Birthday parties

[HardyGirl]

Wow! What an awesome dad you are! Now that's dedication!

Last year was my son's 7th bday, near the end of 1st grade. I spent years leading up to the party assembling a collection of fossils, semi-precious stones/minerals, shells, foreign coins & bills, and assorted trinkets that might pass for pirate booty (total value under $70). I put everything into a little wooden chest, maybe 1.5 gallon sized, and buried it in our back yard in a flower bed. This was under mulch, so nobody could tell that it had been dug up.

I'd acquired a few scrap pieces of leather at an art show, and I used a Sharpie to make a treasure map & notes with clues. I "found" a note with a little treasure while gardening one day months before the party, and I planted one where I knew my son would find it. It named a certain pirate that I made up. In Word, I created a fictitious history (looked like it was from the Internet) for the pirate & his family, which mentioned that they used to live in our area.

The clues on the map mentioned that we'd need a full 'crew' of at least 7 pirates to avoid a curse, so I suggested that his bday party might be a good time to look for the treasure. The kids made loot bags & other pirate stuff, then we went on the hunt. The kids were pretty bright, and managed to solve the clues without much help. We dug up my flower bed, which made a few jaws drop, and pulled out a dirty chest full of shiny things. I split up the loot into equal shares and the kids went home with a cool story to tell. I'm doubt they all completely believed it, but enough of them believed enough of it that it came off as plausible. Now I need to figure out an encore for my daughter. She's not too girly, so maybe the pirate had a sister or daughter who also got into mischief and also happened to bury treasure in our yard?



http://megomuseum.com/mmgallery/file...day_118894.jpg

[VintageMike]

I went to some "venue" parties but mine were usually at the house attented by a few friends and cousins my age. I still have some of the pictures.


1977, age 6. 2 cousins, 2 friends. Another fun fact, is my love of pizza is well known among friends and family. I had an early start, as evidently even then preferred pizza to a birthday cake!



1978, age 7. 1 cousin, 4 friends