded to the team that reached their common room first, 40pts to the team in 2nd place. This chewed up lots of time but kept the kids riveted ….
8. GAME #5_POTIONS.  Before reporting to the End of Year Feast, guests were dispatched to Potions Class (another table against the wall), where they found multiple bottles of 7-Up (any clear soda will do), each tinted a different color (using food coloring) – green, blue, red, and yellow. The kids had a ball mixing the various “ingredients” to produce drinkable “potions” in every shade of purple, pink, orange, and aquamarine! (Be sure to use clear plastic cups for this activity.)
9. FOOD.  At the end of the party came the End of Year feast, featuring a buffet of food + cake. Goodies included celestial cheeses (cheese cut in the shape of moons & stars), dragon eggs (grapes), chocolate frogs (we found a frog candy mold at the local craft store & made our own), salted broomsticks (pretzels) and, of course, Bertie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans (jellybeans). The food was piled high on Harry Potter plates & napkins purchased from the local party store.
10. CAKE.  For the cake, we used black icing to separate a rectangle sheet cake into four quadrants, then decorated each quadrant in the colors of the four Hogwarts houses. The sparkler-candles we bought at a local party store looked just like magic wands when lit.
11. PRIZES.  While the kids ate, birthday dad – appearing attired in the purple robes, long beard, glasses and conical hat of Dumbledore – made an elaborate show of tabulating the house points and awarding the “House Cup” – a milk-chocolate trophy purchased from a local bakery – to the winning house. The Head Boy of the winning house thoroughly enjoyed smashing the trophy into bits and distributing them to his fellow students!
12. GOODIE BAGS. Ensuring no grumpy feelings, everyone left with a “trunk” full of goodies -- explodings whizbys (party poppers), magic wands (sparklers), chocolate frogs, a bag of Bertie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans, a magic trick, Harry Potter glasses & a wand. The “trunks” were shoeboxes painted brown, hinged with brown felt straps (glued on), and equipped with pipecleaner locks. Honestly, the kids seemed to enjoy their “trunks” almost as much as they enjoyed the goodies they contained!

10 Halloween Costumes Using a Lab Coat

For about a decade there (college and beyond), October was sure to include one or more invitations to costume parties.  Being strapped for cash, I stopped by a thrift store and picked up a doctor's coat ... then proceeded to use it in new and different ways each year thereafter.  Here are some of my favorites:

1. Dr. Feelgood/Dr. Ruth/Sigmund Freud.  Fill the pockets with random kitchen implements and let people use their imagination.
2. Proctologist.  Random kitchen implements also work for this one.  Add gloves.
3. Spin Doctor.  Pin phrases such as the following to your coat: "The economy is much stronger than it was this time last year," "We only go to Hooters for the great chicken wings," and, of course, the famous/infamous "I never had sex with that woman."
4. Dr. Seuss.  Accessorize with a "Cat in the Hat" hat and insist on answering everyone's questions in verse.
5. Dr. Doolittle.  Stuff your pockets with stuffed animals and talk to them.
6. Dr. Jekyll.  Accessorize with a fright mask and a flask containing dry ice.
7. Mad Scientist (generic)/Dr. Frankenstein.  Tease your hair until it stands on end and smear your coat and face with ash, as if you recently survived an explosion.  Stuff your pockets with testtubes and bottles of odd ingredients. Look crazy.
8. The Surgeon General of the U.S.  Fill your pockets with cigarette, green leaves in plastic baggies, fast food wrappers, dirty needles, condoms, etc.  Give advice.
9. Madame Curie.  Smear your face, hands and coat with paint that glows in the dark.
10. Nikolas Tesla.  String your coat with Christmas lights, powered by a battery pack in one pocket.  Tease your hair until it stands on end for that "I've been playing with electricity" look.

50+ Carnival Games (for school, church, or community festivals)

Every year our local elementary school hosts a fall carnival, the purpose of which is to bring families to the school, have fun, and maybe earn a little money.  I faithfully attended every annual carnival as a little one, volunteered to help run the games as a teen, and later, as an adult, ran the thing on behalf of the PTA.  (It's like a little microcosm of my life!) 

The trick is to make the games accessible for a range of ages, easy to set up and store (few parts), and easy for the adult volunteers to run.  Following is a list of some of some student favorites over the years, all of which (more or less) fit the above criteria.

NOTE: There are actually 2 lists here: one for games/activities in general, and one just for games that involve tossing things.  Otherwise, tossing games would overwhelm the other sort!

CARNIVAL GAMES

1. Pet parade and contest.  Start your carnival off with a pet parade and contest.  Our school has categories for real animals and stuffed pets, and a special award for best pet-owner look-alike.  Start with parade (judges can watch animals as they parade by), then rendezvous somewhere (preferably outside) for judging.  3 judges assign 1-10pts in four categories: personality, health, fuzziness, and uniqueness.  Points added, then prizes given to top three pets in each category.  (Some tinkering with scores recommended to recognize maximum number of pets.)
2. Fishing. Find an ocean-themed shower curtain or paint your own.  Suspend it so that it extends from the floor to approx 4ft in the air. (We typically drape ours over a hockey goal frame.)  Create fishing poles by tying lengths of string to poles or sticks.  Instead of hooks, affix wooden clothespins.  Kids drop the fishing poles over the screen, wait for a "yank" on their string (supplied by a handy volunteer sitting behind the screen), and pull in their "catch" - a plastic fish, fish tattoo, or other nautically-themed prize.
3. Frog jump.  Using a kit from any craft store, build a catapult.  Cut lillypads out of construction paper and tape them to the ground. Decorate a beanbag to resemble a frog (or, use a small, light beanie-baby frog).  Students launch the frog, with the object of having him land on one of the lilipads.  (VARIATION: If you can lay your hands on a rubber frog, you can do this game with plates floating in a kiddie pool - just be prepared for a lot of water on the floor!)
4. Cake decorating contest.  A week before the carnival, announce a cake decorating contest.  Collect cakes the day before the carnival.  Announce winners at the beginning of the carnival and display the winning entries on tables.  (Be prepared to do several different awards per grade.)  Cakes will be used as prizes for the cake walk (see below).
5. Cake walk.  Array laminated construction paper squares (each with a number) in a circle on the floor.  A la "musical chairs", music plays and folks walk around the circle until the music stops, whereupon they stand on the nearest floormat.  A number is drawn from a hat.  The person standing on that number is out.  Continue until only one person is left standing. That person gets to pick a cake (or cupcake, or other baked good.)
6. putt-putt golf.  Using lengths of fake patio rug, create three holes.  Purchase an inexpensive kids golf set and use the holes, balls & clubs that come with it.  Note: You WILL need to put up some sort of barrier around each hole so that balls don't go rolling everywhere.  You can be as creative (or as uncreative) as you want: the one we use is actually pretty cool, with one hole that requires turning a corner, one hole that requires bypassing obstacles, and one hole that requires jumping over a water trench!
7. Obstacle Course.  Using PE equipment (mats, tunnels, hula hoops, etc.) create an obstacle course.  Time the kids as they go through.  Post their times on a chart on the wall so they can see how they did.
8. RC car obstacle course.  As above, set up the obstacle course using cones, ramps, stuffed animals, and any other (preferably funny) obstacles you can think up.  Then time the kids as they maneuver through the course and post their times on a chart on the wall so they can see how they did. 
9. Hot Wheels Racing.  This requires a lot of track, but if you have it, also a lot of fun!  First, establish a surface with a fairly steep slope. (Gymnastic mats that fold work well for this.)  Then, set up as many gravity-powered parallel lanes as possible.  Let the kids choose which car they would like to use. (Provide as wide a variety as possible!)  At "go!", everyone releases their cars and the one to cross the finish line first wins.  (NOTE: If one car consistently wins, you may want to surruptitiously withdraw it so the kids don't fight over it.)
10. Hay/Lawn Maze.  You can create a simple maze with bales of hay or one of those lime-liners used to paint the lines on baseball fields.  To make it more fun, post a sign at the entrance with a riddle, then post another sign with the answer to the riddle in the center of the maze.
11. Lucky Duck/Duck Pond.  Buy 20-30 plastic rubber ducks (they are available cheap from online party suppliers like Oriental Trading Co.) and underneath 5-10 of them, mark an "X" in indelible marker.  Float them in a kiddie swimming pool.  Students pick a duck, turn it over, and if it is one of the ducks marked with an "X", they get a prize.  Be sure to have plenty of towels handy to keep the area dry and slip-free.
12. Duck Racing.  You'll need a couple more rubber ducks, two squirt guns, and two narrow trenches filled with water. (Long window boxes or lengths of guttering work well.)  Object is to squirt water at your duck, propelling him forward.  The first duck to cross the finish line wins.  This *will* be messy - definitely an outdoor game!
13. Book Swap.  This works best if you start collecting donations a few weeks in advance.  (This is also a good opportunity for the library to get rid of books that aren't circulating well.)  Then, kids bring in books on the day of the event to swap.  
14. Guess how many ... jellybeans, pennies, m&ms, beanie babies, etc.  People place their guesses in a jar.  Person with the best guess at the end of the event wins.
15. Haunted House.  This takes some set-up, but the kids love it.  "Scary" features can include a black-light tunnel with ghosts painted on the walls, skeletons wearing silly clothes, a table set for a scary feast, lit pumpkins "floating" in the air (actually, suspended by fishing wire), and a spooky soundtrack.  (If you want to get more gruesome, consider setting an age limit.)
16. Bingo.  Almost all party supply stores sell the necessary supplies.  The kids love it when their teachers act as callers.  If you want to be more inclusive, use m&ms as markers and at the end of each game, everyone gets to eat their markers!
17. Face Painting.  A perennial favorite.  To placate parents worried about their lack of artistic ability, consider offering a few (10-12) simple, "pre-approved" designs (ex: flower, butterfly, pirate mustache & scar) for the kids to choose from.
18. Sillhouette Cutting.  You'll need a wall, white construction paper, black construction paper, and a projector.  Have kids sit in profile in front of the wall and have an adult trace the shadow of their sillhouette on a piece of white paper taped to the wall behind them.  Then, allow them to cut out the sillhouette and glue it to a piece of black construction paper. 
19. Dinosaur Dig.  Fill a kiddie swimming pool with packing peanuts or sand.  Underneath, "bury" a variety of plastic dinosaurs.  Kids get to dig until they find a dinosaur.  (NOTE: Sand can be messy, but packing peanuts equally so as they tend to build up static electricity and start sticking to everything!)
20. Lollipop Tree.  You can buy these from party catalogs or make your own by drilling hopes into any standing pole or surface.  You'll also need LOTS of inexpensive lollipops.  Idea is to ink the tips of approx 15% of the lollypops, then insert them into the tree so that only their tops are showing.  Kids draw a lollipop and, if it has a colored tip, they win a prize.  (If it doesn't have a colored tip, they still get to eat the lollipop!)
21. Black Light Booth.  Close off a small room and fill it with black lights.  Kids get to go inside and watch their clothes glow!  You can add to the fun by letting them paint on the walls with flourescent paint.
22. Garden Game (aka cup and pea game).  Create a smooth, flat surface.  Place a "pea" under one of three upside-down flower pots.  (To make our pots more attractive, we afix silk flowers "sprouting" from the holes in the bottom.)  Scramble the flower pots.  The student has to guess which pot the pea is under. 
23. Temporary Tattoos.  Enough said!
24. Horse Racing.  Rustle up a couple of toy horses.  Using masking tape, set up a "racetrack" on a tabletop, dividing each track (as many tracks as you have horses) into 10 squares.  Have kids flip a coin.  If heads, they move their horse one space.  If tails, they move their horse two spaces.  First horse to cross the finish line wins.  (If you want to use dice, you may wish to create more squares.  Advantage of coin is that the race stays close until the end.)
25. Archery Booth.  Purchase/borrow a non-lethal bow and arrow set (ex: nerf).  To make the game more fun, design targets that will be fun to shoot at: cartoon characters, celebrity pictures, funny "fortunes" (ex: "You will be elected President of the United States")
26. Spin the Wheel. Design a spinning wheel by borrowing a bicycle tire and mounting it on a dowel projecting from a hole in a wall or pole.  Cover the tire with paper or fabric, divided into 8 pie slices.  Paint a "pointer" on the pole, just above the tire.  Once you have your spinner, you can create any number of games.  We typically use a version of "Simon Says."  7 slices are labelled with funny activities (ex: "Pat your head while rubbing your stomach), the 8th labelled "WINNER!" 4 contestants play at a time, taking turns spinning and performing the required action until someone finally hits "winner" and gets a prize.  
27. Pin the Tie/Bow on the Principal.  Have someone with artistic ability draw a large sketch of the principal (shoulders up) and hang it over a sheet of metal.  Meanwhile, attach paper in gaudy patterns to cardboard and create cutouts in the shape of ties/bows.  Attach flat magnets to the reverse side.  Allow student to pick their favorite tie/bow. Blindfold them. (NOTE: Knit winter hat pulled down over eyes is quicker/easier than traditional blindfold.) Object is to affix tie/bow at principal's neck.  (NOTE: craft stores have good selection of gaudy paper + flat magnets.) 
28. Grandmom's Closet.  Assemble mix of old clothes, halloween costumes, hats, wigs, sunglasses, etc. and place them in large box/trunk. Kids dress themselves then have their picture taken as souvenir.  (Use Polaroid or digital camera attached to printer.)
29. Bake Sale.  Self-explanatory.
30. Fortune Telling.  Options: crystal ball, playing cards, palm reading.  To assist parent volunteers, provide bullet list of fun/interesting fortunes that they can surreptitiously refer to.
31. Kissing Booth.  Works best if set up in closed-off area so no one can see what's happening.  Kids enter booth: leave with wrapped Hershey kiss and "lipstick mark" (appropriate stamp available at most craft stores) stamped on cheek.  (NOTE: Child protection tip-make sure booth manned by two people at all times.)
32. Craft Booth.  Options: coloring contest, paper dolls, colored sand project, beading project.
33. Beauty Salon.  Options: fingernail painting, hair braiding, hair painting (using spray-on color or sparkle hair spray)
34. White Elephant Sale.  The indoors version of a garage sale.  Have folks bring their old items.  All proceeds profit the school.
35. Karaoke.  Rig up machine and allow kids to perform.  (To speed things up, post list of songs available and require kids to have chosen a song before their turn.)  If you're feeling ambitious, arrange for a camera to feed the performances in real-time over the school's CCTV.
36. Dance Dance Revolution.  Set up the game and allow students to post their best scores on a chart on the wall.
37. Human Bowling. Set up toy pins. Have student sit on flat board on wheels. (Think double-wide skateboard - PE depts usually have them, or you can make your own very easily with a board, four wheels, and some screws.) Have friend push them into pins. Object is to knock down all the pins.
38. Cup Stacking.  Acquire 10 plastic cups: 5 of one color, 5 of another (or, 3 each in 3 colors).  In advance, create 10 charts (eisle format) showing cups stacked in various patterns.  Students have 15 secs to replicate  with cups the exact pattern shown.  (Vary pattern cards so new one used each turn.)
39. Hula-Hoop Idol.  Give kids hula hoops and time them.  Allow them to post their best times on a chart on the wall. 
40. Blackjack.  Just like Vegas; whoever wins each round gets a prize.  (NOTE: So kids don't get confused, hang sign that explains that face cards are worth 10pts and aces worth 1pt.)
41. Line Dance Classes.  If you have a willing parent, kids love learning line dances. Options: Electric Slide, Macarena, Chicken Dance
42. Movie Theater.  Set up a classroom theater-style and show cartoons.  Sell popcorn.

TOSSING GAMES.  To accomodate students of various ages/abilities, consider using 3 different "start" lines - closest for grades K-1, further away for grades 2-5, furthest for grades 6 and up.

1. Baseball Throwing Games.  OPTION #1: Throw baseball at target. OPTION #2: Throw baseball through a hole in a board (painted to resemble a baseball diamond).  OPTION #3 (if you have a pitch velocity meter): throw for speed.
2. Football Throwing Games.  OPTION #1: Throw football at target. OPTION #2: Throw football through a hole in a board (painted to resemble a football field).  OPTION #3: Throw for distance. 
3. Basketball Throwing Games.  OPTION #1: Throw basketballs through a hoop.  OPTION #2: Make as many baskets as possible in 30 secs. 
4. Tennis Ball Throwing Games.  The bounciness of the balls makes these games challening/fun.  OPTION #1: Throw baseballs into apple baskets/boxes/beach buckets.  OPTION #2: Bounce baseballs off a solid surface and try to get them to land in a basket/box/bucket.
5. Ring Throwing Games.  OPTION #1: Throw rings over poles. OPTION #2: Throw rings over the tops of glass soda bottles.
6. Hula-Hoop Throwing Games.  Throw hula hoop over target (ex: cones, decorated boxes, large stuffed animals)
7. Toilet Paper Throwing Game.  Tape rolls of toilet paper with invisible packing tape (to keep them from unravelling) and throw them into box topped with toilet set/lid. 
8. Rubber Chicken Throwing Game. Throw rubber chickens into cooking pots.
9. Beanie Baby Throwing Game.  Create boxes decorated to resemble ocean, woods, prairie, treetops, pond, etc.  Object is to throw each animal into the box that matches their natural environment.
10. Beanbag Throwing Games.  OPTION #1: Using masking tape, create large tic-tac-toe board on floor.  Each players gets different colored beanbags.  OPTION #2: Use round beanbags dubbed "cannonballs."  Toss them at cutouts of ships and seamonsters.
11. Ping Pong Ball Throwing Game.  Throw ping pong balls into cups.
12. Coin Throwing Game.  Toss coins onto platters/plates.
13. Paper Airplane Throwing Games.  Kids create their own airplanes or pick one from basket full of planes created by other students.  Object is to throw them through a hula hoop suspended from the ceiling.  (To add difficulty, spin the hula hoop!)