Super Heroes Birthday Party

My son wanted a super heroes theme for his 6th birthday party, and I thought I'd share some of the things I did for it. I started with Pinterest: my super heroes birthday board.



For the decorations, I used a lot of bright, basic colors, and my son's favorite heroes. I printed off Avengers letters from this site to make a "Happy Birthday" banner, and heroes faces from Google images to put on the banner of triangles. I buy cheap party supplies, such as streamers and banners, used, or when they're on sale, and keep them on hand, so I already had some brightly-colored decorations that would work well with the theme. I also had some spiral ribbon decorations already, so I printed off some comic-style exclamations to hang from them and used these as well.

I also made a simple, bright orange cake, and used brightly-colored tablecloths.

Also, at a kid's party, you need activities. We made masks and capes at the party:

 I used foam sheets and ribbon for the masks, and you can print a template for them here.

Here is the tutorial for making the capes, which are made with plastic tablecloths, ribbon, and tape.


The kids enjoyed making their outfit and then having their photo taken "flying" over the city, which only required a blue sheet and some construction paper.

The kids also caught the Joker (my husband) and tied him up with streamer, which led to a scavenger hunt, where the clues were written on joker cards.

We also set up an obstacle course in the back yard, and had a ball toss into a hulk box like this one, but I didn't get pictures.

Another fun part was the pinata, for which I wrote another blog entry here.

Last, but not least, are the invitations I created. I made good use of Google image search, and an open source version of MS Paint.

Green and cheap

There are plenty of resources out there to help you be more "green," but many of the suggested things to do are not so easy. For example, it's hard to justify paying twice as much for organic produce when you can hardly make your mortgage payment. There are still plenty of ways to be frugal and eco-friendly, some well known, others maybe not so much, but here are some I like:

• Use less: This can be applied to just about every aspect of living, and is almost always both "green" and cheaper. Ways to apply this include: don't buy more than you need, shorten showers, turn off/unplug electronics when not in use, line dry clothes, try sharing an entree next time you eat out, remember that even the little things can add up.
• Buy used: Whether it's furniture, clothes, or toys, you can usually find something that will work just as well and cost less if it's pre-owned. Obviously it won't work for everything, but when you choose to buy used instead of used, you're saving on materials, manufacture, and shipping, not to mention keeping the item out of land fills. Again, it will save money, too.
• Buy higher quality goods: Wait, doesn't that mean it will cost MORE? Not necessarily. Take time to do the math. If you're always using disposable dishes, or even cheap ones, it may end up costing you more in the long-run. Take into account how long it will last, and how much you're throwing out because it needs to be replaced.
• Repurpose and recycle: For young children, junk mail can be just as good as a coloring book; peanut butter jars are great for storing nuts and bolts; and a ramen noodle box happens to be the same depth as a kitchen cupboard. ;P  As for recycling, it doesn't cost you anything except a little effort. Most areas have a curbside recycling program; take a moment to figure out what is accepted. You can actually be paid to recycle metal, and oftentimes if an item is not taken at the curb, there is a drop-off location no too far away.
• Clean with fewer chemicals: This is not only green and cheap, but also healthier. It may be shocking to hear, but some things can just be wiped down with a damp rag. When you need to really clean though, I love baking soda; I use it to clean tubs, sinks, counter tops, and more. White vinegar is also good for cleaning. When and if you do buy chemicals, pay attention to labels.
• Grow your own food: This one I can't personally vouch for, (I can barely keep my house plants alive) but I've heard how great it can be. :)

I'm sure the list could go on, but that's all I've got for now, enjoy!