Scavenger Activities
There are two ways you can organize the scavenger hunt for this party:
- Groups of kids scavenge for identical baking ingredients, and each group makes a cake.
- Or each group searches out some of the ingredients, then cooperatively pools the ingredients and bakes one cake.
Whatever your party plan, make sure you have plenty of cake ingredients on hand to replace spills or mishaps.
Divide party-goers into groups of four. Add a chaperone for each team, and send them into the neighborhood to race against the other teams. Give each group a shopping bag with handles, a list of food items the group needs to gather as well as items that will be used for a craft project (more about this below).
It's a good idea to let your neighbors know about your event and give them advance notice when to expect the kids. Limit items collected from each house to one food item and one nonfood item. Some of the food items in the list have rounded-up measurements to make collecting easy, but we assume that all ingredients will be measured accurately when the mixing occurs.
Scavenger Hunt List
For each cake:
- Flour, about 2 cups
- Strawberry-flavored gelatin, 1 package (3 ounces)
- Baking soda, about 1 heaping teaspoon
- Salt, about 1 teaspoon
- Fruit punch, about 1 cup
- Vegetable oil, about 1/2 cup
- Vanilla, about 1 teaspoon
- 1 egg
For each team:
- 1 paper plate
- 1 paper clip
- 1 rubber band
- 1 sticky note
- 1 penny
- 1 button
- 1 pen cap
- 1 paper cup
Provide each chaperone with a disposable camera to capture all the fun. You can have the pictures developed at a 1-hour photo shop after the scavengers return and let the party-goers keep them as fun reminders of the party!
Party Aprons
Buy inexpensive child-size white or solid-colored fabric aprons, or make them from a bargain white sheet. Write the party date on the aprons with fabric markers, and have each guest autograph with their names as well as a "happy birthday" or "best friends" wish for each child. Rubber stamps with fabric stamp pads can also be used. Kids take home the aprons as a party memento. Include a copy of the cake recipe and a mixing spoon for an extra memento.
Crafty Kids
While the cake is cooling, bring on the All-American Snack Mix, the juice and the crafts. Challenge each group to create a collage with their shopping bag, the nonfood items collected and other selected craft items you may want to offer. Have the kids talk about their collages, and award prizes to all for their creativity.
Party Pictures