The Princess and Pirate Party
A few years ago, princess and pirate parties would have been two separate events, but in a smart move made by a mom somewhere, the two themes were merged and we’re suddenly seeing one of the most popular party plans to hit Pinterest in ages.
My sister recently threw this type of party for my 3-year-old niece at her home and it was a sparkling success thanks to the diverse activities and games. Here’s how she did it:
The Decorations:
The walls were full of themed pieces that my sister painted, like an oversized princess castle, a pirate ship, princess and pirates photo cutouts for pictures, and a ‘tic toc croc’ beanbag toss. She’s quite talented when it comes to drawing, but needed a little assistance getting the images right, so she fashioned a handmade projector using a shoebox, flashlight, and zip top baggie (you can view instructions for something similar here) and projected the images she wanted to create onto bristol board, cardboard, and mural paper. The other supplies she used for her decorations were simple craft store items like paint, card stock (all shades of pink and black) and balloons.
The Activities:
Hugely popular with both the boys and the girls was the ‘walk the plank’ activity. A long piece of wood was placed on top of two milk crates and the kids took turns walking the plank and jumping off on the end. Smaller kids held the hand of an adult as they made they precarious journey. Even after the game was finished, the kids continued to walk the plank over and over again, so I considered it a true treasure.
There was a ‘pin the crown on the princess’ game going on on one side of the room, while on the other side there was a ‘pin the patch on the pirate’ game.
All of the kids participated in the ‘Tic Toc Croc’ beanbag toss, which she made by painting a crocodile face on the front of a piece of cardboard (she used a standing piece like you might use for a science fair project). The mouth of the crocodile was cut out and the kids tossed beanbags (homemade with felt and rice) into the ‘hole’.
Other ideas she considered for her party (but cut due to time constraints) were ‘pass the magic wand’ or ‘pass the sword’ played like hot potato, and ‘newspaper island‘.
The Food:
She channeled her inner Betty Crocker and, following instructions she found online, made a pirate ship birthday cake with a store-bought cake mix and icing. She set the cake atop a large rectangular cake board, and surrounded her confection with princesses made using a special cake pan and mini Cinderella figurines, which were stuck inside. She also made tiara-shaped cookies iced in pink and pirate marshmallow pops. The rest of the food wasn’t themed but there are plenty of ideas floating around the Internet if you’re in need of more inspiration.
The Handouts:
The party favours were simple costume pieces: some of the kids took home tiaras and wands, others hats and swords. All of the kids were also given bandanas and eye patches.
What do you think? Would you merge two popular party themes into one?
