Pirate treasure hunt has fantastic feedback

Hi Nikki,

I just wanted to let you know that we had our Pirate Party this past Saturday and had 160 in attendance. We followed your suggestion of only having the 6 stations, making sure to have enough room and supplies for two teams to be at any given port at one time. Because of the size of our party and the broad range of age groups from 4 to 15, we slightly modified the activities at some of the ports, and the party went splendidly following your schedule. Each color team had an arm or headband in their team color and the team carried a team flag which we affixed to 5-ft sticks (so if anyone had to take a break to go to the bathroom they could easily find their team flag when they came back into the room.)

As each guest arrived we gave them their arm/headband based on the child's age, then sent them to the tattoo parlor for a fake tattoo. We had a professional photographer ready to take individual photos, then fed them a nautical lunch of fish sticks, macaroni and cheese, and tator tots, following by dirt cups (choc pudding with crushed Oreo on top and a gummy worm stuck in) and also pirate cookies. Once everyone finished eating, our team leaders held their flags high in the air so all of the participants could find their team and then the fun began.

We gave out a puzzle piece at each port once the team completed each activity, and once they finished all, they put their puzzle together. The little ones' puzzle gave a simple clue to directly go to find their treasure. The older kids puzzle was the first clue in a series of clues that led to their treasure. We had a different treasure location for each color team.

The feedback on Monday at work was unbelievable. Everyone had a fantastic time. The parents loved it too and still say 'ARRRRR' to me every time they pass me at work. Parents said the kids were thrilled with their treasure bags and most did not want to take off their pirate outfits when they got home. Our next party will be a Halloween party in October. I don't know how we are going to top this one!

Our photographer took over 300 pictures at the party and we get them back tomorrow. I can't wait!

A million thanks!

Judy McEvoy, New York USA

More details on a great Pirate Treasure Hunt here