This year for our son’s 6th birthday, we decided to throw an awesome party. We met at a local park and there were around 30 kids, many from his class and their siblings too. We made a list of activities a few weeks before and every day, we planned a bit at a time. Since there were a lot of kids, we divided them into 4 groups and had all the family members help out with the activities. We also had help from our family, babysitters and some of the older siblings.
The little brother in his pirate hat.
Activity List and Party Plan
Activity 1: The Treasure Map
The kids got maps.pirate hats, eye patches and necklaces. Each kid got a flashlight to help search. They also got empty goody bags so they could collect prizes at each station. We told them a story about a hidden treasure and we needed their help. We handed each kid a map, that we had made more authentic looking by burning around the edges. We followed the map as a group and stopped for treats at each of the different x’s on the map.
Activity 2: Paper Shredder Treasures
We made a list of treasures and hid them in shredded paper. The kids were divided into 4 groups. Each group had to read the list and find the treasures.There was 5 rings, 5 erasers, 6 sharpeners, some silly putty and more. Next year, we will do it with leaves so it will be easier to clean up. It took a while to clean up but the kids helped with that too.
Activity 3: Pin the Patch on the Pirate.
We printed out a huge pirate and used stickers to stick on the pirate’e eye. We needed 4 for the amount of kids so we also bought two games at a party store.
Activity 4: Cupcake Decorating
This was the highlight of the party. We brought out all the candies, icings and little pirate cupcake flags and spread them on the tables that we made of upside down boxes. The kids had a blast decorating the cupcakes and were really excited to eat their creations. I used the Martha Stewart Cupcake recipe here and baked the cupcakes the night before.
Activity 5: Robot Making Marshmallows
I couldn’t get photos because I was busy helping but here is the post that showed us how to do it. We used edible markers to draw on them too.
Activity 6: Find the treasure
I bought tiny jars at the dollar store and we filled them letters that made up the word, T-R-E-A-S-U-R-E. We hid them before the party and the kids had to run around and find them with their little flashlights. At the end, when they found the word, we hid a huge bottle filled with coins and we told them we found the treasure.
Activity 7: Pinatas
The last activity was the homemade pinatas that we made of papier mache. 
Overall the birthday boy had a blast and so did all of his friends! Even the younger kids were able to enjoy the activities because they all appealed to a wide range of ages.
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