So, my wife started a tradition a couple years ago: end-of-school Messy Party. As you will see, it is aptly named.

shavingfight

For those of you desiring to throw your own Messy Party, here’s my wife’s recipe. Fair warning: messy parties are not for the faint of heart…nor do they help the resale value of your home.

Task One: Jello Toes. Contestants dig items out of jello using toes only. Winner’s prize: a cup of slime on his or her head.

jello

Task Two: Summer Snowmen. 4 teams of 5-10 kids. One volunteer from each team gets to be the “snowman.” Team mates are to dress the snowman as beautifully as possible in 2 minutes. Available items: scarves, hats, carrots, and large quantities of sticky marshmallows.

Task Three: Obstacle Course. 1) Down the slide into a mud pit. 2) Through the sprinkler. 3) Across the slime-covered slippin’ slide. 4) Through the pool of wet noodles.

mudpit

slippinslide

noodlepit

noodlepit1

 

Task Four: Shaving Cream Fight. This turned into a shaving cream/noodle fight. Good times.

shavingcream

Snack: dirt & worms

dirtnworms

Our supply list (for 30-40 kids):

20 pounds of noodles

15 pounds of pudding

35 cans of shaving cream

10 bags of marshmallows

a few bags of oreos

a lot of boxes of jello (can’t remember how many)

a lot of whipped cream (can’t remember how much of this either)

We bought most of the stuff in bulk at the salvage food store.

Yes, the party was a success. Our neighbors are probably going to wonder why the neighborhood smells like shaving cream. And why our concrete is stained red (fyi…it’s jello, not blood). And why spaghetti is on our roof. Oh well. You’re welcome, neighbors.