Captain Jack Sparrow and The Pirates of the Caribbean have reintroduced the pirate themed party as THE trendy kids birthday party of the summer. This is a fail-safe party that the kids will enjoy, is easy to accomplish, and will make you look like a party planner extraordinaire! Follow these simple instructions, and your "Shiver Me Timbers" Pirate Themed Kids Birthday Party will sail ------Arrrrgh!
Invitations
Use your computer to print the invitation onto parchment style paper. Tear and burn the edges of the parchment, and antique the paper with a little brown shoe polish. Then, roll the burned parchment and slide it into an empty bottle (a brown or green beer bottle will look the best). These invitations should be hand-delivered or left outside of the guests' front doors.
Decorations
The color theme should be black and white, with splashes of red fabric. White or off-white bed sheets can be suspended from the ceiling, to simulate the sails of a ship. Things of a nautical nature (i.e. ropes, barrels, kettles, costume jewelry, gold coins, treasure chest) can be scattered throughout the party area. The Skull & Crossbones insignia can be painted onto the sails, or used in more traditional ways (i.e. on balloons, party favors)
Set the Mood
Make your guests feel that they are being conscripted. Meet them at the entrance to the party, adorn them with an eye patch, costume jewelry (strands of beads and a pirate's earring), a red sash and a plastic cutlass. Force them to "walk the gangplank," which is the entrance to the party through the suspended sails.
Games
Standard party games will work well, if they're given a pirate twist. Use a parrot Pinata. Pin the Tail on the Donkey could be Raise the Anchor using a tallship with an anchor. Traditional Bozo Buckets could be given a twist into Pirate Booty, if black cauldrons (check your Halloween decorations store) are used. White ping pong balls are simple yet effective for the game, and the "booty" filling the cauldrons could be as inexpensive as candy, or as elaborate as you can imagine. Find the Hidden Treasure - each guest can have a personalized treasure map that leads to a small treasure (candy, small toy, etc.). Ideally, the treasure would be hidden outside, and each guest or pair of guests would have a separate map to follow. This enables all guests to experience the thrill of the hunt, and it disperses the kids. Don't forget to age the maps in the same manner as the invitations.
My next article will focus on crafts, food and beverage, tablescapes and goody bags for your Pirate Birthday Party. Check back here on July 25th for the article.
© Text by Janice Benoit, photo by Comstock/AGE Fotostock. [July, 2006]. All rights reserved. Any unauthorized use will constitute an infringement of copyright.
