Minecraft Party- Games, Favors, and Decorations

 

DECORATIONS

 

We didn't decorate too much for our Minecraft party, but my son spent the anxious days before the party making these very cool paper decorations for the table.  We were inspired by an awesome party we found online, through which we found directions for the paper crafts. 

 

 

I snuck in a party craft without the boys noticing that it was a 'craft'. (Insert evil Party Mom laugh here.) Each boy decorated a soda holder to look like a Minecraft character or scene.  We mostly did this so that we wouldn't get drinks mixed up during the party or the 'after-party' when the families came together.

 

FAVORS

 

In this house, we can't resist an opportunity to make something from fuse beads. The pixelated look of all things Minecraft is a perfect match for fuse bead fun, so my boys made a cake for each guest. It gave the boys something else to do in the days leading up to the party when they seem to enjoy asking me when the party is, what time it will start, who will be there...you get the idea.

 

To make the goody bags, we printed an screenshot of Steve's face (Steve is what most people call the main character of Minecraft) and glued the face to plain brown paper bags.  I love of making goody bags from plain old lunch bags!

We added the fuse bead cake, a sheet for making a cute Creeper, and any candy we could find that was cube shaped, to match the pixelated images that make up Minecraft.

 

GAMES

 

Most boys would resist the idea of birthday party games, but our games were geeky enough to win over our guests.  We started with a game that was really a snack, Digging for Diamonds, explained here. Naturally, we played it outside, since it was a bit messy with all that scraping.

 

 

I've learned over the years that no birthday party is complete without a Pin-the-____-on-the-_____ game (think: tails on donkeys), so the boys indulged me with a very goofy game of Pin the Armor on Steve.

 

My son drew Steve and some other Minecraft characters on a poster. He even threw in some characters from other computer games. (See a little guy from Portal below.)

Then he made some armor and weapons out of another piece of poster board, cut them out, and we let blindfolded guests try to tape the pieces on the poster.  [Did I mention that these kids are 12? They are a very fun group of boys to go along with this; it was hysterical!]

But I won't lie to you.  This is a Minecraft party, after all. Once the boys indulged my Party Mom need for goody bags and party games, the real fun (for them) began: a game of Minecraft!

 

 

My son and my husband spent a few days before the party setting up a special game for the boys to play. The game was designed to take a little over an hour. We hooked up a laptop for each guest (the boys brought their own) and even had a few cousins and other friends play remotely from home since they couldn't be at the party for one reason or another.

 

 

At certain points in the game clues, maps, and directions needed to be read from secret envelopes. In the days leading up to the party, my son decorated the numbered envelopes and I emailed all the clues to the cousins who would be playing from remote locations.

 

The game was not without technical difficulties, especially at first while we tried to get everyone online (imagine horses in the starting gate...that is sort of how the boys acted while waiting for everyone to get online!) but once the game got started, it was a lot of fun. I enjoyed listening to their conversations...and enjoyed the opportunity to finally sit down and relax at one of my kids' birthday parties!

 

 

Doctor Who Party

My children (and their cousins, friends, grandparents and parents) have recently become obsessed with Doctor Who.  (Er...it does make some of us a *little* ashamed about teasing my husband in the 1980s and 90s for being a fan.)  It was no surprise, then, that our latest birthday party had to have a Doctor Who theme.  What was a surprise was the short amount of time we had to plan the party.  My son originally wanted a zombie party, then changed it to a Lego party, and then about two weeks before the party, changed it to Doctor Who.

Big problem:

 In the U.S. it is just about impossible to get Doctor Who party supplies, toys, or anything related to the Doctor.  And with only two weeks, I didn't have time to order anything online.

Big solution: the Internet!

We found so much inspiration from other obsessed fans, that before long my boys were making sonic screwdrivers from Legos and more.  (The one below belongs to the Master.)

Here are some of our party supplies: 

I took an old metal cookie cutter of a duck and reshaped it to form a Dalek.  My youngest son decorated the cookies with M&Ms. 

We wrapped up the cooled cookies and put one in each goody bag.  I made the goody bags from plain blue bags on which I glued printed parts of the TARDIS.  I filled them with the cookies, some Nerds (how could I resist hinting that we're all a bunch of nerds?), and other candies.  My boys also made guests some fuse bead Daleks. (You must be aware of our fuse bead obsession by now.)

Our centerpiece was a cupcake and gingerbread scene of some Daleks surrounding the TARDIS.  Look out, Doctor!

The main activity of the party was the creation of a stop-motion Lego movie about the Doctor and Rose battling some Daleks. Here we see Rose falling as the Daleks attack the TARDIS.  Dramatic!

After the animation film session, the whole family gathered with some friends to light those Daleks afire and sing Happy Birthday to my newly-turned-eleven-years-old son, who was delighted with the party.



Camp Gramp Beads

If there is one group of things our family has collected over the years, it's beads.  I've written before about our fuse bead collections (now, thankfully, put to good use!).  Today I share with you what we do each year at Camp Gramp with all of our other beads.

While my parents' grandchildren are staying with them for the week of Camp Gramp, the kids have a variety of daily responsibilities:  cleaning their rooms, grooming themselves independently, tidying-up the kitchen and bathroom areas, and completing activities together in a positive way (read: no bickering!!).  We reward these great behaviors along the way by giving out beads.  The coolest beads are reserved for the toughest tasks.

Each year the children collect the beads a little differently. This year we hung our beads on regular shoe lace necklaces.  Last year, we used curly shoe laces and hung them in the bedrooms.  The girls still have theirs hanging up as a fun reminder of Camp Gramp.

Chicken Fairy

My littlest guy has been on a fuse bead kick for a few weeks now, ever since we made plant row markers for the vegetable garden.  Usually when my children figure out that some sort of fun activity has a purpose, they no longer want to do it, but not this time.  "N" has made a fairy for the chickens, using a pattern that came with some of our fuse beads.  I hung the Red Faced Chicken Fairy on a pole in the chicken yard.  And I thought that pole had no purpose.  It was just waiting for the day when the Red Faced Chicken Fairy would arrive.

This chicken was not impressed at the turn of events.  When asked her opinion, she said, "Er...shut the door, would ya?" (That chicken is named Teriyaki.  Such a cruel name. No wonder she's so paranoid all the time.)

Here you can see the pole formerly known as Useless now holding the tiny Red Faced Chicken Fairy to overlook our Empire of Dirt.  No wonder I get the Nine Inch Nails song in my head whenever I visit the chickens. It all makes sense now.  (And if you haven't heard Empire of Dirt covered by Johnny Cash, check it out.)

Boo can't figure out why the chickens would need a Red Faced Chicken Fairy.  Hmmmm....

Plant Markers for the Garden

I searched for a while for plant markers to use in the garden.  I had high expectations for plant markers, so high that my search dragged on for over a year.  Ideal plant markers, for me, need to be inexpensive and decorative, last for a long time, involve the kids in some way, and hopefully use some materials I already have around the house. 
I spent a lot of time searching my sheds and garage for materials, but finally found my inspiration elsewhere.  In my kids' office (if you can call a room full of crayons and legos an 'office') we have a thousand or so fuse beads.  What could be better for making weather-proof, colorful markers in the garden?

My nine- and four-year-old boys really enjoyed making markers for the plants we plan to grow this year.  I was surprised how patient my little one was, even using tweezers to make the words I spelled for him. (He's wearing a Christmas elf hat; the soldier hat in the foreground just doesn't suit a crafter.)

To make a plant marker like ours, you'll need fuse beads, an iron, the ironing paper that comes with the fuse beads (to protect your iron), a small drill, bamboo stakes, and nylon cord.

Make a fuse bead design and heat it with the iron it to make it permanent.  Leave two holes near the top of the design for the cord.  String the cord through the fuse bead design once the design has cooled.

Drill a small hole in each side of the bamboo stake. Run the cord through each hole and tie.  Now your plant marker is ready for the garden!