Age group(s) for this birthday party activity:
Preschool and Younger
Elementary School

Cost of birthday party activity:
$100 or so

Birthday party planning information:
I have rented an A-frame pavillion for my "camp". You could improvise and use any city park or backyard. Set up tents for gift opening and general play even if you are not having a sleepover.

Invitations: Use a print shop program (like American Greetings CreateAParty) to make an invitation that looks like a camp brochure. It will read on the front, "Come Join us at Camp Taylor 2004" (insert your child's name). On the inside I will list the the activities that we will do at our camp such as camp crafts in the Arts and Crafts Shack (we will stamp t-shirts with acrylic paint and nature stamps...bugs, butterflies, frogs, etc...and we will also make beaded necklaces at another craft station.

At the Mess Hall we will roast hot dogs, serve fruit and drink bug juice (1 pkg each of unsweetened orange, tropical punch, and cherry Koolaid along with 2 3/4 to 3 cups of sugar and 1 gallon of water).

Then we will go on a guided nature hike with some Boy Scouts (my son and a couple of friends to lead the way). We may have a nature scavenger hunt as well.

Our last activity will be making smores and star gazing (once again our Boy Scout will tell the children a little about it).

The print shop program (CreateAParty - it's an older program...bought it cheap on ebay) also has patterns for labels, wrappers to wrap around a 9 oz cup, placemats with interesting bug facts on them (although any bug theme would work well with an outdoor party like this).

Our Boy Scouts may also do a couple of skits in the campfire tradition.

Other suggestions or comments:
Favors: Flashlights (I got some great ones on clearance), trail mix, beef jerky, glow in the dark stars, bug containers (you can fill them with Hershey kisses and plastic bugs and attach a tag that says "Bugs and Kisses from Taylor". And last of all, I am taking a Mason jar and I have made a label that says "Bug Juice" and is decorated with lady
bugs, etc. on it. I stuck this to the front of the Mason jar and filled the jar with a fruit punch mix and a tag with directions to make the bug juice attached to the jar with raffia. I cut circles of bug print fabric with pinking shears (cut it larger than the inner lid) and place between the inner lid and the part that screws on (you should have about and inch or so of fabric sticking out all around).