Modern Parties ~ Army Boot Camp
27 Apr
I am thrilled to share this creative birthday party that my friend, Mindy, hosted for her son’s 9th birthday party. She was kind enough to share the details of how she created this Army Boot Camp Party.
INVITATIONS
Mindy and her son made their own invitations because they had a hard time finding what fit the bill. The invitation read:
SPECIAL OPS BOOT CAMP
On the back:
You’re invited to Noah’s 9th Birthday Boot Camp
If you so choose to accept this mission, please report to
Camp Meade
@ 1400 hours
ACTIVITIES
Capture the Flag: Mindy used green and beige fabric cut into long strips which the boys tucked into their belt loops. Very cheap. For the flags, she used PVC pipe laying around and used two 4 ft pieces and stuck them into the ground with the flags.
Obstacle Course: This was the highlight of the party. I couldn’t think of a better way to entertain a handful of 9 year-old than to turn your backyard into an obstacle course. The boys were timed individually for obstacle course completion. They also ran team relays.
Ladder Climb- used an old swing set, laid a ladder against the top. The boys had to climb up and then jump down or climb down a knotted rope.
Horse Jump- “Hop” over two saw horses.
Tire Run- old tires that picked up from a local tire shop.
Sand Drag- Pulled an old pillow case full of dirt 10 ft.
Climb the Wall- climbed a wall that built by Mindy’s father. He made a ladder base and attached a piece of particle board to it and screwed in square pieces of scrap wood for the boys to grab and put their feet on to climb up. Once over the top, he put two boards across the base so they had something to jump off. That was a hit.
The Pit- They dug holes to put in six pieces of 4×4′s in. They used a piece of hog panel from their shed, laid it across the posts, nailed it in and put a camo net on top (they found the net on property when they bought the house). They boys had to climb under the pit.
Mud Pit- The final obstacle was a mud pit the boys had to jump over.
Target Practice: Mindy and her son used four different size boards, traced targets on, and painted on targets. Since they have a lot of property and dogs to help clean up the mess, we let the boys (in organized fashion) throw raw eggs at the targets. The boys followed the rules, stayed clean, and loved watching the eggs explode. Originally Mindy thought to use water balloons but didn’t want a mess to clean up. The dogs cleaned up the egg mess (it’s good for their coat) and the shells were used as compost.
FOOD
S’mores Cake: a graham cracker crust, brownies and topped with large marshmallows and toasted them with a hand held torch.
Chips
Pigs in a blanket
Swamp Soda: Rainbow sherbet, 7 up, and lemonade. Mindy served the punch in a bucket, trying to be more primitive that a punch bowl because army men don’t drink from punch bowls.
PARTING GIFTS
Camouflage tie string bags at Oriental Trading
Dog Tags from Oriental Trading and wrote each Private’s name on
Potato Gun from Dollar Store (asked each parent if they were okay with guns)
Doesn’t this party look like so much fun? I love how Mindy utilized her large yard and things she had around. I can just hear the boys cheering each other on through out the obstacle course. Such a great party idea. Thanks Mindy for sharing and we can’t wait to see more of your Modern Parties!
Smiles, Ari
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