Aaron's Jedi Training Camp Party

Despite the fact that Aaron has never actually seen any of the Star Wars movies, when I asked him what kind of party he wanted for his 5th birthday, without hesitation he said, "Star Wars!" It never ceases to amaze me how every boy age 3 and up seems to instictively know who Darth Vader, Luke Skywalker, and even Princess Leia are, despite having never actually seen the movies. I credit various Lego tie-ins and video games for the obvious familiarity, although ironically, Aaron really doesn't have any of those things, either. However, the 4 best friends that Aaron had at his party today certainly know all about Legos and video games and have generously shared their wisdom with their less-experienced friend. So, a Star Wars-themed party it was--and our Jedi Training Camp was a huge success!

After arriving at the Training Camp, Jedi Master Coombs introduced them to the first of their training missions--finding their Light Sabers. Following a trail of carefully placed clues throughout the house, the 5 Padawans soon found their weapons and were thrilled to try them out on one another. Jedi Master Coombs had his hands full trying to teach them the "Jedi Rules of Conduct," such as "Only hit the light saber, not the person," and "No head shots!" Luckily, we started with 5 boys and ended with 5 boys, so no young Jedis were harmed too much in the exercise.

The Jedis-in-training were then taken outside for some target practice with captured Storm Trooper pistols (aka Jon's airsoft guns)--the 5 boys did remarkably well, and since the goal was hitting a target and not each other, this activity seemed slightly less likely to inflict any harm on anyone.

Following all of this training, it was time to see how well they could use the Force by playing a "Pin the Tail On the Donkey"-like game where the object was hitting various Imperial ships while blindfolded. While all managed to hit at least one target, Colton was the final winner, having managed to secure the most points in the exercise. Way to use the force, Colton!

Finally, all their training for the day was put to good use as they battled it out against the Death Star--a candy-filled pinata that succumbed to the obvious skills of the newest Jedi Masters.

Once the Death Star was eliminated, the young Jedis headed to base camp to fill up on pizza, grapes, and chocolate cupcakes--favorite foods of all newly-trained Jedi.

The party turned out great and everyone had a wonderful time. I have to admit, though, that throwing a party for boys is MUCH different than throwing a girl party. Despite the fact that Aaron's party only had 5 boys in attendance, it was 10 times crazier than Sarah's Princess party last April, where 9 little girls and Aaron attended. But despite the overabundance of Jedi energy, we all survived our day of Jedi training and loved every minute of it.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, AARON!!!