Pirate Treasure Hunt - Treasure Chests

My Pirate Party  This party was so much fun to plan! I did start making my Party List about 2 months before hand and I did start ordering things online that early. I got a lot of ideas off this site!

INVITATIONS: I took regular computer paper and dipped it into cold tea to give it an old look. After it dried I typed the info for the party on it. Then I burned the edges. A friend brought over empty beer bottles and I soaked them to get the labels off. Then I had found some assorted size shells at the Dollar store and dropped about 15 small shells in the bottom of each bottle. I then rolled up the invite and tied with a thin piece of gold string, and slipped it into the bottle. Then I made up pirate names for each of the invitees. I cut index cards in half and burned the edges, then wrote the pirate names on it. My son and I then hand-delivered these. We called ahead to make sure they would be home because where we live we get a lot of raccoons and wild life and I didn't want to leave these on the porch incase an animal knocked them down and they broke.  

DECORATIONS:  1.I held the party in my downstairs room, which is about 700 sq feet. I bought rolls of Black tarp plastic at Wal-Mart for about $5 a roll. I used this to cover the walls. We use this as a work out/ playroom so I moved all the equipment outside and pushed as much as I could against the wall, and then covered it all. I initially bought 6 rolls but only used about 4. So then at the bottom of the stairs as the kids enter I had 1 piece of tarp and cut strips in it (like a beaded doorway) and hung this. 

2.My husband cut a large piece of particle board and screwed it into the wall, which cut the room in half. (1 half was the ship and the other for games, cake, etc.) I covered this with some of the black plastic as well.

3.My husband cut a large 2 x 4 and sturdied a ôplankö coming off the ship. (This I did not cover because the kids would later walk on it and the plastic is so slippery).

4.I bought a couple of those Styrofoam ice chests and spray painted them to look like treasure chests. 1 I had sitting there for gifts to be setting in and around, and the other was for the big treasure hunt later on. Here is a photo of how they turned out. (Behind you will see some other decorations I had painted) http://members.sparedollar.com/krazykel028/img00013.JPG

5.My mom gave be 12 black cloth napkins and I bought some white fabric paint at Wal-Mart and painted skulls on each one. You might be able to find a stencil of a skull, but I couldn't find one.

6.My kids and I gathered up a bunch of rocks and pebbles and we then spray painted them a metallic gold. I used some of these and wrapped tule material around a few and tied off and used these as ôbags of goldö as gifts for the kids. I had purchased 3 small treasure chests at the Dollar store and filled them up also with gold Here is a photo: http://members.sparedollar.com/krazykel028/IMG00015(1).JPG  

7.I made signs on large poster paper with permanent markers such as: Captain's Quarters for the Bathroom. Danger Beware Pirates Only Enter at Ye Own Risk Keep Out. I hung these around.

8.I found this box of state maps at a yard sale for .50 cents and trimmed each one up and burned the edges and hung these around.

9.Other items I bought at the very affordable www.orientaltrading.com and Ebay are 2 dozen mini pirate flags, black balloons, a fishnet and plastic fish, spray spider webs and plastic spiders, a large skeleton.

10.I also bought 2 blow up Parrots to hang and 3 blow up sharks to have sitting under the plank.

11.My mom gave me about 8 old milk crates and I spray painted them black and then used them as chairs for the kiddies.

12.I also downloaded about 10 pirate songs online and transferred these to a CD and played it during the party (we played it especially loud as the kids were first entering the ship).

DRESSUP: As each child arrived I had an assortment of dressup items. We all dressed up as we waited for everyone to arrive and then went downstairs together. I had: 1.Eye Patches 2.Pirate Tattoos 3.Skull Bandanas 4.Pirate Hats. 5.Skull Beads. 6.Lots and Lots of Mardi Gras Beads 7.Blow up Swords. 8.I had bought some silky feeling Red material at Wal-Mart for $1 a yard. I bought 1 yard and then cut 12 strips out of this. They wore them as Red Pirate sashes around their waist. (A couple of the girls tied them around their hair). 9.Black Eyeliner for drawing mustaches and stubble. 

GOODIE BAGS: We filled these and put them in the hidden treasure to be found later. I had went to a site that gives you a ôpirateö name and gave each child a name and put a label on each bag so there would be no fighting once the treasure was found. What I stuffed them with: 1.Compasses. 2.Gold Gum Coins 3.Beads 4.Tattoos 5.Pirate pencils 

GAMES:  1.I bought a Pin the Patch on the Pirate game from oriental trading. 2.I used a large pc of white poster paper (Dollar store 3/$1) I drew a large treasure chest with markers and then used water color to paint it. I cut out 4 big holes. This was our Bean Bag Toss. I attached this to a piece of cardboard to sturdy it. Then I had some old beige material and I cut out 10 little squares, about 3 x 4 and sewed them by hand. It made 5 bean bags. I filled them with beans and sewed them closed. Then I wrote ôgoldö on them to make them look like little bags of gold. Each child who threw a bag through any of the holes got one of the bags of gold that I had made earlier as a prize. 

The main even was our Pirate Treasure Hunt!! I used one of the Treasure chests that I had made and put the goodie bags in there. Then I had bought a 10 foot chain and wrapped it twice around. I had 4 little mini locks with keys and secured it. Then my husband buried this about 1 foot deep. I made the clues on little mini treasure maps I found at oriental trading. I just used different items in our yard as each destination. For example: The dog house, An old fishing boat in the corner, An apple tree, A bird house, etc. I made the rule in advance that they must go together and no running ahead. The final clue had the keys to the locks attached to it. Then where it was buried we had an X on top and 12 little plastic shovels waiting. They dug it out and got their prize.

CAKE & FOOD: I purposely had the party at 2 pm so that I wouldn't have to make a huge lunch or dinner for everyone. All the other work I put into this party was more important to me than spending all this time cooking. I did have drinks, however, and snacks like goldfish crackers here and there in bowls. I did serve Sharks Blood with their cake.

Shark's Blood I used red fruit punch to freeze into cubes the night before. I then had sprite poured in see through plastic cups and gave each child one and I told them not to drink until I put their surprise in it. I put in the sprite at room temperature so the red ice would melt faster. As I dropped a few cubes in each I told them this was real shark's blood, and as it quickly started to melt, it swirled red in the clear soda. They loved this.

I made a pirate ship cake. I made 2 round cakes then cut them in half. I shaved a little off the bottom rounded edge of each so it would stand better. Then I used frosting in between each layer to hold together. I stood it up on the rounded side to look like a ship. Then I covered it in brown chocolate frosting. I then broke about 6 or so Hershey bars into the little rectangles they already come in and set these on the sides to look like wood siding and a plank. Then I used one of my mini Pirate flags to stick out the top and 6 little plastic Pirate cake topper guys I had bought on eBay.   I took photos of each child in their ôPirateö attire which they got to keep along with their goodie bags. I then sent Thank You notes about 3 weeks later and included the photo of them all dressed up. This was a really fun party and I will have to come up with something really good to top this next year!!!