ARMY PARTY -- For my son's 6th birthday party, we had 19 5 and 6 year old boys over for a "GI Joe, military party". The first thing I did in planning was to hire 3 teenagers from the neighborhood to help out! I paid them each $5 and they were thrilled and a HUGE help to me! I made the invitations in military language, asking the guests to report for active duty, giving the time in military time and all the details like it was a mission from a commander. They were also asked to wear camoflauge. I printed the wording out and attached it to camoflauge print paper with gold star brads. I used string and envelope faastners to close the invitation, like it was a secret mission folder. I borrowed military items (a bed roll, boots, canteen) from a recruiter's office. They also gave me posters, book ocvers, pencils to add to the goody bags. I also borrowed a huge camoflauge net that covered the whole front corner of our house! their name tags were little dogtag looking tags I cut from silver paper. I strung them on a red yarn and let them decorate the back with American flag stickers. When the guests arrived they were given red, white or blue arm bands, putting them in to three groups. The groups then  took turns going through the various "centers" I had set up. Center #1 was camo bandanas and had their faces camoflauged. This center took some time, so while other group members were waiting, I had printed pages of army helicopters, a military man etc from www.coloringpages.com for them to color while they waited. center #2 was water grenades. I lined up plastic bottles, cans, boxes, pumpkins all on a low brick wall and the kids lined up to throw water baloon grenades to see how many they coud knock down. This was a great hit and I wish I would have planned for more than 3 greandes for each child! center #3 was the man huint. I hid 150 plastic army men on my sideyard and had each child glue a red cross to a bag and see if they could rescue 6 men. Once they found six men, I gave then a roll of lifesavers! center #4 was the naval fleet races. I spray painted juice boxes silver and punched holes in the top. The kids designed and glued sails to twigs and poked them in the holes. Then they races their boats across the kiddie pool by blowing on the sails. This was a lot of fun and some boys even had the idea to set some of their army men on the boats and race them that way. It was funny when the boats capsized! center #5 was a huge obstacle course. I spraypainted while lines and arrows on the grass for them to follow arounbd the yard. They went through the playhouse door, out the wondow, landing on the "X", then up the ladder and down a slide, then I painted 8 circles on the ground to look like tires to run through, then they had to run around a kids' jeep, then pick up the jump rope and jume three times, then under a bridge we set up using lawn chairs and a sceen. Then the kids rode a baby tricycle along a curvy line to the end. Oh and all the while they were carrying a rolled up bookcover (from the recruiters office) as their secret papers! At each center, they received a small prize (pencils, binoculars, parachute men etc all from oriental traders) to add to their red cross bags for the cake I made a sheet cake and frosted it with german chocolate frosting, then crumbled toffee cookies on top in large and small chunks. I then made a militatry camp scene with plastic men, jeeps and trees. It was very cute! I served it on pie tins with green plastic forks and told them these were their rations. The party was not during a meal time (3:00-5:00), so i did not have other food. For present time, I had each guests sit holding the gift they brought on their lap. I picked someone to sit on the couch beside the birthday boy while he opened it, then I picked someone waiting to hold a pair of binoculars to show that he will be next togive his gift. He then passed the binoculars to the next guy when he was up. It helped to keep things very orderly during present time. a photo with the guest was taken after the birtday boy opened each gift. I was left with 10 minutes before the parents arrived, so I brought everyone out front and played an impromptu game of "drill seargant says". Then I let all the kids choose a poster from the walls to take home. (that helped me with clean up too! LOL) The thank yotu cards included the photo that was taken at gift opening time as well as a group photo of all the kids.  The party was great fun and the kids really got into it all -- I love the pictures I will always cherish them! The thing I loved most though, was , later that night, I asked my son if he had a good party and he threw his arms around my neck in a big hug and said, "Thanks, Mom, you made it fun!"