Star Wars Training Academy

Well we survived birthday season!  Cash loved his party and I finally have the chance to post the photos.  Check it out...

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If you need printables you definitely need to check out A Party Studio.   She has amazing products and the best customer service ever!

Light Saber Pretzels

(Please ignore my ugly food labels.  I misplaced my cute custom printables the night before the party so I had to scramble to get these done at the last minute.  The others were way cuter, but these did the job.)

Desserts, Appetizers & Guest Book

My birthday boy!

We did an obstacle course and made a Yoda & R2D2 craft from felt.

Here are a few of the finished crafts.  I had all of the pieces cut out and placed in envelopes.  The kids glued the pieces on to a sparkly foam board and took them home.

These robes were made from pillow cases!  A pack of 2 cost $3 at Big Lots.  It's a NO SEW project too!  Just cut up the front for an opening and cut arm holes on the sides.  Tear some muslin for the belt and you've got a Jedi robe for $1.50 - ish!

This is my attempt at Princess Leia hair.

My little one.

The kids went nuts with their light sabers!  We also played a game where they had to keep balloons in the air by hitting them with the light sabers.

The kids took the whole thing very seriously. 

My son actually participated in the Jedi Training Academy at Disneyland.  Since I have it on video I was able to teach the kids the same choreography.  We played the theme song to Star Wars while they practiced their sequence.

It was a simple sequence of about 6 moves.  Strike the left arm, then the right arm, left leg, duck, left leg again.  Then finish with a strike to the head. We practiced over and over while the music played.

Then the music changed to The Imperial March 

(thank goodness for itunes!) and Darth Vader appeared!

Here he is making his entrance.

The kids didn't care that he was wearing the same clothes as Cash's dad, or that he had on a graduation robe.  To them...he was the REAL Darth Vader! 

Every Padawan fought Darth Vader.  I stood nearby help the kids remember the sequence.  It was beyond adorable watching each kiddo fight him.

I did have to plan ahead and ask my friends to use my camera and video camera to capture this part of the party since my husband and I were both involved in this part.

They ducked at the right time.

Did I mention it was adorable?

Each kid seriously believed he or she was a REAL Jedi.

In the end, the kids finished him off.  The kids earned a certificate stating that they completed the Jedi Training Academy and that they are official Jedi Knights.  Some of the grown ups might have had a go at Darth Vader too. 

After the festivities outside we went in the house and sang Happy Birthday.  Then we enjoyed cake, ice cream and presents.  

This party was a lot of fun and it was really inexpensive.  It took time and energy, but the best parties (the ones made with love) always do.  My son absolutely thinks he had the best party in the whole world.  I think that's pretty awesome.  After all... I think I have the best kids in the whole wide world and this is my way of showing them.