LOVEinLIFE: Ninjago Birthday Party

Mr. Mann's 7th birthday was last month and he wanted a Ninjago theme (naturally) - I think everything came together nicely! Here's some pictures from the party!

My favorite part of any party is the desserts! We kept things simple for this one as I didn't have a ton of time to prep. Here's what we made:

- Rice Krispie 'Funshi'

- Ninja Sugar Cookies

- Ninja Cupcakes

- HoHo Numb-chucks

The main food was "Funshi Peanut Butter and Jelly "Rolls"

{super easy to make - just make your sandwich, cut into strips and roll up}

First Activity: "Ninja Names"

I found a print out on Pinterest and helped the kids match up the letters in their names to create their own ninja name. They then wrote them on streamers that we tied around their heads to form Ninja Headbands.

Second Activity: A "Ninja Training" Course

The kids loved this - and the adults ended up having some big laughs while watching the kids run through the course.

First up - gotta get the group in order to explain the course. Can you tell I've worked with kids for awhile now?

First Skill "Agility": The kids ran through 'ninja swords' (pool noodles) that the adults waved up and down. I think the adults might have enjoyed this more than the kids...

Second Skill: "Accuracy": Hubs stayed up late to make ninja stars which the kids used to knock over the tubes made of paper towel rolls. The rolls were covered with black streamers to make them more ninja-ey.

Third Skill: "Balance": The kids picked up marshmallows with chopsticks from one bowl and ran them across the yard to put in another.

Fourth, and final, skill: "Strength": The kids broke boards that I made out of Styrofoam. I cut the Styrofoam into rectangles and then painted them with brown acrylic paint. I wish I had gotten a better picture - they turned out really well and actually looked like wood.

Of course the best part of an activity like this is what happens when the kids start improvising. Enter like B who thought it would be better to carry the marshmallow in her mouth. Smart, very smart :)

Of course no birthday party is complete without a fabulous cake! Many thanks to Sandy at Dessert Works - she always makes such great cakes for us!

oh and a mini-breakdown...happens every time ;)

At the end of the day we had balloons left over and the kids wanted to release them into the sky. I know it's not great for the environment :/ I feel kinda bad about that....