It was difficult for Maya to think of what kind of party she wanted this year, since the Harry Potter Party last year was such a success. About two weeks prior, she thought perhaps a Percy Jackson party might be fun. This summer she devoured the Percy Jackson and the Olympian books by Rick Riordan, reading one each day and finishing the series within a week. I wasn't so sure -- I've read the books (and loved them), but didn't quite think that I could adapt the theme into much of a girls only party. But, I did my best and this is the result... THE INVITATION Percy is dyslexic, so it was fun to mix greek letters into the invitation to make it a bit harder to read. I then taped the papers onto dowels and hot glued some wooden knobs that I painted gold. Then I rolled them up into scrolls and sealed them with wax. Maya stamped the seal into them. I used black heat transfer and my Silhouette Portrait to cut and make the shirt. We delivered the invitation scrolls along with a Camp Half-Blood t-shirt for the girls to wear to the party. This was good because there was painting involved at the party. THE DECORATIONS Percy Jackson likes to eat blue food. His mom works in a candy shop and brings him blue candy. So that is why all the blue. Percy likes Blue Cherry Coke, but I opted for blue gatorade and was glad I did, because it was HOT outside. I found these mini Coca-Cola glasses and they were perfect. The book also talks about him loving blue jelly beans, blue taffy, and blue sour strings. Ambrosia was butterscotch pudding. The book says it tasted like popcorn pudding, but this worked! I got this horn from Target. I added a label to make it look like Percy donated it to Camp Half-Blood. I put some golden drachmas (chocolate coins) by the iris message (water). THE GAMES I posted a camp schedule and followed it pretty closely to keep the party on track. I also drew a map of Camp Half-Blood. Upon arrival the kids got divided into cabins. I had three cabins with three girls each (Athena, Artemis, and Aphrodite). Ethen was the only boy and in cabin Poseidon by himself. I made banners for each cabin and hung them on the back fence. They were made from foam sheets I got at Michaels. I cut symbols out of vinyl and when I put them on the fence, the heat of the sun melted the vinyl. I quickly took them down (it took only minutes before they were warped) and put some clear tape over them and that did the trick. I was dressed as Hera (GODDESS OF MARRIAGE, MOTHERS & FAMILY) Distinguishing Features: Usually prefers classic Greek dresses and a simple crown, though she can blend in as needed. She usually appears as a beautiful older woman, and enjoys turning into birds when she needs to hide or spy. She hangs out where family life is strongest: the car pool line at school, weekend soccer games, and birthday parties. As the goddess of family, Hera will be happy to pack your lunch or comb your hair or give you a ride to school, but don’t talk back to her. When Hera is mad, she doesn’t just ground you. She’s likely to smash you into the ground. I put descriptions like this of the Greek gods into a little booklet. I made golden drachmas that had the name of the cabin they were sorted into. They drew the coin out of a golden seashell. ARTS & CRAFTS (Forging a shield with Hephastus) They painted cake rounds. Most chose to decorate like their cabins. ARCHERY (with Apollo) Dave took 3 girls at a time and taught them to shoot arrows. They loved this part! I love this shot of Maya. The look on her face. Pink arrow flying free. FREEZE TAG (with Medusa) I picked up this mask at Target. LUNCH IN THE MESS HALL: I served fruit and veggie platters and the food of the gods: barbeque (pulled pork sandwiches). SWORD AND SHIELD TECHNIQUE (with Clarisse) I bought this crazy pinata and modified it into a minotaur with white underwear. I laughed at how funny it turned out but the kids LOVED it. They battled it with Riptide. I made a pen and sword with Anaklysmos written on it in gold foil. They really got into this. Maya hacked off a horn and I thought it was fitting. I didn't fill it with candy. But they didn't care. They ripped it to shreds. Somehow my camera got switched to the wrong setting in all the mayhem. I am bummed, because this part was hilarious as they all tackled the poor thing to the ground. They each took a piece as a spoil of war. THE CAKE: They came inside for some healing nectar and some cake. I put Zeus' lightning bolt into a blue cake topped with white cloud whipped cream. It was yummy. CLOSING CEREMONY: I donned each girl with a golden laurel (a gold headband I got at Forever21) and they each got a camp bead symbolizing their first year at Camp Half-Blood with a Poseidon symbol on it. CHARIOT RACES: They raced Razor Rip Riders until their parents came to pick them up. A place to leave their burnt offerings.
