Power Ranger -4yr- Ranger Training Camp

For my son's 4th birthday party he wanted a Power Ranger Party.  Well it is not very easy to find Power Ranger party ideas/items now since they are not as popular as in the past.  So we improvised!  I started planning the week before the party (I did send the invitations out about 2 weeks before) and was able to use a bunch of things I already had around the house! 

This party was very inexpensive and easy to run.  It was at the end of July so we were able to be outside and the kids wore their bathing suits and I incorportated the slip-n-slide.  You could very easily make it an idoor party as well if needed.   I found a few ideas on this site but under different categories.  I changed them to fit the Power Ranger theme and this is how it went: 

We made our own invitations by downloading a picture of the power rangers and glueing them on to red or blue cardstock.  You are invited to Power Ranger Training Camp!  Come and celebrate __________'s 4th Birthday and have fun Protecting and Serving the Galaxy!"  I put the details on the inside.  This was very easy and inexpensive! 

I just bought blue & red plates napkins and silverware.  I had a cooler with water and juice boxes chips pretzels and cheese & crackers.  Snacks were a minimum.    There were a total of 7 little ones invited.  With the training camp idea I drew a Power Ranger symbol on poster board and wrote "Welcome to Training Camp".  We put some balloons around the sign and put it at the top of the driveway.  When the guests arrived we made walkie talkies out of foam (blocks of florist foam) cut into little rectangles and wrapped in aluminum foil.  I did this ahead of time.  The kids decorated them with sparkle pipe cleaners for antennea and foam stickers.  They loved this!  The parents who stayed jumped in and helped out which was wonderful!     

Once everyone was here- we started the camp.  I gathered the 7 kids together and explained that Power Rangers needed special training and by the end of the party they would be Official Power Rangers!  Camp had 6 stations each with a Power Ranger theme-

1.  "Careful"- walk on a bridge over an alligator river (2x4 over blue table cloth with alligator cut-outs)

2. "Teamwork" - Work together to clean up a big rock slide-(pile of Mega Blocks with Laundry baskets labeled with different colors.  The kids work together to separate the blocks into the correct basket)

3.  "Help the Good Guys" - a tidal wave/tornado wiped out a town and covered it in sand- save the people and bring them to the hospital and give first aid (I hid little people/characters in the sand box and provided an ambulance/dump truck the kids used to push the little people in to the hospital which was a table with stethescopes and band aids! They each had to find 3 people take them to the hospital and fix them up- A big hit!)  

4.  "Defeat the Bad Guys"- knock out stuffed animals with bean bags (preferable more scary looking stuffed animals.  I put bandanas around the mouths of a couple to look like bandits! 

5.  "Strong"- See who could throw the water balloon the furthest- they enjoyed this too but the balloons wouldn't break so we took them up to our 2nd level deck and they threw them off to break them-giggles galore!  After each station they received a wrapped prize (very small items-bubbles crayons coloring book 2 small toys) that they put in a goodie bag with their name on (I found larger goodie bags at the dollar store and printed power ranger picture with their name on it and glued onto the bag).   

To show they were ready to be Power Rangers they had to do a final obstacle course- an easy one- go down the slip-n-slide jump on mini trampoline run around cones etc… At the end they were greeted with a loud clap from everyone a medal (Wal-Mart-24 for ~$2) and a T-shirt with a Power Ranger logo and their name.  The boys got blue and the girls got pink ones.  T-shirts were on sale at Michael's for $2 and the computer decals were 5 sheets for $10 but I have a lot left over- again just printed the Power Ranger picture and typed their names under it.  Ironed it on the shirts- Very Easy and inexpensive for a favor!  The kids were so excited.   

In between 2 training camp stations we made our own Volcanoes!  Dixie Cup placed on top of an inverted styrofoam coffe cup (gives you the cone shape)  I covered these in foil also.  We filled the dixie cup with a little vinegar and a drop of red food coloring.  Then pumped them up for the exciting volcano action and put in a tsp. of baking soda.  They loved it and kept wanting to do it!  Quite messy but we did it on a 6ft folding table with a plastic table cloth in the middle of the driveway so when they were finished we just rolled up the table cloth and threw it away!  The hose cleaned up the driveway very easily!!   

I made big sugar and chocolate chip cookies the kids decorated with icing and sprinkles and we stuck 4 candles in my son's and sang to him.  Another inexpensive idea and something different than cake & ice-cream.  He opened presents and the kids went right back to playing on the slip-n-slide! I did manage to have all of the children sit together with their shirts on for a picture!  All of the children had a ball and it is fun to see them in their Power Ranger T's!"