Jet Airplane 11yr - Military Jet Party

Military Jet Plane party  Pre-teen  My son is totally into military planes he can name them all and his favorite is a F-14….  He has his bedroom done with military planes and I swear we have every Sky Wing there is - he also has a Stealth mural on his wall to wall (real big). We had just gone to Tuscon to the bone yard or for offical (Pima Air Plane and Space Museum) for vaction this summer and saw all the planes, his dream.  So doing a military party plane party was a easy choice. 

The invites were part of the package so I had to find something fun to put in the invite.  So I put: Come Fly With US (the Guard's moto) at Livinston Miltary Base Gate T/J (my son nick name).  I put a jet sticker from the partyware on the back of each invite. 

On the side walk with chalk I wrote to the entry into the house I wrote Gate T/J.  We made up paper planes and hung them from the ceiling.  I got paper from a scrapbook store.  So this made them look more military with the cameo colors.  Of course streamers are always a must.  I pull one or two colors from the party ware and pick that up in the streamers. 

The guest arrived they had to pick up their badges.  I made these up on old business cards I had on the black side that was white and printed them off my printer.  I added the all the high tech military information as my husband in the Air National Guard and has a real photo ID.  My son named a call name for each of them that he made up and his was Fire Wall (okay that isn't offically on the real military ID's) but we did it for fun on ours.  Rank they all got to be Generals and their pay scale lol  I had each child take their picture in a real pilots suit with the hat and used them on their ID's (I used my son's Izone camera) with the sticker film.  So they looked very offical after I laminated them.  I picked up a laminator at the craft store 1/2 off and all the supplies, although I understand you can get the supplies even at Walmart. 

This is too funny the kids each have a pilot suit on with Captain rank and then when they have the hat on it has Col. Rank on it.  My son caught that error right away, you would know it.  I took their pictures at one of my nephews bd party of each child dressed up and said I was doing something for TJ's bd party so they didn't know about them.  They never know what to expect at the parties I do.  I asked my dh to get me badge holders and he said he couldn't but he did get some (from a vendor) of course the same day I ordered some from OT.  So Oriental Trading ones red/white/blue with stars and stripes, I told the guests it is for their office key (in other words their house key)   I made the cake jet from BE. 

Although my sons' favorite color is green it had to have some green on it so instead of blue I used green.  Have to have ice cream and the last couple years we had gotten into ice cream bars, so I used a cookie cutter and cut out plane shapes from pre bought ice cream bars.  I made the candy planes from Family fun for part of the decorations on the table and also for favors (loved it when something duals as two favor/activity/or decoration) all in one.  I put in a package of candy so they could make up their own (in the favor bags).  

Then I remembered my dh had done these paper airplanes for my son last year but when we moved I threw them away.  We have a program that had them and there is one called the Twirly Bird I tried to find it on the internet but doesn't have good directions.  So he found it on the program and I cut them out of construction paper all different colors, scored them, and cut the cuts.  So this will be one of the activties the kids get to play….but they have to put them together - just fold and add the paper clip.  My son now will be 11 years old so the themed birthday parties are not cool. So I was gearing down and doing a more pre-teen party. 

I did a few other favors too; I ordered foam air planes from Oriental Trading, candy and of course the badges for key chains (I got that idea since I had extras as my niece whom is 19 uses one for her keys).  The candy air planes and the Twirly Birds.  I have a button machine and did up their names with a picture from one of the pictures we took in Tuscon with the military planes.    I always do something that is a keepsake, so I got a t-shirt and printed off a plane and used the T-shirt photo's and did the shirt up with a figher plane.  Then I had all the guest sign it with fabric paint pen (you can get at Michael's).  I got the paint pin in green of course. 

I decided for fun they could do a game with the planes like who could get their twirly bird to go the highest…  Won an extra badge holder I had in another color.  I use to be a vendor for Bentcil and I had Jet Planes pens that the Air Guard in Great Falls, MT purchased from me and have several left overs so I gave a couple out for awards.  They are bent and shaped like a jet. Most the boys are too old now for Toy Jets and not all of them were interested in that so I didn't purchase any of them.  I had given the pads and pencils for other birthdays so didn't want to do the same again.  So trying to think of more grown up favors was harder.  My friend said she did the badges for the scouts and many of her son's friends still have them even today (when they are older).  So I liked that idea.  I thought about dog chains but again if they weren't into the miltary stuff rather a waste of money.   

We had seen a Air Craft Carrier in San Diego on our trip, so I took that picture and the pictures of each boy imagine imposed on the top of the air craft carrier with a program I have and did up one each and put it in their Thank you notes (printed off my photo printer).  I had enough OT foam planes that the adults got to play too (oh the child within never dies) the kids played with these endlessly (never too old to play).  Okay so we didn't bomb any destination in our flight plan but had fun any ways.