A Hyer Love: 2013

Henry's 5th Birthday Adventure!

"Mom you are going to be so excited I'm turning 5 your are going to cry!" Henry said to me a couple of days before his party. I didn't cry, but I am terribly fond of this little boy who has a whole lot of personality. I am very excited for all of the wonderful things that he has in store for him. Happy 5th birthday Henry!

This year we did not veer from the animal themed birthday party. He is completely obsessed with the television series on PBS kids entitled Wild Kratts. We are set to record this show everyday at 4pm to ensure that he doesn't miss a single episode. He has become an encyclopedia, just full of facts about all kinds of fascinating creatures. I love his passion and am actually quite fond of the show myself. If you haven't seen the show you will have to tune in, but for now let me share with you are Wild Kratt's Birthday Party...

The party would not be complete without creature power suits. (I made 11 of those babies and was sad I didn't make one for myself. ) I bought black t-shirts then cut off the sleeves and bottoms and ironed on the design. It was a little bigger of a project than I originally had anticipated, but well worth it. A special shout out to my mom for helping me cut everything out. We did 8 different creature power discs with an activity/game for each one. The creature power discs attach to the suit with Velcro. I found the discs online but then had to change a few to include Henry's favorite animals.

Henry and Nolan sporting there creature power suits and favorite creature power discs- the cheetah and kangaroo. Let me explain, in the show when the creature power disc is activated, the Creature Power Suit transforms the user into a clone of that animal, allowing them access to the animal's abilities.

After guests put on their creature power suits they were given clues to help them guess, and learn more about each amazing creature. The specific disc was then distributed and we were ready to...

"Activate Cheetah Power!"

A cheetah is the fastest runner on the planet. She can reach speeds of over 70 miles per hour. Her light body, long legs and super flexible backbone all help the cheetah cover lots of ground. And her claws and long tail help her keep her balance and traction when making high speed turns.

We played steal the cheetah tail, similar to steal the flag. Object of the game was to steal as many cheetah tails as possible. If yours got pulled you could keep playing. The game ended when all of the tails were pulled.

Even Grandma got in on the action!

"Activate Giraffe Power!"
Giraffes are the tallest animals in the world! Their long necks help them reach food in the highest branches of the tree.

We hung donuts from a tree and they had to strain their long necks in order to eat them without using their hands. My husband was so clever, he tied slip knots on each one so we could adjust the height just right for each little giraffe.

"Activate Kangaroo Power!"

Kangaroos are super jumpers! A kangaroo can reach speeds of over 35 miles an hour. They are able to cover more than 30 feet in a single leap and to are also able to jump more than 6 feet in the air!

We measured out 30 feet so they could see exactly how far a kangaroo could jump. Then they raced the distance to see how many hops it took them.

Nolan is still wearing his Cheetah tail.

"Activate Peregrine Falcon Power"

Peregrine falcons are expert hunters that prey on birds and bats in mid-flight. Peregrines hunt from above and after sighting their prey they drop into a "stoop" -a steep dive that can top 200 miles an hour making it the fastest animal in the world!

We practiced throwing our airplanes into a stoop. They do make bird airplanes, I found them online, but it cost too much for shipping so we settled for planes.

We then let them explore the next few animals and creature powers on their own in various stations.

"Activate Polar Bear Power!"

Polar bears live along shores and on sea ice in the icy cold Arctic. When sea ice forms over the ocean in cold weather, many polar bears, head out onto the ice to hunt seals. Polar bears have two-layers of fur, sharp claws and traction padded feet to help them live in the cold icy environment.

We made snow cones and played with magnetic ice. I froze magnets in ice cubes. We used our magnetic wands to move the ice around.

"Activate Largemouth Bass Power"

The largemouth bass is a warm water and weed loving apex predator of ponds and lakes in North America. They use their strong senses of sight, hearing, smell, and even vibration to find and capture their prey. Then gulp it down with their huge mouths.

We went fishing. I set out the magnetic fishing poles as well as the fishing nets.

"Activate Beaver Power!"

Beavers have the power to build! Their powerful teeth can chop down trees by biting right through them. That plus some incredible building know how, enables them to build dams as large as a mile long!

We filled the sensory table with sand and sticks, then set the table on a slant. We gave them a little water and a few measuring cups and they went to town building their beaver dam. Henry was very much in charge at this station. He knew exactly how the dam should be built.

"Activate Basilisk Power!"

Green basilisk lizards are part of the iguana family. They have an amazing ability-they can walk on water!

We attached pictures of basilisk lizards to our boats and raced the iguanas as they walked on water! If you haven't seen one of these creatures you will have to check it out. Here is a link: http://youtu.be/TvocwC_UVcg It is pretty incredible.

One little tip if you are going to try this party at home. You need something for the kids to keep all of their creature power discs in or all your hard work will be scattered every where. I just tied yarn to Ziploc sandwich bags and wrote their names on them. Worked like a charm.

Crazy Time!

Henry was covered in mud after working so hard on his beaver dam. No problem, he just took his shirt off. While I ran upstairs to get a clean shirt, Chris entertained guests with a dance party to the theme song of Wild Kratts.

Present Time!

Cake Time!

The Tortuga HQ Cake!

Each guest went home with their creature power suit, creature power discs and a party favor bag.

Complete with fun animal facts.

One Happy Birthday Boy!

The party was only the beginning of his birthday celebration. The next day was his actual birthday and we had a wonderful time.

Opening a few more presents.

Yeah! A Snorkel! Flippers!

He even ate his breakfast in his flippers.

We had fun swimming at Seven Peaks, going to his favorite restaurant for dinner and..

a surprise visit to Build a Bear from Aunt and Uncle Morby!

The red panda is endangered so was a perfect fit for Henry. He picked out a soccer outfit for his panda.

Even Nolan got in on the fun. He found a lovable little doggy.

Thanks Amy and Mitch!

A fun filled day was ended late in a sleep over attempt in the new teepee grandma and grandpa gave him. It didn't last long before they were sound asleep in their own beds. Maybe next time.

Happy 2nd Birthday Little Buddy!

We recently returned from a family vacation and as most vacations do, ours involved many different modes of transportation. Airplanes, buses, trains, cars, boats... you name it , we road it. Between this and of course the very amazing Cars Land at Disneyland, a new passion and interest was sparked for this little guy. So come ride along with us, and get a glimpse of Nolan's 2nd Birthday Transportation Party.

Welcome to NH Air, Road and Rail Lines. Guests were invited to visit the baggage check in area to receive their official train conductor hat and passport for the days events.

Nolan is anxiously waiting for the games to begin...

We played a few simple games:

Musical transportation card match (just like musical chairs except when the music stops, the rider must find their matching mode of transportation card).

We formed a train as we sang "Chugga choo choo choo toot toot while shaking our egg shakers and making a lap around the track. (The track was half road, half train track).

Red Light, Green Light. All passengers boarded a car or train for a thrilling round of red light, green light. Start your engines!

We then turned them loose for a race around the track. Watch out! Here they come around the corner, looks like Nolan is in the lead... but wait, Henry is moving in!

Then my favorite part...station time. There were four different stations set up. For each station they visited they got a corresponding sticker to put in their passport.

Car Station