With many of us pinching our pennies, we are giving up our family trips and staying close to home, it doesn’t mean we have to give up the excitement. It’s fun to throw a theme party, especially if the planning is already done for you. Check out the Star Wars party we recently threw.
Just like the Scavenger Hunt, this party can be for a birthday or as part of your Stay at Home Summer Camp.
A fun way to invite friends is to use the “Sonic” font similar to the prologue from the Star Wars movies; “A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away the Jones family battled the forces of darkness. The Jedi Council will meet on Saturday, June 29th to conduct Jedi training for the protection of the universe.” We highlighted the date, time, and place to make sure it stood out. The invitation itself was a half sheet of paper rolled into a scroll.
We started off our Jedi training with a game of “Master says”; which is basically Simon says with a Jedi twist. I like to start parties off with an activity that kids can join in easily as they arrive, a gathering activity if you will.
Next we took them to a little park down the street where we had an obstacle course set up. We divided the guests into two teams, (the droids and the clones) for the “Jedi Training Course”. The first person in each line put on a backpack holding Yoda (or a teddy bear). We had the “trainees” run around a tree, climb over a teeter totter, and climb under a picnic table, then over to a sheet where we had inflated balloons tied to plastic light sabers. They were to use the force to bounce the balloons five times on the light saber before running off to practice their balance by walking a plank. Finally they ran back to their team and passed off Yoda.
After the training, it was time for some practical experience; we crossed a lava lake. Everyone received a paper plate and one was placed in front of each team. These paper plates had special powers to withstand the heat of the lava. The first person in line would step on the plate, then put their plate next to it and step onto that plate. The next person steps on the first plate and pass their plate to the first person to lay down creating a path across the lava. If someone steps in the lava, the whole team goes back to the beginning and starts over. After everyone is on plates, the last person will have to pick up the first plate and pass it to the front, so the path can cross to the other side of the lava lake.
The final challenge of the Jedi training was to destroy the Death Star. We put each team about 15 feet behind a Death Star drawn in chalk on the sidewalk. Then armed with water balloons, the teams raced to wash it away completely.
No party is complete without refreshments. We made a light saber out of cupcakes and decorated with M&M’s. The guests washed it down with a little Yoda Soda, which was their own mix of root beer, lemon lime and orange soda. Not my personal favorite, but the kids had fun making their own concoction. We also had edible light sabers which were pretzel rods dipped in blue or green chocolate.
Now that the Jedi training was complete, we finished it off with a ceremony awarding a Certificate of Jedi Completion. Our certificates said “(name) has proven worthy of training to become a Jedi on (date). The bearer of this honor is now a Padawan, a student devoted to the ancient training of the Jedi Knights. From this day forth, remember a Jedi uses the Force for knowledge and defense, never for attack. The Force will be with you always.”
There are a lot of outdoor components to this party, so I recommend morning time in a shady area, or early evening to minimize the Arizona heat. Some of the activities might work inside, although I’d leave the water balloon game outside!
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