Mystery-themed parties are always a hit with kids. The stories keep
them mentally engaged, while the clue hunts keep them physically
active. Mystery parties are fun to put together too, so let your child be
involved in the creative planning. Here are two popular mystery party
themes to get you started—a Nancy Drew party for girls and a Crime
Scene Investigation (CSI) party for boys.
Intriguing Invitations
Nancy Drew Party:
Make "top-secret" invitations for each guest. Fold
a six- by nine-inch manila envelope in half and write the party details
inside using a fancy computer font. Decorate the envelope with
stickers and stamp imprints featuring flashlights, skeleton keys,
footprints and other mystery-themed decals. Fill the pocket with
additional party fun, such as a small magnifying glass, a notebook and
a puzzling clue and then mail them to your sleuthing chums.
CSI Party:
Make file folder invitations, filled with a fake lab report
that contains the party details such as, "Crime Scene Location: 123
Grissom Drive." Place them in large manila envelopes, make your own
"Top Secret: For Your Eyes Only" stickers for the outside, and mail
them to your CSI team. Better yet, send them a ransom note
invitation made by pasting letters cut from magazines and
photocopying it.
Costumes
Nancy Drew Party:
Make T-shirts with ironed-on silhouettes of Nancy Drew
(which can be downloaded from the Internet) and pass them out to
the guests when they arrive. Ask guests to dress as detectives in
trench coats and hats, or choose a Nancy Drew mystery and have
them come as a character from the story. Give them necklaces with
magnifying glasses, flashlights or skeleton keys attached.
CSI Party:
Have the CSI team members come as a favorite character from
the show. Provide them with T-shirts featuring ironed-on CSI logos to
wear when they arrive. Give them badges and small crime scene kits.
Decorations
Nancy Drew Party:
Choose an era from a Nancy Drew mystery and
decorate to suit. Nancy's favorite color is blue, so fill the room with
blue helium balloons and use blue paper products. Put together a
sleuth kit filled with a flashlight, magnifying glass, compass,
disposable camera, notebook, pencil, disguise and other mystery-solving
accessories. Print out quotes from the books, such as "Hypers!
Watch out, Nancy!" as wall signs. Set out Nancy Drew books and
objects mentioned in the stories, such as an old clock or secret diary.
CSI Party:
Create a crime scene using crime scene tape, and outline a
"body" on the floor with masking tape. Lay out several "weapons" as
clues, such as a rubber knife, candlestick, rope or a lead pipe. Make
"Wanted" posters of the suspects (perhaps the guests' photos ) and
tape them to the walls. Write clues on small pieces of paper, roll them
up and insert them into uninflated latex helium balloons. Inflate the
balloons using a Balloon Time Helium Balloon Kit and tie them at
various spots around the house to be used later as a game.
Games and Activities
Nancy Drew Party:
Girl Sleuth Kits: Make your own Nancy Drew Sleuthing Kits, filled
with lipstick pens, cute notebooks, Morse code cards, disguises, fake
ID cards and other sleuthing necessities. Have the sleuths practice
their skills by writing "SOS" backwards with the lipstick pen, tapping
out Morse code with their heels, and disguising themselves to follow
nefarious criminals.
Solve a Mystery: Choose a popular Nancy Drew mystery and turn it
into a mini-mystery for the sleuths. For example, if you choose "Secret
of The Old Clock", make a will, hide it in an old clock and write clues
that lead to the hidden will—along with some surprises! Place the clues
in blue helium balloons and tie them to designated sites. Have the
sleuths try to find the first clue hidden inside the helium balloon. Give
each sleuth a different accessory to use, such as a flashlight for a dark
closet, a magnifying glass for a clue written in fine print and so on.
CSI Party:
Crime Scene Investigation Kits: Create tech kits filled with
fingerprint (baby) powder, tape (for lifting prints), magnifying glasses,
tweezers, disposable cameras, baggies and other materials. Let the
CSI techs practice lifting prints, searching for fibers and taking
pictures.
Solve a Crime: Set up a crime scene filled with clues that lead to a
solution, much like the television show. For example, perhaps a circus
clown has disappeared, leaving behind only a squirting flower, a hand
buzzer and a bouquet of colorful balloons. The guests must figure out
where the first clue is (hidden inside a helium balloon), then follow the
clue-filled balloon trail to the solution. Having a real clown hiding in a
closet could be a surprising way for your investigators to solve the
mystery.
Refreshments
Nancy Drew Party:
Serve Nancy's favorite foods, such as Leaning Chimney
Lemon Bars, Shadow Ranch Strawberry Shortcake, or Lilac Inn
Luncheon Sandwiches. Don't forget her signature drinks—herb tea or
hot cocoa. Have a bakery decorate a cake featuring a Nancy Drew
book cover.
CSI Party:
Gil Grissom loves bugs, so serve the kids sandwiches topped with
gummy bugs. For dessert, give the techs cupcakes covered with
crushed chocolate cookies to look like dirt, then add gummy worms.
Serve drinks in beakers with ice cubes that contain gummy critters.
Favors, Prizes, and Gifts
Nancy Drew Party:
Give the girls copies of the latest Nancy Drew mystery,
their Sleuth Kits or "The Official Nancy Drew Handbook," which offers
sleuthing tips for girls of all ages.
CSI Party:
Give the boys their own CSI kits, their logo T-shirts and a
container filled with plastic bugs. You could also send them off with a
mystery DVD, such as "Clue," a fun mystery novel or a CSI board
game to play at home.
Penny Warner has more than 25 years of experience as an author
and party planner. She has published more than 50 books, including 16
specific to parties. Additionally, Warner writes a weekly newspaper
column on family life, penned a column for Sesame Street Parents
magazine and has appeared on several regional and national TV morning
programs. Her latest book, HOW TO HOST A KILLER PARTY, debuted in
February 2010 from NAL/Penguin.
Balloon Time is the leading brand of consumer helium balloon kits
in North America. Balloon Time kits feature a helium-filled tank, latex
or foil balloons and ribbon, and are available at national retail
chains, party goods and grocery stores nationwide.