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Party Planning -
Kid's Party Ideas -
Campout Party Ideas
Campout Party Ideas
A Campout Party is so much
fun, especially on a warm summer night! Take a look at these
fun ideas that are guaranteed to turn your party guests into
happy little campers!
Invitations:
Note: Remember to include on your invitations any specific
instructions, like "bring your sleeping bag and pillow," or
"come with your spookiest ghost story!"
Campout Decorations
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Greet your guests by hanging a
Camping Personalized Banner
from your front door or entrance, with a special
message for the guest of honor. |
Decorating for a campout party is easy because nature does
all of the work for you! The great outdoors is full of all
of the campout essentials: trees, crickets chirping, starry
skies... Try to set up your campsite so that it seems as
remote as possible.
The main thing that you will need to do is create a
campsite. Even camping in the basement can be fun, it you
create a camp like atmosphere.
Make sure that you have a tent big enough to sleep
all of the kids that are coming. If you don't have a large
tent borrow one from a neighbor or Scout leader or rent one
if necessary.
If your local laws allow it, set
up a stone campfire or fire pit area. (If indoor and you
have a fireplace, use that.) Keep a bucket of water handy in
case your fire needs to be doused.
Set out large logs to sit on around the campfire.
Hang lanterns from poles.
Use fun signs
(like "Don't feed the bears") and place them
around the campsite.
Ask a friend to play guitar and
lead the group in favorite campfire songs when it gets dark.
Gather large pointed sticks (for
ages 7 and up) to roast marshmallows or hot dogs.
Have plenty of flashlights on
hand (and check batteries ahead of time).
Never underestimate the power of music to set the tone for
your party. Look in the library or a nature store for a tape
or CD of nature sounds such as frogs croaking and birds
singing, and play it near the tent for atmosphere.
To avoid having insects crash
your party, have plenty of bug repellent available and offer
it to guests as they arrive. Place citronella coils or
torches at the edges of the party area.
More Decorating Ideas:
Color Scheme:
When using a color scheme use one or two main colors and
build around these. If you choose to use only one color for
your decorating, try to add little touches of another color
or a lighter or darker shade of the same color to create a
more pleasing effect. Adding little splashes of white,
black, gold or silver will not detract from your main color
choice, and the effect will be considerably more dramatic!
If you have decided to go with a "theme" for your party use
colors that relate to that theme.
When using a "theme", choose basic colors, then add some fun
props related to your theme to create a spectacular party
setting!
Balloons & Streamers
Balloons can economically transform any room, backyard or
park into a festive space in a matter of minutes by using
some of the following ideas:
Use a Helium Tank to fill balloons. Tie
Curling Ribbon to
balloons, and group them together. (Odd numbers look best:
3, 5, or 7) Place groupings of balloons around the party
room.
Tie a bunch of helium filled balloons to the birthday
child’s chair, or tie one to the back of each chair.
If you choose not to use helium, tie balloons to varying
lengths of curling ribbon, and hang balloons from the
ceiling, or from a light fixture over the party table.
Balloon arches are
ideal for photo backdrops, entryways, and to hi-light
different areas around your party room and are easy to make.
If you don't want to do a Balloon Arch,
a column of balloons
will work much the same way that arches do, and can be used
for entryways, photo backdrop, or for a terrific splash of
color when placed at intervals around a party room. You make
columns in the same way as arches but they stand straight-up
and can be built to any height you wish.
Balloon swags
make the perfect accessory. They can be hung
across the ceiling of a tent, or a room with a high ceiling
like banquet halls or a gymnasium.
Solid Crepe Streamers offer an economical way to splash lots of color
around the site of the party. Create a fun and colorful
effect by draping streamers from the center of the ceiling
to the walls on each side of the room, or between trees if
the party is being held outdoors. The streamers can be
twisted after they are anchored to a ceiling wall or table
for a more dimensional look. Two different colored streamers
can be placed back to back and twisted for a unique look.
They also look terrific hanging from doorframes or cascading
vertically down walls.
Table Decorations:
Setting a table with the party ware, including the
tablecloth, cups, plates, napkins, and cutlery is the
fastest way to create a focal point in a room.
Add one or a few of the following touches to personalize
your table:
Create a centerpiece using a bunch of helium filled
balloons tied with
curling ribbon. Attach them to a
Balloon Weight.
Display your birthday cake in the center of the table…the
kids will love the close up view!
Napkins can be laid out on a buffet table, or can be
displayed at each place setting. Place napkins in the center
of each place setting at an angle, or unfold them and place
them in glasses for a tall dramatic look. The napkins can
also be tied (and bundled with plastic cutlery) with a
multitude of items to match your theme. Try Curling Ribbon,
Gossamer Streamers, ric-rac or ribbon.
Bring color to the table via napkins. Give each person two
napkins slipped into one napkin ring. Use two different
colors, two coordinating patterns or one patterned and one
solid-colored napkin. A colorful setting can be achieved
with little effort this way
Party Favors
Here are some other ideas for appropriate favors for your
party theme!
Party Activities
Build a campfire:
Have the kids help you gather sticks and wood to help you
build a campfire. They get a HUGE kick out of this, feeling
like they really accomplished something terrific!
Camping Scavenger Hunt:
Fill a pillowcase with lots of camping goodies (glowsticks,
glow necklaces,
flashlights, midnight snacks, matching
bandannas,
water bottles,
fans, etc.), and tie it to a tree hidden in the woods.
Map out coordinates in your yard, give them each a compass,
and as a team have them go on a hunt for "camping loot" that
you've hidden. They'll love finding camping goodies that
they can enjoy through the night!
Flashlight Tag:
A good, old-fashioned favorite for when it gets dark
outside! Played at night, this game mixes the popular games,
hide and seek with tag. The person who is "it" waits at the
"jail" counting to a high number while everyone else hides.
Then, armed with a flashlight, this person searches for the
others who may be switching hiding spots. The flashlight
must remain on at all times and may not be covered. When "it
" spots someone, s/he must use the flashlight to get a close
enough look at the person to identify him/her and call out
his/her name.
What happens when a person
gets caught, gives rise to variations of this exciting game.
One variation is to pass the flashlight to the caught
person, so s/he becomes "it." Another version is to send
each caught person to "jail" to wait until everyone is
caught. The first person caught then becomes "it."
Beanbag Relay:
Walk/run/hop with beanbag on head/between knees/between
feet.
Spooky Campfire Stories:
Have everyone come prepared with a spooky story to share, or
get a book of spooky stories that you can read to them. The
KOA website has some fun stories,
games, activities, and recipes.
Roasting Marshmallows:
What campout would be complete without roasting
marshmallows?
Seeing Stars
Ages: 8 and up
What you need:
Large, clean tin cans (such as coffee cans)
Metal file
Permanent markers
Hammer
Large household nails
Pictures of simple constellations (such as the Big Dipper),
and simple shapes (like a house or a five-pointed star)
Flashlight
Before the party:
1. Remove lid from one end of each can and file the edges
smooth.
Depending on the ages of guests, you may wish to do steps 2
and 3 yourself before the party. Older kids should be able
to follow safety rules for careful use of hammer and nails;
an adult should help each child by either holding the can
steady or doing the hammering while the child holds the can.
At the party:
2. Mark the location of the stars in a constellation, or
draw a simple shape, on the end of each can.
3. Using hammer and a nail, punch a hole through each star's
position. For other designs, punch a hole every half-inch
and at each point or corner, dot-to-dot style.
4. Turn out the lights and shine a flashlight up through
each tin can onto the wall, ceiling or tent top.
Piñatas are always fun, I've never seen a child turn down a
chance to take a swing for a sweet treat.
Party Food & Cake Ideas
As the excitement is so high at children’s birthday parties,
most children under the age of 10 will eat very little, and
the waste can be disheartening. If you are entertaining a
younger crowd, schedule your party during a time when
parents will not expect that their children will eat a
meal…and serve only cake, ice cream, and a few other
munchies such as popcorn, cheese balls, or grapes.
Camp Rations
For delicious food that ties into the party theme, try these
suggestions:
Hot dogs (for ages 4 and up): If you have a campfire, let
guests roast their own hot dogs on sticks. Be sure that the
dogs are allowed to cool before they're eaten.
S'mores: Place a few squares of a Hershey's chocolate bar on
a graham cracker. Roast two marshmallows and place on top of
the chocolate. Top with another graham cracker and let the
chocolate melt a little bit before eating.
Drinks: Any beverage is fun when served from canteens.
Ants on a log: Stuff celery sticks with peanut butter and
top with raisins.
Mud: Serve chocolate pudding ("mud") sprinkled with crushed
chocolate sandwich cookies ("dirt") and topped with gummy
worms.
Trail mix: Mix together food such as candy coated
chocolates, peanuts, raisins or dried cranberries, and
unsweetened cereal.
Cake Ideas:
Recipes:
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