Scooby Doo -5yr- Top Secret Invite

My son absolutely loves Scooby Doo.  So this year for his 5th birthday we threw him a Scooby Doo Mystery Party. 

I made the invitations out of 8 x 11 lime green card stock (top folded).  Using the computer I put a picture of Scooby and 2 spooky ghosts on the front of the invitation and printed Zoinks! Stosh is turning 5!  On the inside (top half) I affixed a ghost made out of white card stock with photo spacers to give a 3-D effect.  On the ghost I printed a poem about the party.  Up in the woods that are dark and damp, there's a mystery to be solved at Rings Homestead Camp.  We invite you to help us collect all the clues, so make sure you wear some athletic shoes.  There will be running and laughing and lots to climb, and with Scooby's help we'll have a really rood rime.  On the bottom half of the card I printed Join us for a really rood rime rain or shine and put all of the party specifics (date, time, etc).  Using a corner rounder (normally used for scrapbooking) I rounded all of the invitation corners.  Each invite was put in a 6x9 manilla envelope.   I printed Top Secret in red on one end of the envelope and then each child's name in a cut and paste font that looks like you cut each letter out from a different newspaper or magazine.  My son gave out the invitations at school. 

The party itself took place on a ropes course at Ring's Homestead Camp.  We had a big bounce house for the kids to jump around in until Scooby Doo arrived.  Scooby had his picture taken with each child and played a few games (hot potato, the hokie pokie, simon sez, etc.).  While the kids were playing with Scooby, my husband and I removed the presents from the gift table and hid them in the back of our truck.  After Scooby left, the kids sat down at the picnic tables to eat some pizza.  We decorated the tables with lime green table covers and bright green, red and yellow balloons.  When the kids were done eating, my husband advised them that it was time to open presents.  When the kids ran over to the gift table, they were shocked to find that the presents were gone and all that was left was a Scooby Snack Clue.  I made the Scooby Snack Clues out of regular white paper. 

I printed out a picture of a saltine cracker and typed Scooby Snack at the top.  Each Scooby Snack (total of 4) had a poem leading them on their mystery.  I laminated each clue and trimmed them with a wavy edge.  The first clue at the gift table read The presents are gone, not a card or bow left.  Who do you wonder has caused this theft?  Follow your guide to a tree with a view, there you will find your very next clue.  At this point the children were turned over to the ropes course staff, harnessed up and given Scooby Doo name buttons (purchased online).  The fist activity was the tire climb.  Each child was given a chance to climb up 10 tires and repel back down to the ground.  The clue was attached to the 5th tire and read to the children after all of the children had a turn.  This Scooby Snack Clue read You did a great job, the first clue is found.  The next clue will take you clear off the ground.  Follow the path that wastes no time, and prepare yourself to climb climb climb. 

The second activity was the cargo net climb where the children climbed to the top of the net, rang a bell and repelled down.  The clue was affixed to the top of the net.  This clue read Over and under the raven will fly, to the next clue which sits high in the sky.  Help one another, you've made it this far.  Soon you'll find who the true thieves are.  The last activity was the zip line.  The children climbed up a tree to a platform that sat 20-30 feet off the ground and then simply stepped off the platform and down the zip line it was great! 

The last clue was attached to the platform and read You've all done so well that it's my belief, the next time you stop you'll catch a robber and thief.  Take 3 steps to the left and take 2 steps back.  Now follow your nose to the food and the snacks.  (Each activity takes 20 minutes for 10 children, so anymore than this would have been overkill.)  When the kids arrived back at the scene of the crime they found my husband dressed as Darth Vader shaking the presents.  My husband gave them a good show telling them that he was going to take all of the presents to the dark side.  Our son pulled off his mask and solved the mystery.  My husband told the kids I would have gotten away with it too if it weren't for you meddling kids!  Our son opened his presents and we all had cake (a Scooby Doo cake of course). 

After cake the kids jumped around in the bounce house until it was time to go home.  Upon departure each child was given a favor bag.  The favor bag was a spider webbed gift bag with lime green crinkle paper in the bottom.  Each bag contained a Scooby Doo back pack clip, mini-bubbles, Scooby Doo stickers, a Scooby Doo punch balloon and a high bounce ball.  Each bag was closed with a silver twist tie and labeled with a ghost shaped name tag (the same ghost from the card).  Each child's name was printed on the ghost tag in the same cut and paste font from the invitation envelopes.  I punched a hole in the ghost and threaded it on the twist tie.  Everyone had a great Scooby Doo time!