For this one, take into account the age of your target audience. Are your kids really young? Then the adventure should take up an afternoon. If you feel they’re mature and grown enough, then an all-nighter could be an option. Nothing gets kids excited like staying up all night to play.
The idea here is to create a campsite right next to your house. So, it’s time to build a bonfire and a couple of tents. Roast marshmallows, chat and get to know everyone, eat some hot dogs, sing songs, tell stories (particularly scary ones), or add excitement with a scavenger hunt around the backyard. This brings us back to geocaching quests, which we covered as a fun family activity a while back. You can do a similar thing but on a smaller, more intimate scale for the backyard birthday party. The scavenger hunt may be as simple or as tricky as you wish, up to your design. Portable projectors prove themselves again, as you can show treasure hunt maps or tips for finding the treasure on a large screen, adding to the experience. We’re pretty confident the event will go down a storm, resulting in everyone asking for “s’more”.