Originally last year my son's 6th party was going to be a Pirate Party. I had it all planned out, but it didn't eventuate. Anyway, what I was going to do was have a Treasure hunt, where they had to work out clues on where to go. Eg: go to where the car is parked (garage), go to where water comes from (tap), find the yellow flowers (I have one bush with yellow flowers). At each of these places, they had to do an activity. One was painting plaster, one was icing patty cakes, one was a plank of wood or piece of rope that they had to walk along (walk the plank) etc. After completing each activity there would be a little prize given if they hadn't done something tangible like icing the cake.

Before all of this started, each child had a shoe box or similar. There was a heap of collage material and glue and sticky tape, and they had to decorate their own "Treasure Chest".

After each activity was completed, they would get a little prize to put in their chest. Plaster, patty cake etc. I had planned about 6 stations all up.At the end of the 2 hours, this was their party bag with goodies to take home. Of course there was a lolly hunt as well at the end, so that they could have extra lollies etc.

Of course this means that there has to be a parent supervisor with each little group (great way to make use of those parents that stay). I adapted most of this for the party he did have. Some helped get the food ready, while all the activity was going on.

So that will be this years birthday party. Just let your imagination run wild. I have included a link to the advice I did do, for the party I did have.

The obvious would be a treasure hunt. Write clues or draw a map & singe the edges of the paper to give it a more authentic look. You have 12 kids, so do teams of 3 or 4.

I don't know the name of this one, but will describe.. mark an area to be a river (I use skipping ropes), one rope at either end of the 'river'. Play music - the children walk around a given area, walking through the river. When the music stops, whoever is in the river is out. Continue til one person left, ie the winner.

Make or buy a pirate pinata. To make one, use paper mache around a balloon, decorate as a pirate face. Remember to leave a hole in the top to fill with goodies.

http://www.amazingmoms.com/htm/party.pirate.htm

http://www.littlekidsgamesonline.com/pirate-party-games.html

There's some great games & other things on these sites. Have fun!

Anything to do with Captain Feathersword...??? Dancing to Wiggles songs type stuff? Or musical chairs with that music?

"pass the parcel" but instead of being a parcel it's a treasure chest with little lucky-dip type packages they get to open?

There was a game we used to play as kids called "Walk the plank" when I was about that age, but I can't remember anything about it for the life of me other than someone would call out starboard, port, walk the plank, hoist the sails, land ahoy, etc; and we had to act like we were doing things and run from one side of the room to the other....??? Maybe someone else can remember how it goes better, or you could make up a game using that info to extrapolate from?

Pin the eye patch on the pirate, treasure hunt-using the chocolate coins,