A birthday adventure. Need ideas!
December 4, 2022 11:31 AM Subscribe
I want to construct a birthday adventure for a creative kid.
The grandkid's 11th birthday is coming up very soon. They like to role-play and love adventure. Their interests also include drawing, animals, biology, science, Legos, Minecraft, Polytopia, Squishmallows, martial arts, strength training, pranks and being silly.
A couple of years ago we were doing a lot of sword fighting and pirate play. I created a scenario based on a couple of our pirate characters for the birthday adventure.
This is the way it went: A scuffle was heard outside. The captain dropped his hat and a message on the porch while fleeing the scene. The note said that the opposing pirate captain was after the treasure. Our captain was entrusting his treasure to birthday kid for safekeeping. We had to follow clues to eventually find a map, a key and the treasure box. Gifts were also found along the way. It was quite exciting, so much fun!
Pirates made for a pretty easy setup. I'm having trouble thinking of what to do this year. Last year was a hunt for presents with a few clues. Not too exciting. The pirate story made a big difference.
This is not a party with other kids, just a small family gathering. So, Mefites, I need ideas for scenarios that could lead us on an adventure. Thanks!
The grandkid's 11th birthday is coming up very soon. They like to role-play and love adventure. Their interests also include drawing, animals, biology, science, Legos, Minecraft, Polytopia, Squishmallows, martial arts, strength training, pranks and being silly.
A couple of years ago we were doing a lot of sword fighting and pirate play. I created a scenario based on a couple of our pirate characters for the birthday adventure.
This is the way it went: A scuffle was heard outside. The captain dropped his hat and a message on the porch while fleeing the scene. The note said that the opposing pirate captain was after the treasure. Our captain was entrusting his treasure to birthday kid for safekeeping. We had to follow clues to eventually find a map, a key and the treasure box. Gifts were also found along the way. It was quite exciting, so much fun!
Pirates made for a pretty easy setup. I'm having trouble thinking of what to do this year. Last year was a hunt for presents with a few clues. Not too exciting. The pirate story made a big difference.
This is not a party with other kids, just a small family gathering. So, Mefites, I need ideas for scenarios that could lead us on an adventure. Thanks!
What about something that could work with the sort of simple experiments you might find in a science kit for kids, which would also in that case be a present? You could set up a scenario with messages telling them to perform experiments (e.g., "mix these things and then take the pH of the solution") to find answers to decode a message or something? They could be working to save the earth, or find the formula before the evil corporation/government/scientist/whatever gets it, or something like that?
posted by LadyOscar at 12:58 PM on December 4, 2022
posted by LadyOscar at 12:58 PM on December 4, 2022
This is basically the setup for an escape room only you have more room to work with. Browsing websites for those may give you ideas. A friend of mine transformed my basement into the Titanic for a mystery game like this for his daughter, but that's probably too close to pirates. They had to escape before, well, the expected.
posted by cobaltnine at 1:01 PM on December 4, 2022
posted by cobaltnine at 1:01 PM on December 4, 2022
Best answer: Go camping and use a Yeti or animal or ghostly woodsman theme.
Do people still do scavenger hunts? Going to houses in your neighborhood and asking for items on a list? I suppose you could even set up scenarios ahead of time if you have friendly neighbors.
Spies, maybe you could utilize martial arts here.
Indiana Jones. Maybe enacted at the local natural history museum.
How about one at the zoo tracking down poachers or collecting animals for a magical menagerie. Use plastic animals to magically shrink the animals so they get to keep them. They would have to find the magic ring/wand/stone/incantation to achieve the shrinking. Definitely include their favorite animals.
Temporary tattoos might be a fun thing to use in some way. They have some amazing ones these days.
posted by BoscosMom at 1:08 PM on December 4, 2022
Do people still do scavenger hunts? Going to houses in your neighborhood and asking for items on a list? I suppose you could even set up scenarios ahead of time if you have friendly neighbors.
Spies, maybe you could utilize martial arts here.
Indiana Jones. Maybe enacted at the local natural history museum.
How about one at the zoo tracking down poachers or collecting animals for a magical menagerie. Use plastic animals to magically shrink the animals so they get to keep them. They would have to find the magic ring/wand/stone/incantation to achieve the shrinking. Definitely include their favorite animals.
Temporary tattoos might be a fun thing to use in some way. They have some amazing ones these days.
posted by BoscosMom at 1:08 PM on December 4, 2022
Wow, I can't believe I just used "he" in all that. Could someone please go back and change all those to them and they? I've used all my edit window time on spelling corrections.
posted by BoscosMom at 1:21 PM on December 4, 2022
posted by BoscosMom at 1:21 PM on December 4, 2022
Oop, sorry, I did the same! I think I got confused on who "his hat" belonged to.
posted by LadyOscar at 2:25 PM on December 4, 2022
posted by LadyOscar at 2:25 PM on December 4, 2022
How much prep are you up for? Get up to the Butte Creek Eco Center and hide 10 bits of random Lego kit (each with a stick-on letter) such as you might acquire in an computer scavenger game: axe, water-bottle, the head of Han Solo as a baby, wheels for a dune buggy, pirate hat for old time's sake . . . when the items are all collected, the letters spell D EE OO S T RRR and kidder gets box of Lego and a soda if and only if they say the correct password to the staff at 9414 Midway. Okay skip the bits of Lego and write the letters on A♥-10♥ and hide them in plain sight along the river and in the trees. Me, I'd get some tree IDs, Latin names and GPS coords involved too.
posted by BobTheScientist at 3:11 PM on December 4, 2022
posted by BobTheScientist at 3:11 PM on December 4, 2022
Mod note: Attempted to fix pronouns! Hopefully didn't miss any!
posted by Eyebrows McGee (staff) at 6:37 PM on December 4, 2022
posted by Eyebrows McGee (staff) at 6:37 PM on December 4, 2022
Try a 'puzzle hunt' - start with a clue they have to figure out, the answer to which leads them to where the next clue is. Do as many as you think they can handle. We did that one year for two bright kids (at Easter, I think) and they really enjoyed it.
posted by TimHare at 7:31 PM on December 4, 2022
posted by TimHare at 7:31 PM on December 4, 2022
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posted by alchemist at 11:46 AM on December 4, 2022