Barbie Party Treasure Hunt-4 yrs. My daughter selected a Barbie theme for her 4th birthday. While the guests were arriving, the children were kept busy with pages from a Barbie "Paint
with Water" book. Later they made Barbie collages selecting pictures of Barbie that I had previously cut out of magazine/newspaper ads and gluing them onto construction paper.
The highlight of the party was the package that came in the "mail" (actually, my husband left the package on the stoop and ran out of sight after ringing the doorbell.) addressed to Faith. Inside was a box, wrapped in Barbie gift wrap, that contained a cassette tape. We immediately played the tape to hear Barbie (a friend whose voice my daughter wouldn't recognize reading a script that I had prepared) wishing Faith a happy birthday. She also gave a hello & personal message of some sort to each of the 6 guests. For example, "Hello, Grace! You just turned 4 yourself didn't you? Faith had a lot of fun at your Dora birthday party!". Then Barbie explained that she had set up a treasure hunt for the guests. After listening to Barbie give a clue, I turned the tape off and let the kids decide where to search, which we did as a group. (The original package also contained an envelope marked "Faith's mom" that included a typed copy of each clue. That way if a clue needed to be heard again I would read it.) A simple treat (Barbie stickers, candy, Barbie party favors) was located in 4 locations. The very last clue led them to a large treasure box filled with candy and small party favors for them all to share. At the end of the tape Barbie thanked each child for being such a special friend to Faith. Then she signed off with birthday wishes and an I love you to the birthday girl herself. The kids had so much fun with this treasure hunt, and were just mesmerized when Barbie was talking. The looks on their faces when she said something special to each of them was priceless. And my daughter was thrilled that Barbie herself was a part of her party. Another mom told me her daughter still keeps talking about how Faith knows Barbie! Miniature wooden treasure boxes that I painted and decorated (found for just 99 cents each at a craft store), Barbie toothbrushes and Barbie stampers were found in the favor bags putting the finishing touches on this Barbie birthday.