Snakes, I Hate Snakes!

 Indiana Jones Party 

for my favorite six year old

(Cue Famous Indiana Jones music)

We had so many fun projects in preparation for this party.  The kids loved helping me make this sarcophagus out of old cardboard boxes we had lying around.  I was going to put my husband in it, hence it being so large, but the kids loved it so much my husband never got a chance.  
We placed it at the front door so as the guests arrived the birthday boy would walk like a mummy toward them and then take off his mask and say "welcome to my party."

This looks a little funny but it was a archeology dig for buried treasure.  Things like jewelry, wrapped candy, a compass, etc. all hidden in sand. The boxes just kept everything a little less messy.

For easy decor ideas we just filled vases with different colored water and hot glued bugs all over the place.  After the party I simply peeled off the bug with the hot glue but you might want to do a test run first. Also, it helps to have a mom that is a frequent visitor at Disneyland and can send you actual copies of movie memorabilia like this crystal skull.

Snakes, I hate snakes!  Unfortunately they are a major part in the movie, so we had to have them all over the place.

We also covered light fixtures in crepe paper to look like fire and we attached old fabric to bamboo poles to add to the market feel.

This is my kids' favorite game.  It's a team mummy wrap.  Each team picked one person the get wrapped up like a mummy.  As soon as they were done the mummy had to run around a sacred idol and back in order to win.  It was a big hit!

We also had a scavenger hunt. I hid clues to each game or activity in places like this.  The clues were in plastic baggies in the green water filled with snakes and bugs.

This activity was hilarious.  They were looking for clues in 'monkey brains' aka jello, 'slimy snakes' cooked spaghetti, you get the idea.  It was funny because the boys dove right in, the girls however were a little weary about getting messy.

The final clue led the kids to the treacherous, secret, spider filled caves (our basement) where they would find the lost treasure.  The birthday boy led the pack with an L.E.D. lantern.  All the kids had their Indiana Jones hats and satchels and they followed with excitement and anticipation.  

The kids had to crawl under webs (yarn, Halloween spider webs and silly string) while trying to dodge spider webs being shot at them (more silly string).

This activity was so fun and wild.  The kids loved being covered in silly string so much that it took them a minute to find the treasure.

 Alright so this is the treasure after the kids went through it but it was filled with gold coins, chocolate gold coins, chocolate Hershey nuggets, and jewels.  The kids divided the treasure in their satchels and we opened presents.  My husband decided to turn himself into a Pharaoh and chase some of the kids around, but that was more impromptu fun than an actual planned moment.

My son made it clear to his guests that he was the real Indiana Jones and the rest of them were all just pretending.  He took the whole thing pretty seriously and made sure that his friends were safe at his adventurous birthday party.

My favorite cake is from Costco.  I love the plain vanilla/custard filled cake.  My son helped me top it with some action figures and smashed cookie crumbs to look like dirt.

Excavating some cake and ice cream with green lime sherbet in Sprite and sour gummy worms on top for a super special drink.

This is what the spider web basement looked like before the team came through.

I covered two party tabled with some gold damask curtains that I wasn't using.  I also used some burlap and gathered all the brown baskets in the house.  Maps were on the tables with you guessed it, more spiders, snakes, and webs.  I used some small LED lanterns to add some glow and made an easy birthday banner with Safari scrapbook paper.

My sweet Grandma sent us a cute pinata but I wanted it to blend in with the decor so I peeled off the front, added a few more cut pieces of tissue paper and a printed picture of Indiana Jones and...
Walla!  A perfect party pinata!