With the US opening of the Karate Kid (will be released in other countries as the Kung Fu Kid) on June 11, 2010, this party will be in high demand. Since most sleepovers are same sex events, this theme with the Karate Kid cast as a young man (Jaden Smith's character) will more likely appeal to a birthday boy. Interested in a slumber party that will appeal to a birthday girl not into martial arts? Then check out the party plan - How to Throw a Movie Marathon Slumber Party that was posted on this blog on Friday, May 28, 2010.
Invitations: You can send pre-printed theme-related invitations to guests. Several reliable on-line sources exist, such as the Karate Party from Birthday in a Box, Black Belt Birthday Party from Oriental Trading Company or Karate Kid Party at Martial Arts Party Store.
If you prefer the creative DIY approach, make your invites into Martial Arts Jackets. Each 8 1/2 x 11-inch piece of white card stock will make two invitations.
Step One: Fold paper in half, then cut into two equal 5 1/2 x 8 1/2-inch pieces.
Step Two: Then fold each of these pieces again into 4 1/4 x 5 1/2-inches pieces.
Step Three: Cut a V in the middle top of each invitation for the neck hole. Then cut two more Vs in the middle of each side of the invitation. Side Vs will shape jacket to look like the real deal with arms etc.
Step Four: Add party details to inside. Remind guests to dress comfortably. Sweat pants and t-shirts are good choices.
Step Five: Tie a 1/4-inch black ribbon around the front of each card, looping through the v-hole on one side, and into the v-slit on the other side.
As a general rule, sleepovers should be limited to eight or fewer guests. Remember not to exceed the space you have for sleeping bags in your party space. Traditionally, kids arrive for a sleepover after the evening meal and are picked up about 10:00 am the following day - be sure to include a definite pick-up time on your invitation.
If your child and his friends are new to the sleepover scene, you may want to include a packing list to ensure each guest has all he needs: sleeping bag, pillow, flashlight, PJ's, toothbrush, hairbrush and anything else you think is important.
In addition, before the party, get a list of food allergies, medications, dietary restrictions, and a home and cell phone number of each guest's parents. With younger kids, a child may ask to go home. With older kids, one may need to go home, because they have gotten out of hand. Kids of all ages can get sick. So be prepared for these emergencies and get the parents' contact information. You will be glad you did.
Decorations: This party requires a black, red and white color scheme. Buy or make enough garlands, streamers, balloons, large cutouts of inspirational Chinese words, movie posters and cutouts of Kung Fu masters to decorate the party room. No need to go overboard with this - remember a little can go a long way to enhance the celebratory mood of your home. Several on-line sources for martial arts party items are: Birthday in a Box, Oriental Trading Company and Martial Arts Party Store. Upon arrival give each guest a Karate Head Band ($35.00 for ten)and/or a Temporary Tattoo. Karate Head Bands can also be made easily out of fabric. Buy enough fabric in a solid or print of your choice. Cut six-inch strips across the width of the fabric. Roll strips to head band size and tie on your guests as they arrive. This will reduce the price of your head bands by at least half. Or consider going Apollo Ono style and use a vibrantly colored bandanna.
Activities: After a few games, an evening snack and birthday cake, start the movie marathon. There are four movies in the Karate Kid series (excluding the 2010 release) to choose from: Karate Kid (1984), The Karate Kid, Part II, The Karate Kid, Part III, and the The Next Karate Kid (1994).
Boys love to snack. Provide plenty of munchies throughout the night. Try things like popcorn, pretzels, Karate Kid Cookies, and Kung Fu Snack Mix. Drinks can include soda, water, and juices. Snacks don't have to be super unhealthy, but kids won't be too thrilled if you only provide veggies and fruit.
A good time to open the presents is after breakfast, before the parents are scheduled to arrive for pick-up.
Games: A good way for boys to burn off some energy is to play flashlight tag. This is a great outdoor game, if your neighborhood is suitable for this kind of activity after dark. The object of this game is for the "it" person to tag the others with the beam of his flashlight. Once everyone is tagged, the last person to be tagged becomes the next "it".
Although only skilled Martial artists can actually break boards, at your party kids can participate in a breaking board contest with very thin balsa wood boards or pieces of foam poster boards. One or two adults should hold the board that the children will break. Tell the kids to shout a loud Karate yell at the moment a strike is executed to add to the fun and authenticity of the task. Cut plenty of boards because your guests will want to take several turns at this.
Conduct a kicking contest, where the kids compete for the highest kick. Your adult helpers can hold a large tape measure to the wall and record the height of each kick.
Crafts: Your Kung Fu masters may enjoy a change of pace during the party and want to paint a souvenir rock. If it isn't possible to find enough rocks "in the wild", the stones can be purchased from garden or landscaping businesses. Acrylic paint is the ideal medium for rock painting, both for its durability and quick drying time. As rocks are tough on painting supplies synthetic paintbrushes are the best to use as they are both tough and cheap.
Before the party you will want to scrub the rocks thoroughly with detergent and water, so that any dirt is removed. You may want to do this several days ahead of the party, so the rock is completely dry and the paint won't interact with any residual water absorbed into the rock (some rocks are porous).
Depending on how much time you want to devote to this activity - you may want to base paint the rocks ahead of time with red acrylic paint. Red is a positive color in the Chinese culture. The red paint should be dried thoroughly before the next step. If you do not base paint the rocks ahead of the party, you can use a hair dryer during the party to speed the process up. Go on line and down load some Chinese characters and their meanings.
When the red paint is thoroughly dried, each guest can then paint an inspirational Chinese character on his rocks with black acrylic paint. Google "Chinese characters and meanings" for several lists of popular Chinese characters to use.
Once the stone is finished it should be left to cure before being sprayed with a clear varnish to protect the work. This varnish spraying task is best done by an adult in a well ventilated room. Once the varnish is dried, guests can take their rocks home. Humidity impacts the drying time of paints and varnish. In a worse case scenario, rocks can be delivered or sent after the party with the thank you notes.
Food: An excellent evening snack for this party is to serve Asian Food like fried rice and spring rolls. Your local Chinese restaurant can cater or you can make your own with these recipes for Chinese Fried Rice and Pacific Rim Egg Rolls. Don't forget the chop sticks and fortune cookies!
If your birthday child doesn't care for the Asian fare, try Crunchy Beijing Chicken Chunks with Peanut Sauce or Ninja Nugget Casserole with Tropical Fruit Kabobs. Or you can always fall back on perennial favorites like a Make Your Own Pizza Bar or Make Your Own Taco Bar. Have your little Kung Fu Masters wash the snacks down with Coke Floats.
Breakfast does not have to be complicated to be fun and tasty. Set up a Continental Breakfast Bar.
Cakes: The perfect cake for this party is a Martial Arts Jacket Cake. Click here for easy to follow instructions. If your birthday child does not like cake, set up an Ice Cream Sundae Bar. Or consider making S'Mores over an open fire, if your party goes outside to play Flashlight Tag. S'Mores can also be made inside in a microwave.
Favors: The painted rocks, karate head bands and temporary tattoos will make terrific favors. If you want to do more, consider Chinese-style take out boxes ($5.99 per dozen) for the containers. Fill them with ninja action figures, personalized bag tags ($1.99), stickers, temporary tattoos or fortune cookies.
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