Age group(s) for this birthday party activity:
Middle School

Cost of birthday party activity:
About $10.00 worth of $1.00 items purchased at your local dollar store.

Birthday party planning information:
The $1.00 items are put in a heavy bag. Each game winner inserts his hand (without looking)into the bag to choose a prize. Be sure to play enough games so that everyone wins a prize.

The day before the party, we charge up remote-controlled vehicles. We then create a checkered Start flag and a Finish Line sign with white paper, a black marker and a ruler. We designate a path throughout the house and usually have the Finish Line as a kithen chair (only one vehicle can maneuver through at a time). Then we have the boys race their vehicles to the Finish Line. We do elimination rounds until we are left with one winner. The boys not racing love to watch and cheer on the racers.

Other suggestions or comments:
We also play "Casino" games. We have a small slot machine that we fill with $5 worth of quarters and let the boys take turns pulling the handle until one player wins the jackpot.

Tic-Tac-Toe is an oldie but goodie. We play on a write-n-wipe or chalkboard and winners are eliminated based on two wins out of three game rounds.

Once everyone has won a prize we settle down with popcorn and a favorite movie.