This looks pretty cool as well. everyone makes their own car and then off to the backyard drive-in. As you can see - apart from the projector (which you could hopefully borrow or rent) - it’s all pretty low tech, low budget, home made and lots and lots of fun!!!
Find a picture suitable. Cut it into 6 or 8 even pieces. photo copy and blow up each piece as much as you can. Rejoin all the blown up pieces and you will have a larger version of the picture that you can then use for the game.
The strawberries are stickers so we don’t have little kids wandering around with pins in their hands. If you can find strawberry stickers then find a picture on the internet and print out several copies on A4 sticker paper / label paper that you can usually find at stationery shops (officeworks/etc) and sometimes newsagents and cheap shops.
CAMP / CAMPING / BACKYARD CAMPOUT PARTY - Food and Drink / Game / Activity
CLAY FISH
This was a great idea that my disabled daughter did on her school camp one year. You do need a Firepit (with lots of hot ashes) - altho’ just thinking about it now; you could probably do these in the oven on a low heat setting (?)
Anyway you need the following ...
1) whole fish / fish fillets. One per kid may be too much (depending upon how much other food you have) so perhaps group kids into teams of 2, 3 or 4.
2) lumps of clay (proper natural clay - not the airdry clay from the hardware/art shops). You should be able to source this from art shops or from pottery places that make their own goods. Usually available in 2kg, 5kg or 10kg bags. Make sure the lump of clay you give each team is enough to comfortably cover their fish completely.
3) Seasonings (if desired). These aren’t necessary as the fish will cook beautifully in the clay on its own but some of you might like to add some garlic, herbs, lemon, chilli, salt/pepper etc to taste.
4) Rolling pins or the like
5) skewers / sticks - for the kids to decorate the clay with or at least write their team name on the outside so you can keep track of whose fish is whose.
Have the kids roll out their clay until it is big enough to cover the fish completely when folded over. If using a fillet then place a piece of baking paper or alfoil on the clay (approximately the same size). This ensures no clay gets in the fish flesh. If you are doing a whole fish then the skin/scales will protect the flesh and you don’t need the alfoil/baking paper. Lay the fish on one half of the clay/alfoil/etc and add seasonings if desired. Fold the free half of the clay over the fish and seal up the openings using fingers and finger pressure. Proceed to decorate and/or name the clay fish parcel. When done, the kids should pass the clay fish to a responsible adult who will attend to the cooking.
Clay Fish should be placed in the hot ashes of the Firepit and left there until the clay hardens (it turns white and you can ‘knock’ on it). When clay is hard remove them from the ashes and let cool. When cool, return them to the groups and let them break into them and eat the fish. Beware fish bones!! If whole fish have been used then maybe even have an adult separate the flesh from the bones for the kids (your call - depending on their ages).
CAMPOUT / CAMPING / BACKYARD CAMP PARTY - Food and Drink
Campfire Cupcakes
This photo doesn’t actually do them justice. Bake normal cupcakes but then decorate with chocolate coated biscuit sticks (to represent the firewood) with chocolate (or gray/black) icing underneath (to represent the ashes/coals) and then red/orange/yellow icing on top (to represent the flames). They were super yummy as well.
Don’t worry. They won’t be playing with matches!! This is a campfire made out of stones, sticks, craft glue, an old CD/DVD (as a base) and some scrunched up red/yellow/orange crepe paper.
Fishing Game
Can’t go camping without going fishing.
A fairly basic game. I printed out lots of fish and cut them all out individually. Then I numbered them all (on the back) from 1 to however many fish you need. I had 10 people so I think I did about 30 fish so they could all have a couple of goes. Then I attached a paperclip to each fish and made 1 fishing rod with a magnet at the end of the string. Everyone then ‘fished’ until they hooked/attracted a fish on their line and then they told me what number they got. I had a few little prizes which I had given a random number between 1 and 30 and whoever ‘hooked’ the appropriate number received that prize. Not everyone got a prize - but life’s like that.
Mystical Fire
Found these little plastic packets at the local camping store. You just throw them into the fire and the chemicals inside turn the flames all different colours as they burn. They look beautiful and the kids loved them. We didn’t toast any marshmallows over the coloured flames tho’ - just in case any of the chemicals were toxic. The packets were quite expensive so I only bought 3 but later I found them on ebay much cheaper so we now regularly chuck a couple on when using the firepit.
Campfire Songs and Stories
A few of the kids already new some songs and spooky stories so they took it in turn teaching / telling them / etc. I also found a couple of good stories on the internet which I told when their stuff dried up.
Animal Sounds
I found some apps at the App Store which had animal noises so we had a game where I split the kids into two teams and then they had to try and guess what the animal was based on the sound. The teams took it in turns. I would play an animal sound, the appropriate team would confer together and then take 1 guess. If correct it would pass to the other team who would confer and get 1 guess. If both teams couldn’t guess then I would tell everyone what it was and we would move onto the next animal sound. At the end of the game - the team who had guessed the most sounds was the winner.
Play this game at night for that ‘extra fun’ factor. Can have a traditional treasure hunt with lollies / small novelties / etc or do what I did and make it more of a scavenger hunt with a list of things they have to find. I taped the list to a paper bag, gave them all one plus a torch (you can pair them up / put them in teams if you want to save torches or if the list is long and/or difficult) and sent them off around the back yard. If you only have a small yard you might want to take them for a guided/escorted walk around the neighbourhood.
Fear Factor Camp Food Challenge (night or day)
Separate party goers into 2 teams. A member from each team is blindfolded and then a ‘food challenge’ is pulled out of the hat. The two team members are told what the ‘food challenge’ is and then asked if they want to “take the challenge”!! If they refuse they get 0 points for their team but if they successfully eat the item then they get 2 points. If someone refuses then another member of their team may take up the challenge for them but they receive only 1 point if successful. Team members can only do a maximum of one (or maybe two if you have lots of food challenges) extra tries/dares/challenges (on top of their allocated/rostered ones). This stops one person in the team doing all the dares ...
Food Challenges …
* wallaby poo (choc covered sultanas)
· animal bones (pene pasta)
· slimy frogs (haribo gummy frogs)
· monsters' dandruff (Parmesan cheese - grated)
· Lumberjack Scab (sundried tomato)
· Dried up road kill (beef jerky)
· wombat vomit (some sort of dip made a bit runnier)
· windscreen wiper bugs (squashed sultanas)
· Poison Ivy (fresh mint leaves)
· A Baby bear (big ted biscuit)
· Quick sand (peanut butter)
· Rotten Fish (anchovies)
· Worms and eyeballs (spaghetti and eyeballs)
Bobbing for Grapes (daylight)
Play this on picnic table of some sort, but make sure you’ve got ample space between players. Present each person with a bowl of whipped cream in which 5 grapes are buried. On the word ‘Go’, players must find the grapes and eat them - but without using their hands.
CAMPING / CAMP OUT / BACKYARD CAMP PARTY - VIDEO/DVD Invitation
My kids always want me to do Video/DVD Invitations. I used to create them on the One True Media website which I loved. Unfortunately it closed down and I haven’t really found another yet that I like. If anyone has any suggestions let me know.
CAMPOUT / CAMPING / BACKYARD CAMP PARTY Food and Drink , Decor / Decorations
Purchased this Fire Pit especially for the party but has turned out to be the best $100 I have ever spent. It was perfect for the party
- setting the mood,
- cooking all the food on,
- keeping us warm,
- toasting marshmallows on and
- singing / telling spooky stories around
and we have used it constantly since.
We cooked popcorn, hotdogs, peas/corn/carrots, hash browns, bacon and eggs and chocolate camp cake on it. We baked potatoes in the coals/ashes and we toasted marshmallows over it.
CAMPOUT / CAMPING / BACKYARD CAMP PARTY Decor / Decorations
Welcome Decorations
My daughter wanted to go camping with 10 friends for her birthday but we compromised on a Backyard Campout instead. She made this great sign out of cardboard and sticks and acorns and oak leaves. We pinned it to the fence and everyone arriving knew where to come and what they were in for !!!
We also had some pine cones and balloons of course.
Sleepout / Campout
We set up a six man tent in the back yard which I borrowed from my brother-in-law. It was big enough for her and her 9 friends. I slept next to them in a 1 man tent to make sure all was ok. Most uncomfortable night of my life - but they loved it!!!
Lanterns
Found these ‘lantern bags’ at the cheap shop. They had the cutout design already on them. Pop a tealight in them and a couple of weights (rocks / sand / etc) and hey presto - instant ambience. You could buy bags without the cutouts and cut out your own design to suit the theme. They do represent a fire hazard so just be careful where you place them and make sure you weight them down enough so they can’t accidentally tip over.
No party is complete without a pinata and this basic, round, paper-mache, Jack-o-lantern is so easy to make. I like to make my own pinatas as then you can make the opening big enough to fit whatever goodies you like. Especially if like me, you like to put toys and novelties inside as well as the obligatory candies / lollies.
This is something I do at a lot of parties especially if the kids are youngish. You will need a Laminator but these are getting cheaper and cheaper these days and you can now pick up a cheap A4 (even A3 sometimes) one for about $20 max.
Print out some colouring-in pictures of the theme (whatever it is) and/or provide blank paper and stickers / in theme magazines and books that can be cut up / in theme photos / etc along with pencils and textas of varying types and let the kids get creative. Make sure they put their names on their sheets (in a prominent or hidden way) and then laminate them for them. Hey presto - they have a placemat that they can use at the party and/or take home for the future.
Provided everything is sealed in nicely and there is a nice sealed border around the sheet; these placemats can last quite a while even if being wiped daily. I wouldn’t put in dishwasher or submerge in water for any length of time. Better not to tempt fate.
My friend did these. Look a bit fussy for me but she reckons they were quite easy. Stick pretzels dipped in white chocolate with milk chocolate faces. Very yummy.
Sabred Chicken
Was wondering how to Halloween/Spooky up the roast chickens that my children insist on at every party. Bought 2 toy swords from the cheap shop and impaled the chickens on them. Used the swords later as prizes for one of the games.
Severed Fingers
Next to the chicken you can see these. Cocktail franks with a bit of sliced/plastic cheese wrapped around the bottom of them and a bit of tomato sauce/ketchup at one end to look like a fingernail. Very effective and who doesn’t love a cocktail frank!!!
Mummy Pizzas
Another very easy to make but really yummy food. everyone loves pizza. If you can’t find small pizza bases then just cut them out of a big one. Put whatever toppings you want underneath the ‘bandages’ but then strategically place two eyes (slices of olives) and cover the rest with sliced cheese (cut into thin bandage-like strips).
Bloody Punch with Floating Hand of Death
Unfortunately I have never gotten a photo of this despite having made several for several parties. The punch is easy - just make a normal punch with reddish juices if possible or otherwise just throw in a tinge of red food colouring. You can add fruit or ‘bits’ that go along with the theme (gummy body parts / etc) or not. The Floating Hand of Death is made by rinsing out a rubber glove or turning it inside out (to get rid of the powder they usually put inside) and then filling it with water and adding a bit of green (or whatever colour you think for a dead / ogre / monster / etc hand. Then tie off the glove and place it in the freezer to freeze. You can place it lying flat or with wrist part up so it looks like Thing in the Addams Family (or was it It)? when the punch is made, cut off the glove and place frozen hand in the punch. It looks great and also keeps the punch cold!
Made these cushion covers from the cheapest black fabric I could find. I can’t sew very well and thought a zip would be beyond me so just pinned them shut with safety pins. The kids made a simple ghost template on paper which I cut around on cheap white fabric and then enlisted my mum to very roughly applique stitch them on with her sewing machine. Easier still would probably have just been fabric glue. I then superglued on the eyes. Have been using these covers every Halloween for a couple of years now. I do lose eyes in the wash but they are easily replaced.
Halloween / Spooky Lanterns / Jars
These are so easy to make and look absolutely fantastic (with or without the candles/tea lights). You paint the jar orange and then draw on the faces using permanent marker. Pop a tea-light inside and bobs your uncle. Couldn’t be simpler.
I made some for xmas as well which I’ll put on this blog at a later date.
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