Brett's ROBOT Birthday Party

Brett turned 7 this week! We had a Robot themed Birthday Party for him on Saturday. It was so fun! I went to the biggest party supply place I know of (U.S. Toy) & they didn't have anything "robot" in the entire store. So I had to get real creative... which isn't a problem. I'm always up for a creative challenge! :) I've already posted a picture of the invitations I made... but here it is again.

I had been saving this kind of stuff for weeks.

UPC bar codes, lids, parts of packaging, maps, boxes, anything that remotely looked "robotic" I kept. I made the robot as the centerpiece with various scraps... 2 boxes, a coffee canister, parts from store hangers (all spray-painted), stickers, lids, a reflector & dryer ducting. I have had robots on my mind for so long, I'll have to "re-wire" my brain now that the robot party is over. :) The other day I [seriously] tried on a yogurt box at the grocery store. I had to explain to a woman that saw me that we were having a robot party after she watched me excitedly drape the cardboard with cut out circles across my chest.

But it was all worth it. A total of 16 kids (between 19 months & 7) were here to celebrate Brett's Birthday with us. This was our 1st party in awhile where we opted not to get a bounce house. Instead, I planned 2 activities & the kids enjoyed the swing set, a game of kickball, etc. And of course lots of snacks, drinks & cake. Items on the menu included: cheese, crackers & sausage, veggies & dip, Transformer fruit snacks, Chex Mix (thought it looked like nuts & bolts), pretzel rods, licorice, water, soda & juice boxes (which the robot stored). Instead of a table cloth I used two of Kyle's old flight maps.

One of the activities was a craft project (are you surprised I made the kids get artsy?) where the kids got to make their own robots. I had found these "people" cut-outs at U.S. Toy and just cut the head to be a square. Then the kids got to decorate with glue, stickers, pipe cleaners, google eyes, foam shapes & all my "scraps" pictured above.

Then we did the much-anticipated (by me) ROBOT RELAYS. (Kyle demonstrated)

I made 2 robot costumes for the 2 teams. I spray painted anything that didn't move... or at least I know it looks that way. :) I decorated the chest plates with some of my scraps I had collected, stickers, etc. We bought some dryer connector ducting to use as arms (and tucked the wire on each end down with some electrical tape so no one would get stuck). The Robot Relay was so fun... definitely a hit with the kids.

I made a robot cake [from scratch]. I normally buy them, but I made my own this year - knowing it'd be an easy one to do & this way I'd have more control over the finished product. I made a 9x12 cake for the body & one 8x8 for the head. I dyed the icing 'til it was a nasty gray. Then I just went crazy with the candy.

I had sooooo much fun with this theme (in case you can't tell). Oh & this was in the kids' goody bags... some glasses (punk rock or robot - tough call, but I thought it looked robot-y), a metallic slap bracelet... and of course some candy.

Happy 7th Birthday, Bretty Brett!!! :)