Invitation: We  used email, to cut down on costs, and said Dionysus the Greek God of festivities invites you to a celebration of Ella's 8th birthday".  Decorations: As suggested by some other parties with a similar theme we used a white and gold theme.  We hung gold balloons from the ceiling borrowed a friends' gold table runners and found as many gold candle holders as we could around the house.  We filled bowls with gold ornaments and grapes and also wound fake ivy across the tables. I had a very large wrapping paper tube that I attached to the bottom of the stair rail and put a paper plate on top to look like a column.  Activities/Games: As kids arrived I had them paint acrylic goblets with some Greek designs I had found on the internet (such as the Greek key pattern) using paint pens (there are also lots of colored sharpies that would work-make sure the kids only paint on the outside of the glass). We then went outside and played Medusa stone tag as suggested by another party planner on this site.  We planned to use a "spiky" looking ski hat but a teacher friend arrived with a Medusa hat with rubber snakes all over it.  As a variation of "pin the tail" I  borrowed a Nerf bow and arrow set  and drew a leg and foot on a piece of poster paper which we attached to a tree.  The kids then took turns "shooting Achilles' heel".    We went back inside and the kids divided into teams to build models of the Parthenon using mini marshmallows and toothpicks.  We finished up with a treasure hunt.  The clues referred to different Gods or figures in Greek mythology (such as "Hermes was the messenger of the Gods.  This is used by our present  day messengers" referring to the mailbox) and at each spot the kids found a different bead including a God's eye and different symbols for the Gods such as wings a lightening bolt a heart which they could use to make a key chain or zipper pull for their back pack. Costumes: Guests were invited to dress as their favorite god.  We also had extra laurel wreaths for kids to wear.  Party Snacks: We served some light refreshments such as grapes nuts pita chips and hummus.  We also mixed grape juice and ginger ale for the kids to drink out of their goblets. Cake: We made cake pops . . . chocolate cake covered with white candy coating and sprinkled with coarse gold sugar.  Favors: Glow sticks (which we called Zeus' lightening bolts) were awarded for some of the games.  As the kids left we gave them fancy notebooks so they could now start creating their own myths and stories."