Sixth Birthday

For your little boy or girl who is all grown up and turning 6, have him or her invite his or her best friends over for a campout. Make invitations to look like a campsite with a tent, campfire, and sleeping bags on them and be sure to mention for them to bring their pajamas, pillows, and sleeping bags. The decorations can be pretty simple: a table covered in camouflage fabric or burlap. Put out bowls with all kinds of snacks to cure the munchies at midnight: snack mix, chips, candy, cookies. Have an ice chest filled with soft drinks and water. The only thing kids can't do at their sixth birthday is playing online games. 

Set up a tent in the backyard and a place for the bonfire and put out lots of chairs around the bonfire. During the bonfire roast you can roast hotdogs for supper. For dessert, get graham crackers, marshmallows, and chocolate bars; roast the marshmallows over the bonfire and squeeze them between two graham crackers and one bar of chocolate for a mushy, delicious mess.

Keep the night exciting by having a scavenger hunt; hide several different campsite objects throughout the yard and have clues to find them. Another fun idea for this age group is to get a couple pillowcases at the dollar store and some permanent markers. Let the kids decorate their own pillowcase to remember their campout. For entertainment, tell ghost stories and see how many of them end up inside before it gets dark outside. Your cake should also go along with the campout theme, so be sure to have a tent, a bonfire, and a sleeping bag on it.