Pirate Party for my son's 7th birthday! Invitation read: Ahoy Matey!  Stop yer pillaging: lend me yer ear, I have a message fro ye to hear! The Treasure's been stolen, it must be found, So tighten ye sashes Buccaneer Bay bound! Shiver me timbers, thar's a pirate on board, Drinkin shark's blood and flailin his sword! Dress in jeans and a white top, but hope not to get wet, Ye be Walkin' the Plank on this ye can bet! I'm Captain Kool Kyle, and will lead the way, On Saturday, May 7th, I turn 7 that day! We be settin sail at 2:00 fer some Swashbucklin birthday fun, Thar'll be a blast of cannonballs on our day in the sun!ö Wave yer flag if ye be attending or hav yer Mom send message by yer phone to xxx-xxxx. Sees ye there.  Aarrgh!!! I printed them on paper, then soaked with tea, burnt the edges and tied with black ribbon.  Everyone commented that they turned out great!  Decorations: Made a sign from brown wrapping paper "Welcome to Buccaneer Bay" for the front yard, burnt the edges and wrapped around tiki torches (purchased @ $1.00 store). I have plastic Skeleton's that we put along the walkway.  Then decorated the deck with black and red balloons, also I had a mini pirate flag banner.  Costume: As the kids arrived they were each given a pirate hat, an eye patch and a red sash.  They thought that was cool! Games: Our first game we played was 'musical islands'. I got cardboard pieces in the sizes of 2ft. by 4ft. and I numbered each of them. Each child started on an island. As the music played the kids walked from one island to the next, when the music stopped a number was pulled from a hat and the person standing on that numbered island was banished.  The last person standing on an island got a small prize - they won!  The kids enjoyed it so much we played it again. The second game we played was 'pass the cannonball' (played like Hot Potato). The third game we played was 'stick the pirate on the treasure map' (purchase from the party store). We blindfolded the kids and they had to stick the pirate on the treasure.  The kid that came the closest won. Then my husband made a plank for the kids to walk. It was set off to go off the deck onto the grass, it was about 12ft long. They walked out towards my husband and got the cannonball and then we had them return it to the next person in line. They enjoyed that too, they walked again and again!  Once they had all walked the plank, they each got a foam sword (from the $ store)  They all played with their pirate gear for a bitm until it was present and cake time.    Cake: Our local bakery made a cake to look like a treasure map.  They did a great job! Treasure Chest: We went to the $ store and bought a small black toolbox.  I decorated it with yellow ribbon.  Inside I put chocolate covered coins, jewels and a few pirate treats... such as telescopes and pirate money. The treasure was buried in our huge sandbox for them to find!  At the end of the party the kids did the treasure hunt. I had Treasure Maps that came with this Pirate treat package I bought at the party store, and I stuck labels to the back of them and sent them on a treasure hunt.   Treasure Chestà We all gathered on the deck for the 1st clue... Clue#1...To find the treasure you need a ship, Which has a clue for this trip. (Have the pirate ship in the backyard with the 2nd clue) Clue#2... To find clue three, You need to look in the tallest tree.  (Our tree, in the front yard - has the 3rd clue) Clue#3... By breaking the balls, you could win this battle, One holds the clue just give them a rattle. (Need to break open the balloons to get 4th clue) Clue#4... Hope these clues aren't a bore, The next clue is hidden by the side garage door. (The 5th clue is here) Clue#5... You've come this far & gathered all the clues, Put on a happy face and don't be blue.  To find the treasure it will take many hands, If you haven't guessed it, it's in the sand.  But wait just a minute it's not what you think, keep up your hope, And all pull on the rope.  (Buried the Treasure Chest, with a rope attached to it, made it easy for them to just pull on the rope and hopefully less sand flying around.)  The kids all had a great time, running around the yard picking up all the clues. Loot Bags: Candy necklaces, ring pops, gum, pencils, crayons, activity books for the boys and note pads for the girls.  The party lasted about 2 hours and went smoothly. All of the kids had a great time.  It was a lot of work, but well worth it!