Holy Party, Batman!!

My little guy turned four a couple weeks ago, and since he's obsessed with superheroes, we thought nothing less than a big superhero birthday party would do. He invited some of his friends over and asked them each to dress up in superhero costumes and have a pseudonym ready. The moms did a great job at cooperating in this request. All of the boys came ready in great costumes and had their super names picked out.

Here's my little 4 year old. He was 'The Magician'.

front door. (Superhero Headquarters)

We couldn't let just anybody enter. We had to check their identity.



After each superhero was checked, they were given a name tag with their super name on it, and a mask that i made out of some of Hubba's old shirts. I made some black and some red. (The Magician is wearing his mask in the second pic from the top.) Very simple. Just cut out the shape you want (about three inches wide for over the eyes, and then taper to the ends where you'll be tying it behind the head). Check on your child's head to make sure it fits and mark a good spot to cut slits for the eyes. Use that as a template for the rest. It's easier if you cut on the fold.

When every superhero was cleared, they were free to enter the training facility. I used some action figures for decorations, balloons in good comic book colors, posters, and signs that I made with masking tape and spray paint. There's also a basket with some extra costume pieces and props, if any of the boys wanted to add to their costume.

I re-cycled one of the fabric banners I made for baby g's second birthday in February,

and I also re-used the mini paper banner I made for the 40s party. (sorry the picture is SO dark) I used white yarn on a red tablecloth to make a spiderweb. I also used some tempura paint for the web (last minute change- I had intended to use yarn all around but it seemed easier to just paint the inside).

More action figures decorated the table. I set them up in a circle with a small boquet of balloons in the middle. For our 'power lunch' we had Doc Oct Dogs (cut one end of a hot dog into eight sections, boil, and the tenticles will curl), Two-Face Dip (Ranch and Hummus with pita crackers and veggies), Catwoman's Claws (Bugles), Superman's Power Punch (Red Hawaiian Punch, pineapple sherbert, and Sprite), and Green Goblin Juice (Green Hawaiian Punch, lime sherbert, and Sprite).



After lunch it was time for training. We tested the superheroes on strength, endurance, agility, and marksmanship: all qualities of the best superheroes.

marksmanship: throw water balloons at a chalk 'X' on the ground

agility: dodge and karate chop pillows (we hung them over the basketball hoop outside)

strength: lift 2 tons. I couldn't do it, but these superheroes were SO strong (broomstick and 1 ton bricks made with cardboard boxes and paint)

endurance: obstacle course set up in the living room

After passing each test, they got a badge (sticker) then it was time to tackle the task at hand. We blew up a balloon for each superhero (everyone had a different color signifying a different superhero: red/the flash, green/green lantern, gold/iron man, etc.). The boys let their balloons go and whoever's landed the closest to me got to lead the group.

They set off to find Dr. Doom, guarded with silly string, poppers, and snaps. They knew he always wore black and ate green goo, so that's what they looked for. On the way they found green spots on the ground (the ever popular cornstarch and water trick, with green food coloring), and a swatch of black fabric. They knew they were going in the right direction. They found him hiding under a stairwell and attacked.

After defeating Dr. Doom they took the stolen treasure (which he was guarding) and looked inside.

There was a favor bag for each of them with their own initial on it. They were filled with candy, a Spiderman pencil, box of crayons (we got for .20 at Wal-Mart, thanks to Petunia's eye for a good deal), stickers (C already had a big book of Spiderman stickers so I used the utility knife to cut a few out for each bag), and a box of snaps to remind them of their defeat over Dr. Doom. We also printed out coloring pages from Marvel.com but they didn't make it into the bags. Long story.

I used brown lunch sacks, and Hubba made a stencil for each of the initials using contact paper, black spray paint, and a utility knife. We actually have this kind of stuff lying around the house (we always have big Halloween parties and have collected a lot of random craft items over the years). Then I sealed each bag with a Spiderman sticker on the back.

We celebrated Dr. Doom's defeat with Mr. Freeze Dance. We played the Batman theme song and they froze in place every time the music stopped.

Everything seemed fine until we noticed Dr. Doom had planted a bomb in the Training Facility!! No need to be scared, though. The Magician had everything under control. He extinguished the fire with his magic breath.

I used a scallop punch, circle punch, spiderman stickers, red, white, and blue cardstock, mod podge, and toothpicks to make some cute little decorations for the cupcakes. I made a couple word bubbles with newspaper and paint too.

It was a fun little party. I just loved seeing the excitement on the little superheroes' faces as they recieved badges, defeated the villian and celebrated with dancing and treats! Oh, so cute!!