For my son's 7th birthday, we had an Explorers' Adventure party. I found cute cards with a map and compass background and printed the party information along with the following poem: It's William's 7th birthday And a party's in the works We'll have games and cake and ice cream And other little perks.  The adventure's in the backyard, So come ready to explore You're sure to find some artifacts, Some treasures, maybe more!  But, be sure that you dress warmly, For the weather might be chilly. If you're too cold to join the fun You really will feel silly!  As the guests were arriving, we played "Spider Bite" (like hot potato, except we used a toy spider), and "Reptile Toss" (tossing plastic reptiles into bowls placed at varying distances). Once they had all arrived, we sat in a circle to find out about our next adventure.  Each child was given an explorers pack which they kept as their party favor.  They included a flashlight, compass-thermometer-whistle combination, magnifying glass, and binoculars.  The equipment had been placed in mesh bags (little lingerie laundry bags) to which we had tied a leather strap. (I found the explorers kits on sale at Target and saw similar ones at Walmart.) Then the kids were divided into three teams.  Each team was given a booklet of Polaroid photos that had been stapled together with a construction paper cover. Prior to the party, I had photographed various items (rubber snakes, ceramic figures, stuffed jungle animals, treasure chests with chocolate coins, etc) and had then hidden the items in the backyard. Each team had a separate set of items to find. They were instructed to gather the items that were in their booklet without touching the items hidden for the other teams. When they had returned with all of the items, they had completed their adventure and could divide up any of the candy they had found. We made the search just challenging enough to keep their interest, but to ensure success for all three teams.  The kids LOVED it!  After the adventure we went inside for cake and ice-cream. The cake was a sheet cake that I decorated with Playmobil figures.  There was a bridge, with an explorer falling through, two hungry crocodiles waiting below, and other explorers watching from the sidelines. I bought the cake and we already had the Playmobil, so the cake was a snap! We also served trail-mix throughout the party to keep the explorers energized.  After refreshments, the kids went back outside and we had a treasure race. The kids divided into two teams, each with a box of small glass stones. Each team had a different color.  A member of each team was given a spoon.  He/she had to scoop up some stones with the spoon and walk/run to the other side of the yard where a treasure chest was waiting. After depositing their stones, they ran back and gave the spoon to the next team member, who ran the race again. The team depositing the most stones won.  The kids loved this game and we played it multiple times! We finished up by opening presents.  By the end of the party the kids were worn out but delighted. They loved their party favors and the adventure got great reviews.