Eli's birthday party was so incredibly fun this year! He absolutely loves the show Jake and the Neverland Pirates, so we've known for quite awhile that this would be the theme. That gave me lots of time to plan and check things out on Pinterest! I love to plan a party! And I love my little Eli to the moon and back, so it was fun to give him something special for his birthday!
My mom came over the day before the party and we did most of the prep work. I decorated Eli's cake while he was at preschool. I love the way it turned out, and I couldn't wait to see his face when he walked in and saw it! He loved it!
After the cake was finished, I worked on the Treasure Hunt clues and supplies, we got food ready, and we decorated!
Party Day!
Eli gave me permission to use his Jake toys and accessories for decorations this year, so we had a really fun cake table- and no drama about it! (Last year's party was super fun, but Eli is still mad that I used his dump trucks as decorations!)
Mommy dressed as "Izzy" and little pirate Asher!
I didn't get any pictures of the food, which is a bummer. The food itself wasn't anything special, but we tried to keep most of it going along with the party theme, so I used place cards to label everything. Golden Nuggets for the chicken nuggets, Seaweed Wraps (spinach wraps with turkey, vegetable cream cheese, lettuce, and cheese), "Berried" Treasure Salad (fruit salad with strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries), and "Fish and Chips" (a mixture of potato chips and goldfish crackers). Fun!
Treasure Hunt!
Our treasure hunt had 5 stops.We started in the living room with the following "clue":
Ahoy Mateys, it's time for some fun.
So all together we'll search and run.
At each stop there is a challenge for you,
To prove that you be a pirate true!
For your first treasure, it isn't that hard.
Just give a pirate stare and say, "Aaargh!"
Each kid got their treasure box and a pirate headband- red for the boys, and pink for the girls.
Next, we went to the basement.
To get your next treasure,
Be sure to say "thanks".
But first each matey
Must walk the plank!
The kids made their way across the "plank"- a couple 2x4's with some cross pieces of wood to keep them an inch or two off the ground. After they crossed, each kid got a pirate compass. (These were a big hit- the kids loved them!)
Stop 3 was in the foyer:
Here's a third treasure for you.
In this bucket, you'll find tatoos.
Pick a bag, but only take one.
After the hunt, we'll put them on for some fun!
I put the tatoos in ziploc bags and buried them in birdseed! It was a little dusty, but it did the job and we passed out baby wipes to clean up after the kids dug through it.
Stop 4 was back down to the basement:
Each of our mateys can pop a balloon.
Inside you'll find your own gold doubloons!
The kids used one of Eli's Jake swords to pop the balloons (I put a pin in the end of the foam sword to make it work). Each balloon had 12 gold doubloons in it, so they had a pinata effect. I was a little concerned the younger kids wouldn't like the loud noise, but no one seemed to mind! They each got a pouch to hold their doubloons too!
We stayed in the basement to finish:
We've come to the end of our treasure hunt run.
And pirate Eli hopes you had fun!
To find your last treasure, take a close look
And you will each find our own sticker book!
My mom had found some great Jake sticker books at the dollar spot in Target while she was out of town and so we got enough for everyone at the party. I hid them under the couches and tucked them behind pillows so it wouldn't be too hard for the little kids to find.
I think all the kids had a great time with the treasure hunt- I had a great time leading it! Eli said later that it was his favorite part of the party- that made all the work worth it!
Cake Time!
Eli snuck some icing while I was cutting the cake- sneaky snook!
And presents...
What a fun day! I hope Eli remembers it for a long time. He's such a special boy, and I'm glad we were able to give him a special party!
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