{"id":6886,"date":"2017-02-22T06:00:52","date_gmt":"2017-02-22T11:00:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.elfster.com\/?p=6886"},"modified":"2023-02-10T14:02:56","modified_gmt":"2023-02-10T19:02:56","slug":"diy-minecraft-party-ideas-awesomely-interactive-gamer-boys-birthday-without-screens","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.elfster.com\/blog\/2017\/02\/22\/diy-minecraft-party-ideas-awesomely-interactive-gamer-boys-birthday-without-screens\/","title":{"rendered":"DIY Minecraft Party Ideas for an Interactive Gamer Boy\u2019s Birthday Without Screens"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The Minecraft craze makes for explosive parties | Image courtesy flick\u2019r user nottinghamgamecity<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The surprise of creating a pickaxe, or mining your first ore. Figuring out how to light your first fire. Discovering the meat explosion that comes from a pig. Realizing how to swim\u2014and learning never to dig straight down. These are my favorite memories of Minecraft when I started playing the beta version back in 2010.<\/p>\n

Enderman didn\u2019t exist back then, we didn\u2019t have guidebooks<\/a> on how to build everything, and we had to learn how to make our own torches all by ourselves. We built our own servers and played on safe mode because we died from the creepers every single night<\/i>. Oh, how times have changed.<\/p>\n

Since then, the game has become a toy, party, and tech phenomenon beyond my wildest dreams. When I was asked to help plan a Minecraft birthday party for the kids I babysit, I jumped at the chance. Together, we came up with party decor, treats, and activities to turn their home into a mini gamer boys\u2019 paradise.<\/p>\n

Creating the World of Minecraft in Your Living Room<\/h4>\n
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DIY Minecraft balloons | Image courtesy Etsy seller KTsCreations<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

9-year-olds become immersed in a video game world because of the details, so tap into this tendency with your party decor. You can spend a fortune on premade Minecraft decorations, but the homemade versions are even more impressive (and cheaper).<\/p>\n

From hanging purple streamers in a doorway to mark the Nether Portal, to adding white electrical tape squares on your windows to imitate the look of glass blocks, it\u2019s easy to discover the \u201cperfect seed\u201d at home.<\/p>\n

Looking for an easy DIY that will help tie all your decorations together? I had a lot of fun crafting Minecraft-style balloons for my little friends to ooh and aah over. I picked up about 20 latex balloons in common Minecraft colors, including lots of green, from the party store and had them filled with helium. Using some of the acrylic paint I had leftover from our Valentine\u2019s day craft party, I went to town with a foam brush painting creeper, ghost, and pig faces\u2014along with a healthy sprinkling of red TNT balloons. Create any other mobs that strike your fancy and allow the paint to dry before tying them around the party space. The kids will have so much fun with the creeper-face balloons, it\u2019s so worth your time!<\/p>\n

Restoring Little Gamers\u2019 Health (and Hunger)<\/h4>\n

Along with some basic party food classics like pizza, chips, and candies, you\u2019ll want to add in some themed elements as well. Set the table with a grass-green tablecloth, black square plates, and splurge on some pixelated napkins<\/a> to tie everything together.<\/p>\n

Take care of those hit points by setting out red stone strawberries or lava punch. While the mini-Steves are working on their party craft, you can offer them a sweet snack that\u2019s easy, inexpensive, delicious, and impressively on-theme. The birthday boy might have to take off his creeper mask, but these grass block-inspired Rice Krispie treats are worth at least 4 hearts.<\/p>\n

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(Mine)crafting kids | Image courtesy flick\u2019r user nottinghamgamecity<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Ingredients:<\/b><\/p>\n