Go Play | Birthday Party Guide Adventure Surprise Party
Child's name: Kai Muekeley of Oviedo Child's age: 6 Location: Congo River Golf, Altamonte Springs Party planner: Jane Layne Events (
www.janelayne.com) Photographer: Brianna Forster Photography (
www.briannaforsterphotography.zenfolio.com)
Description: When Kai requested a "Lego Indiana Jones surprise birthday party," at fi rst I was stumped. I'm a big fan of hosting his parties outside of our home, so my aunt recommended we do a mini golf activity. It was a great idea for his age group, and Congo River Golf already has a rustic, exotic and adventure theme to it, so the party ideas came together quickly after we decided on the venue. I chose the Altamonte Springs location, as it had the larger party room and had just put in an awesome sand fl oor (that sealed the deal for me). All we had to do was incorporate the theme, for which I enlisted the help of Jane Layne Events. This "eventista" did a great job of choosing skulls, snakes and other décor from Party City as well as creating custom signs and graphics to pull together the Lego Indiana Jones-themed party. Jane Layne Events offered me a full party package that included professional photos and video to capture our memories.
Design inspiration: Obviously, we didn't have to look any further than all of the great Indiana Jones movies for design inspiration. Vintage planes, exotic travel destinations, ancient artifacts, maps, snakes and skulls were front and center at this adventure-centered fête.
Activities: Beyond just ambiance, Congo River Golf was a great location because the activities are built-in. We started in the party room to surprise the birthday boy and feed our guests. After that, we presented Kai with a treasure map of the course (custom made by Jane Layne Events) and told him to lead his friends to search for the ancient artifacts while they traveled through the adventurous mini golf course (complete with a rope bridge, plane crash, live alligator pit and other exciting environmental elements that were movie set quality). After fi nding the hidden items (with help from adults), all the kids were given their "treasure" — a bag of sand to go gem mining and a sac of gold coins to play in the arcade.
Project tips: I got a killer deal on Congo River Golf's birthday party package through LivingSocial. The discount helped offset the cost of hiring a party planner.
Favorite items: The kids loved the skull drink containers, which came complete with a hole in the top for a straw. The custom cake was from Glass Slipper Cakery in the Oviedo Mall (
www.glassslippercakery.com). The take-home gifts were little wooden treasure boxes that had a mini Lego Indiana Jones fi gurine, a plastic compass and a journal so the kids could continue their adventure at home.
Cost: $580
Jane Layne Events' at-home suggestions: Create thrill and adventure in the comfort of
your home by decorating in a neutral palette and using elements that are the essence of Indy: mummies, treasures,
skulls and lots
of snakes! Set up a scavenger hunt for the kids to explore and collect treasures, an
archaeological dig and interactive
“adventure” games. Incorporate children’s names onto maps, journals and satchels so they feel like they are part of the adventure.
28 PLAYGROUND Spring 2012
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