This afternoon we had Henry's birthday party, with a "knights" theme. I think it went pretty well, although it teetered on the edge of chaos more than once. No one was seriously injured, no one's feelings seemed too badly hurt, and a lot of cake was eaten.
This is Sir Daniel, calling a halt to the knights on horseback. We outfitted the kids in armor, belts, shields, and Michael even made wooden swords which were awesome. Except we had not thought through the concept of arming several 5-7 year olds with wooden swords. We had to quietly hide them away about halfway through.
We'd asked the kids to bring a scooter or a bike, and the knights made two crusades around the block. There was a minor injury when Daniel wiped out on his bike, and the younger kids got left behind by the older ones, but all the knights did return safely to the house eventually.
We had a tournament, of course, featuring Tests of Skill, Speed, and Strength ("The three S's!" Daniel shouted.) Here is Michael setting up for the Test of Skill, knocking bottles over with a ball. (I had wanted to have a joust with foam pool noodles, giving each kid a target on his chest, but luckily Michael talked me out of it.)
And then, cake. These kids were definitely big, loud, and fast, and Michael and I decided we can't really do this again next year the same way. We just barely kept everyone in one piece, and by 4:30 I was anxiously watching the moments tick by slowly, waiting for parents to come take these children away before someone fell out of a tree or broke an arm (one boy did fall in the pond). Maybe a playground party next year?
This afternoon we had Henry's birthday party, with a "knights" theme. I think it went pretty well, although it teetered on the edge of chaos more than once. No one was seriously injured, no one's feelings seemed too badly hurt, and a lot of cake was eaten.
This is Sir Daniel, calling a halt to the knights on horseback. We outfitted the kids in armor, belts, shields, and Michael even made wooden swords which were awesome. Except we had not thought through the concept of arming several 5-7 year olds with wooden swords. We had to quietly hide them away about halfway through.
We'd asked the kids to bring a scooter or a bike, and the knights made two crusades around the block. There was a minor injury when Daniel wiped out on his bike, and the younger kids got left behind by the older ones, but all the knights did return safely to the house eventually.
We had a tournament, of course, featuring Tests of Skill, Speed, and Strength ("The three S's!" Daniel shouted.) Here is Michael setting up for the Test of Skill, knocking bottles over with a ball. (I had wanted to have a joust with foam pool noodles, giving each kid a target on his chest, but luckily Michael talked me out of it.)
And then, cake. These kids were definitely big, loud, and fast, and Michael and I decided we can't really do this again next year the same way. We just barely kept everyone in one piece, and by 4:30 I was anxiously watching the moments tick by slowly, waiting for parents to come take these children away before someone fell out of a tree or broke an arm (one boy did fall in the pond). Maybe a playground party next year? 
1 comment:
WHEW-EEE. Happy Birthday, Henry!! Glad your party was full of thrills. IT SOUNDED LIKE IT WOULD BE! Auntie Grace
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