This year my son wanted a Pirate themed party. I found an ad in the paper for a mini golf place with a pirate logo. I scanned in the ad and removed their name from the banner. I added my son's name and Happy 7th Birthday. Then I printed it on transfer paper and made a t-shirt out of it for him for all his friends to sign at the party.
I then took the same image to the bakery and had them put it on his cake. I made his invitations on brown paper (a map) and tore the edges and used artists' chalk to darken the edges.
The kids decorated mini treasure chests, had a treasure hunt and hit a treasure chest pinata. I will attach one photo here of the image I used for his shirt and cake as well as his invitation. I will send additional photos via email right away also.
Here are some more pictures of the party.
By Melanie from Shakopee, MN
This page contains the following solutions.
You can make your own "Pin the Patch on the Pirate" game by looking for coloring pages online. Then print it on your computer as a poster size.
Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
Don't forget to use parrots too! Treasure chests also. Have fun!
If you have a fireplace, you will want a fire. Chocolate coins wrapped in gold foil are pretty easy to find. A lot of second hand stores have bags or jars full of broken jewelry really cheap to help fill your treasure chest. Make paper palm trees. You can find a recipe for mulled wine on the internet. I'd go for roast chicken or chicken wings for the food, something that has to be eaten with the fingers. Use colored handkerchiefs to cover tables or use white sheets with a cross painted on it.
Rocks would be a no cost decoration. At the second hand store, you can also get books really cheap--find some pirate books to display. Wooden beer kegs or rum kegs can be decor or used as tables. Pirate ships used ropes, so they could be decor along with chains and anchors. A picture of an old lighthouse would be good. Get on the internet and print out pictures of pirates and pirate ships for decorations. Borrow a crutch from someone or buy one at a second hand store for someone with a peg leg.
Old wooden buckets and mops for swabbing the decks. Make a cannon out of old empty oatmeal boxes painted black! Make your own "wanted" posters for the pirate birthday guy. Gosh, there are lots more possibilities but I'm running out of time!
Make a plank. Or a jail.. Choose a word, and if the person says it, and they get caught then they must "walk the plank". You can make up what type of punishment it is but it might be a little fun to break up the conversation a little every once and awhile. I would make the person sing happy birthday to the birthday girl alone, and if they don't, you should buy a pirate hook for them to wear until the next person does it :). Make sure it would stand out from the others.. like make it SUPER PINK with feathers so its embarrassing!
Also, ask around your friends and find red or black sheets and if you don't have any lights on the ceilings then you can pin them up and make them sorta into "sails" and that way it would make your party feel that they are on a boat.
Get some music to coordinate for the beginning of the party and when you are cutting the cake, or opening presents if you will, and make it pirate themed songs. Or waves crashing.
Have Pirates of the Carribean on the tv, to give some visuals.. or borrow a projector. Instead of singing Happy Birthday... Sing YO HO YO HO!
Make the cake area look like a pirate booty.. like lots of chocolate gold coins, and borrow a chest from someone to put gifts in. Have the girls dress in big dresses and then men as pirates.
Get napkins and plates with maps on them if you can instead of the "pirate hat". And use a large map as a table cloth for the food. Put fake rats around the place.
If you have an outdoor area, use a Big rum bottle and get some rings and set it up so people can play the ring toss. Change some of your light bulbs to red colors to give a more cave like feel.
Food, u can make buffalo wings, or any finger foods. If you have a dog, put a red bandana around his neck and let him roam the party.
IN the bathroom, mini theme it the "captains quarters" Put a sign on the door "Beware Ye Who Enter". It would also be fun if you put a book in there with a pen and have them write a message to the birthday person because people are more inclined to do so if they are alone. Make little port hole windows out of paper for the bathroom, and get octopus shaped soaps.
Use camping lanterns for the lighting....outside or inside. Get a box of temporary tattoos to put in the kitchen or bathroom so people can put them on during the party.
Incorporate a mermaid somewhere in the room, paint it on poster board. Have a guitar and other instruments for people to play.
Get Pirates Booty to munch on around the room, but leave it in the bags. Get a fake anchor somewhere and hang it from the celeing somewhere.
I'm getting really into this ha ha, have fun.
Use pirate style bandannas for napkins or wrap favors(I favor rum filled chocolates :] or chocolate coins)in them. As for Drinks, you can't do it without grog in a punchbowl wrapped in the Jolly Roger perhaps, google for a recipe. Perhaps a red jellied salad with something like carrot slices(coins) suspended in it. Fish salad sandwiches cut like a coffin as in Davey Jones' locker. Perhaps some "planks"(ie large straight pretzels)with a hot mustard dip(maybe add a little rum) Other planks like wasa rye crisp or other long crisp bread with your favourite topping(I'm thinking melted pimento or pepper cheese with a whole stuffed olive(think eyeballs)or get those little plastic swords they use in drinks and make mini kabobs with both fruit and cheese.
Are we talking a suspended pinata full of little GLASS bottles of rum? I would think what doesn't get broke during the whacking is probably going to bean someone on the way down! Why not fill it w/ cheap plastic (or chocolate) gold coins, and other cheap "booty" like rings and necklaces from the toy aisle of the $ store. Serve a big bowl or barrel (think lined, large wooden planter) of 'grog', instead. It's made w/ dark rum, ginger ale, and lime juice. I think it's a bottle of each, and keep extra ginger ale and 7-up for people who want to dilute it more.
Also, how about cutting open some paper bags and drawing "X" marks the spot maps on them? Scrunch, wet, and work them 'til they look old and frayed, then hang or scroll them up for decoration. Have fun, and let us know how it turns out!
Instead of the Dollar Store, visit the Oriental Trading Company on the web at www.orientaltrading.com and then search for "pirate". You can get some of the basics like eye patches, scarves, swords by the dozen at a considerable discount from the $1 a piece prices of the Dollar Store. Shipping is usually pretty fast. They even have a "pirate goblet" and Treasure chests to purchase. Have fun shopping and have a safe party. Don't forget a designated "dry lander (non-drinker)" to sail your party guests home!
Also visit this site www.celebrateexpress.com/
An "embarrassing punishment" would be a pirate version of the kiddie favorite of pin the tail on the donkey. Have a drawing of an open treasure chest, blindfold the miscreant and have them put a piece of "treasure" (pictures of jewelry from magazines or sale ads, funny/play money, etc. with post-it glue or glue stick on the back) into the chest, if they can. The later in the night, after several rounds of grog, the funnier this will be to watch.
The party went great, I'll update soon with everything we did and had at the party. Thanks for your help!
You can buy plastic skull mugs for the drinks at any party store, as for food, I would go for anything seafood. Fried shrimp or shrimp cocktails and also a nice punch and fruit salad. Also lemonade for people who do not feel like having rum. Pirates uses to drink it to help with preventing scurvy and gout. Also, you may want to serve Caribbean style food such as fried plantains and rice and beans. Make it like you are eating in key west Florida. Please, no red meat! Have fun.
I am having a birthday party for my son on June 21st. He will be turning 7 and wants to have a Pirate party with a treasure hunt. He has invited about 24 kids (hopefully they won't ALL come). I need help! Can anybody give me ideas for games, food, ect?
One of my favorite websites for kids birthday party planning is www.birthdaypartyideas.com. It is a collection of posts of individial's party ideas listed by theme. I can always piece together great parties from other people's creatvity!
Here's a link to the Pirate Theme:
www.birthdaypartyideas.com/
Pin the Patch on the Pirate or Parrot on the Pirate's shoulder. Hide chocolate coins and do a pieces of 8 hunt. How about "capture the flag" with a jolly roger flag?
FOR TREASURE HUNT CLUES: When prisoners are unruly we make them take a walk(hide a clue under a plank)
A pirate's bird might want one(hide a clue in a cracker box)
Seven year olds are old enough to design their own pirate flag. Have blank paper and markers for an arrival activity. At my grandson's party the kids colored their own "loot bags" and then carried them on the treasure hunt where there was a prize at every clue location for every kid. That was the loot bag that they then took home with them. The treasure hunt went on so long that they had to take a juice break in the middle! First clue inside the house, next clue at the edge of the yard, next clue inside, next outside, etc. Try to make the clues ryhme. And give them an adult pirate leader to follow from clue to clue. It helps. The final chest, of many, had a pinata inside, pre-cut to make it easier to break. Also, there was a cardboard two dimensional ship with holes in its side for a bean bag toss. AARRRR!! Have fun, matey!
Why not contact www.PiratesforParties.com or www.Parrots4Parties.com, they have the best pirate themed entertainment for kids parties and the adult pirate theme party, also pirate props and decorations too as well as pirate bands and pirate shows
