Amazing Race Birthday Party

We had an awesome Amazing Race-ish 9th birthday party for my son and his friend!  I say Amazing Race-ish because we didn't follow the Amazing Race theme too closely.  Most of the kids weren't familiar with all of the specifics of the show but were familiar with the idea.  We mainly just tried to make it fun and wear them out!  It was a great party!

Invitation:
One of the fun things about this party was that we transported all of the kids from school to a nearby park right after school on a Friday.  The parents loved this!  And, almost all of the kids were able to come to the party because it was so easy and there were few conflicts on a Friday afternoon right after school.  We did have to be very organized to make sure we got all of the kids we were supposed to but it really turned out to be a great idea!  I made this invitation in Excel using some cute clip art that I purchased on Etsy HERE.

The Game:
Again, we did not try to make the game just like the Amazing Race TV show.  My son loathes losing and we didn't really want the kids going off in all directions on their own.  So, we decided to have them race as one team.  They were trying to complete all 10 clues in less than an hour.  (They barely did it!)  We did use the "Pit Stop" idea from the Amazing Race where they would return after completing each clue to receive the next clue.  The Pit Stop was easy to make with poster board and letters cut on my Silhouette.  This turned out to be a great idea too because the moms stayed at the Pit Stop to prepare the next clue if needed and the dads ran around with the kids!  Here were the rules of the game:

1. Everyone is a team.
2. They all must return to the "Pit Stop" mat after completing each clue to receive the next clue.
3. They are racing to complete all 10 clues together in less than an hour.
4. They must stay together and with an adult.
5. All friends must be in every picture.
6. Use your manners.
7. 5 minute penalty can be made if they are not following the rules.

We decided on our clues based on the layout of our park with many sports related clues because our boys love sports!  We also decided to include several clues that were pictures so we could get some awesome group pictures from the party!  Here were our clues:

1. Take a picture at the concession stand at the back of the ballpark.
2. Find a coin dated 2007 (the year they were born) at the bottom of a tree marked with a yellow ribbon.
3. Take a picture with a dog.
4. Pop balloons until you find one with this message inside: "Happy Birthday!"
5. Take a picture of everyone on the playground slide.
6. Everyone has to score a soccer goal against our goalie!
7. Take a picture in a baseball dugout.
8. Eat snacks out of small cups one at a time until you find the drawing of a balloon.
9. Take a picture in a gazebo wearing a mustache.
10. Find this baseball card in the pile: Coco Crisp.

Other clue ideas we had were: taking a picture on a bridge, taking a picture by a chalk drawing of a birthday cake, completing the dizzy bat game, completing a nature scavenger hunt, and finding a gnome.

I made the clue cards and put them in envelopes for the birthday boys to open!  You can download blank ones HERE to make your own clues!  The game was SO FUN and the kids were worn out!  They really loved it though!

Decorations & Party Favors:
I made an "Amazing Race" banner with my Silhouette.

 We gave everyone a black bandana to wear during the race.  They looked cute in the pictures! (It also helped the dads figure out who was with our group & who wasn't!)

At the end of the party, we gave everyone a water bottle.  I added their names on the bottles with blue vinyl cut by my Silhouette.  The gift tag said "Thanks for racing with us!" and can be downloaded HERE.

Food:
We kept it simple with pizza, cheese puffs, water, and cookie cake.

Thank Yous: I confess we didn't actually use these because I thought he was old enough to write his own thank yous!  But, I will share them in case you can use them!  Download page 1 HERE and page 2 HERE.

It really was one of the most fun and creative birthday parties we've ever done!  It was a blast!