We had a Boy vs. Wild party for my son's 10th birthday.  Our inspiration was the Man vs. Wild TV show.  INVITATIONS I printed the invites on 8.5 X 11 cardstock using MS Publisher; I used Clip Art that featured old fashioned compass points, a spear and a shelter. Help Patrick defeat the WILD for his 10th birthday!  To make things fun I said to Wear sturdy clothes� and cautioned No crybabies allowed.�  ACTIVITIES In order to defeat the WILD the boys had to complete 3 challenges: scavenge for food, build a shelter and make a fire without using matches.   The challenges had to be done as a TEAM because teamwork is so important for wilderness survival.     Challenge 1: To find the food, the boys followed a hand-drawn map of the backyard/meadow behind our house. The food was placed in zip-loc bags.  Some was real (e.g. baked bean used for dinner later on) and some was funny (e.g. chocolate covered raisins that were labeled as elk droppings which are high in protein and good for survival in cold climates you get the idea). The food was placed in hiding places right before the party started in order to avoid wildlife eating it.  Challenge 2: The 2nd challenge was to build a shelter using big sticks (some 6 feet long or more) and some rope.  They were given a page of instructions with diagrams and my husband helped them, too.  The design for the shelter was found on-line and there are lots of great wilderness, Boy Scout, etc. books for boys that have fantastic ideas, too. The structure provided for lots of fun play after dinner they boys were camping out in it & having a blast.  It looked sort of like a pup tent were the opening was larger and then it tapered towards the ground as it went back.  Challenge 3: The last challenge was to make a fire without matches. We used the fire pit in our backyard.  They tried the bow and drill method which was very hard but they did get some smoke, and then switched to a flint which was successful.  Each boy got their own try and they all looked very proud.  I took a picture of each one and included the snapshots in the envelope with the thank you cards. PARTY SNACKS:  We had dinner outside using the FIRE that the boys had made without using matches! They cooked hot dogs on sticks and we had baked beans, too.  Everything took place outside even though it was February in Colorado.  The boys did so much running around that no one was cold. They pulled camp chairs up to the fire and one boy ate 4 hot dogs!  Then it was time to cook marshmallows.  We really didn't need a birthday cake after all that but I made one anyway. I used those rocks that are chocolate but look very realistic like river rocks and a Bender Joe� Camp  set.  So the cake top looked like a river scene with a bendable guy sitting in a camp chair with a fishing rod, etc.  The coolest cake ever!  We invited parents and siblings to come back a little early and join us for hot dogs if they wanted to and several families did that. It ended up being a super fun party for the adults.    FAVORS: The party favor was a real military canteen purchased from an on-line military supply surplus store. Because I like to sew, I put the canteens in a home-made camouflage bag that cinched up with real rope.  And I threw some little bags of gummy bugs in there, too, since they fit with the wilderness survival theme. One of the boys told my son that when he turned 11 he needed to have the SAME EXACT party and invite him again!  This may have been our best kids birthday party ever. Everyone loved it!