The boys were invited to a birthday party for one of their friends. The theme was camping. They did an amazing job orchestrating a fun evening for everyone!
The yard was decorated with little camping areas. Everyone stayed outside for the whole event; an excellent idea when you have about 10 boys around! The boys were told to come dressed as a camper. ‘R’ wanted me to make his face look dirty, so I smudged brown eyeliner on their faces.
Two of the dads were the “camp counselors”. The first activity was to decorate a beige bandana they received, and also decorate an empty soup can with camping stickers. Inside the can, they received a camping activity booklet, and a pencil. The boys were to keep this can with them for the rest of the evening. I think they did one of the booklet activities as well.
The boys were led from the yard to a community green space near home. ‘K’s dad talked about fire safety, then showed them how to use a flintstone to begin a fire. The kids were divided into two rows and had a relay race to place river rock in a circle, then place sticks inside the rock circle. “Amazingly”, the relay ended in a tie, and all the kids received a magnifying glass to add to their cans.
After the race, they went on a “hike” into a group of redwoods. ‘K’s dad taught them about redwoods, how to estimate how much wood can be harvested from one tree, and how to estimate how tall the tree is. Then, they went on a scavenger hunt from the booklet and had to find items that were only found in nature.
Post hunt, they sat in a circle and learned about how to tell direction based on the sun, and the stars. They all received a toy compass to add to their can.
The last activity among the redwoods, was a hunt for little plastic frogs, snakes, and lizards to place in their can. Then, the trek back to the house for a yummy dinner of hot dogs, chips, carrots, and apples…
My friend made an incredible cake that looked like a campsite, with grass, trees, and a little tent. Her sons name was on it and she asked that none of his personal info be placed on the blog, so I am not posting the cake. But trust me when I say it is amazing!
What’s camping without s’mores! The second dessert….
My boy mom friends: Leslie, Colleen, Stacy, and Elyse
The evening ended with the kids receiving little flashlights that attach to their belt loops. They went to the front yard and played flashlight tag. My boys discovered a new way to entertain themselves with the flashlight…
Such a fun party!