Super fun party for boys old enough to appreciate it, but not too old to be too cool.
What a day! It was gorgeous March weather yesterday, but
today was about 20 degrees cooler and rainy…Go figure since our outdoor party
was scheduled for today. Luckily it was a bunch of 2nd grade
boys attending and they didn’t seem to be bothered by it in the least. This
party was such a hit I thought I’d share the logistics of it with the world.
Ideally you’d want 3-4 weeks to plan this themed party. That
will ensure you have plenty of time to come up with clever clues and any needed
supplies.
The Invitations:
I chose to go with a full
agent/government theme printed on fake government letterhead created in Microsoft Publisher. The seal you see
on these party items was made by me using says-it.com’s
free official seal generator. I was going to use The Great Seal, but my husband pointed out it was semi-poor taste to use a real government seal for a fake agency. Here is how my invite read:
(Date invites will be sent out)
Agent ,
Your mission should you choose to accept, is to help solve a birthday crime at the headquarters building in (name of city). You are to report directly to your supervisor, Special Agent (birthday child's name), at which point more instructions will be provided. During this mission you will go through some field agent training exercises as well as aid in the hopeful capture of one of our most wanted criminals. Due to the top secret nature of this mission I am unable to provide any further details other than what is included in this letter.
Please report to the following location on (date of party) from (time in 24 hour format).
Headquarters Building (house number)
(Street name)
(City and zip)
(The facility is equipped with a chow hall and one meal with dessert will be provided.)
Do not forget your badge! We are in threat level Delta and no personnel will be admitted without proper credentials. This includes family members. If a family member is in need of a day pass please alert our administration office prior to your arrival. Failure to do so will result in a denial of access to our facility.
The agency’s administration office may be reached on the following secured line: (phone number). Do try and let them know of your intentions by (date of your choosing) to avoid scheduling conflicts.
Sincerely,
(Your name)
Director, Special Investigations
I then glued the sheet inside a manila folder. On the tab I wrote the child's last name, first initial and stamped the front Confidential, and the inside sheet as well. Then paper clipped their ID badge giving them level 1 security clearance inside and they were ready to be handed out.
Party decorations:
I found some boot print clip art online and printed enough to tape to my front walkway as if someone had walked up to my front door. We then wrapped Crime Scene tape around our posts and put black balloons out as well. I made signs stating it was a restricted area and and guests must be accompanied by a sponsor at all times. Due to the weather I set up a canopy to keep the rain off and posted secure area signs on it as well. Black balloons, crime scene tape and black streamers were then placed around the yard. It turned out really nice and the kids LOVED seeing the crime scene DO NOT CROSS all around. It definitely added just enough realism to make them feel really special.
Party Favors:
I found some black treat boxed online for our goodie bags. They looked enough like briefcases without me having to spend an arm and a leg, and they couldn't have been better for the job. I then took a white paint pen and wrote 'Agent last name' on each one. Inside I put fake mustaches, a magnifying glass, an agent shield (badge), a memo pad and a mini mechanical pencil. I would have liked to include a disposable camera, but wasn't able to find any in time. More favors were added through the party games later.
Party Games:
The first game was some simple PT to get energy out. Jumping jacks, pushups....whatever to get them moving. We setup some targets and shot them down with nerf guns as well. This earned the agents their level 2 clearances and Clue #1 for the clue hunt.
The clues had been placed around the yard prior to the children arriving. One clue would lead to the next and consisted of rhymes such as:
"In the place where castles are made, time is often lifted, but today clues may be sifted."
"Go to where the water flows, You might even find a hose."
And so on until it lead the kids to a map located in our mailbox. The map then had an X marking the spot where a safe was hidden. Once they located the safe hidden among our trees they then had to figure out the key code through a last clue taped to the lid. Inside the safe was their level 3 clearances, decoder wheels and candy along with the message for them to report to the tables for further training.
Once they were all settled in at the tables we broke out the decoder wheels (which were made using a 3" and 5" circles cut from manila folders and held together with a mini brad. I printed out the alphabet in wingdings font and then in a regular font hidden under the 3" wheel and glued it to the larger circle. Cut a little window out to reveal one letter at a time and you have a decoder. I then printed out messages (enough for each party goer) to be decoded. I explained they were just silly messages for practice, but as the kids started to get into their messages I made it look like I didn't know what they were and that these weren't the messages I made up. Once everyone finished decoding they were given level 4 clearances and we read them aloud in order to reveal that Mr. E had stolen our Top Secret Chest (pinata) and hidden it. We then had to follow some clues in his message to recover it. Once found we took turns swinging to break it open. Inside was fruit snacks and level 5 TOP SECRET security badges for all. Along with a note from Mr. E telling them they may have found their chest, but he still got away.
At this point, with 9 boys present, we were about an hour and a half into the party and it was time for a chow break, then presents and cake. Some chow ideas would be pizzas with toppings in the shape of a question mark, "hot on the trail" mix and things along those lines. I made a 9x13 sheet cake and frosted it white, then in blue made a giant fingerprint and wrote on the other side. My fingerprint didn't turn out the best, but you get the idea.
A great time was had by all and I have been receiving messages from parents that the kids are still talking about the party and the fun they had. My son gave his approval stating it was the best day ever!
Party decorations:
I found some boot print clip art online and printed enough to tape to my front walkway as if someone had walked up to my front door. We then wrapped Crime Scene tape around our posts and put black balloons out as well. I made signs stating it was a restricted area and and guests must be accompanied by a sponsor at all times. Due to the weather I set up a canopy to keep the rain off and posted secure area signs on it as well. Black balloons, crime scene tape and black streamers were then placed around the yard. It turned out really nice and the kids LOVED seeing the crime scene DO NOT CROSS all around. It definitely added just enough realism to make them feel really special.
Party Favors:I found some black treat boxed online for our goodie bags. They looked enough like briefcases without me having to spend an arm and a leg, and they couldn't have been better for the job. I then took a white paint pen and wrote 'Agent last name' on each one. Inside I put fake mustaches, a magnifying glass, an agent shield (badge), a memo pad and a mini mechanical pencil. I would have liked to include a disposable camera, but wasn't able to find any in time. More favors were added through the party games later.
Party Games:
The first game was some simple PT to get energy out. Jumping jacks, pushups....whatever to get them moving. We setup some targets and shot them down with nerf guns as well. This earned the agents their level 2 clearances and Clue #1 for the clue hunt.
The clues had been placed around the yard prior to the children arriving. One clue would lead to the next and consisted of rhymes such as:
"In the place where castles are made, time is often lifted, but today clues may be sifted."
"Go to where the water flows, You might even find a hose."
And so on until it lead the kids to a map located in our mailbox. The map then had an X marking the spot where a safe was hidden. Once they located the safe hidden among our trees they then had to figure out the key code through a last clue taped to the lid. Inside the safe was their level 3 clearances, decoder wheels and candy along with the message for them to report to the tables for further training.
Once they were all settled in at the tables we broke out the decoder wheels (which were made using a 3" and 5" circles cut from manila folders and held together with a mini brad. I printed out the alphabet in wingdings font and then in a regular font hidden under the 3" wheel and glued it to the larger circle. Cut a little window out to reveal one letter at a time and you have a decoder. I then printed out messages (enough for each party goer) to be decoded. I explained they were just silly messages for practice, but as the kids started to get into their messages I made it look like I didn't know what they were and that these weren't the messages I made up. Once everyone finished decoding they were given level 4 clearances and we read them aloud in order to reveal that Mr. E had stolen our Top Secret Chest (pinata) and hidden it. We then had to follow some clues in his message to recover it. Once found we took turns swinging to break it open. Inside was fruit snacks and level 5 TOP SECRET security badges for all. Along with a note from Mr. E telling them they may have found their chest, but he still got away.
At this point, with 9 boys present, we were about an hour and a half into the party and it was time for a chow break, then presents and cake. Some chow ideas would be pizzas with toppings in the shape of a question mark, "hot on the trail" mix and things along those lines. I made a 9x13 sheet cake and frosted it white, then in blue made a giant fingerprint and wrote on the other side. My fingerprint didn't turn out the best, but you get the idea. A great time was had by all and I have been receiving messages from parents that the kids are still talking about the party and the fun they had. My son gave his approval stating it was the best day ever!
