Host a castle birthday party for your little knight or princess, all for less than $100! I will share how we are doing it.
If you missed part 1, you can find it here.
So, the kid have just defeated the knight who escapes. They then climb up the castle (swing set) to meet the princess, who will be played by the birthday boy’s sister. She tells them that the evil knight has hidden a map in one of the abandoned village huts, but those on the quest must be careful. There is a grouchy old hermit who still lives in one of the huts, and he doesn’t like being disturbed. The hermit will be played by one of the parents in attendance (we like to get everyone involved.) Some old clothes and a homemade beard complete the look, all for free.
The map will be hidden in one of the houses, the hermit in another (who will chase the kids), and a stuffed animal in the third.
For this quest, we are making use of three plastic play houses that we already have in the backyard, but you could also use appliance boxes that are free for the asking. Just turn them upside down and cut a door and windows in the boxes. You can draw on them with markers, too, if you want to decorate them to look like they are made of stones or straw. Free again.
In our case, two of the play houses were given to use for free, and the third was purchased for $5. Actually, there was another expense–wasp spray. Apparently the little buggers moved in to one of the houses during the winter.
Once the kids find the map, they must follow the directions, looking for landmarks and clues throughout the backyard to find the secret hiding place of the Knight’s Cup. When they do find it, they will be greeted with a treasure box (a simple wooden box made by my husband out of scrap wood). In side the box will be the favors: plastic gold goblets I purchased, filled with candy and treats. To help fill out the box, there will also be inexpensive plastic gold coins and gems (made of out multicolored plant stones that you can find cheaply at dollar and craft stores).
In the next post, I’ll talk about saving $50 on the castle cake! For part 3, click here.