BIONICLE Birthday Party Ideas

Bionicle party will attract a lot of kids who like an adventure into the unknown.

The following ideas will help you set a great Bionicle theme event!

Resources:

Invitations

Send your Bionicle party invitations decorated with your child's drawings of Toa. Write a secret message ("We would love to have you") in Bionicle alphabet. Be sure to include the alphabet (available from a Bionicle fan site) on a slip of paper so the kids can decipher the message. Write your party details and ask the guests to RSVP.

As a variation, download an image of Kopaka (or other Bionicle character), and print copies on the front of your invitation cards. Write your Bionicle party details. Decorate the cards with theme stickers, and attach one of the Tumbling Ninja toys (available at party stores) to the invitations.

The wording of your invitations can start with a line from the "Bionicle 2: Legends of Metru Nui" movie: "Save the Heart of Metru Nui... at (your child's name) Bionicle Birthday Party!" Write date, time, etc. and end the invitations with "Time is Short. Hurry Vakama (or guest's name)!"

Decorations

For your Bionicle party decorations, use colors of Toa - red, blue, green and yellow. Play Bionicle theme music in the background.

Guest Arrival and Introductory Activities

*Guess How Many: Place Lego pieces of different colors into a jar before the Bionicle party. As the kids arrive, get them to guess how many "Legos" are in jar. Reward the person with the closest guess with jar full of Lego pieces, and give everyone else small prizes for trying.

*Bionicle Coloring Posters: You can get Bionicle Mini Coloring Poster Kit from a party store. At party time, invite the guests to color their posters with markers.

*Design Your Own Disk: Provide kids with construction paper circles, markers and other decorative items to design their own Tao Disks.

Favors

For Bionicle party favors, give out such items as Bionicle yo-yos, laser spinners, candy gumball machines, glow putty, sticker sheets, and so on.

Bionicle Party Games

*Great Disk Hunt: Before the party, make two sets of six disks by cutting circles from cardstock or cardboard and decorating them with colored markers. Write "Toa 1" on back of one set, and "Toa 2" on the other. Hide disks in different locations inside or outside the house.

At game time, divide the group into two teams (Toa 1 and Toa 2). Get the teams to find their disks. The first team to collect all six of their disks wins. (If a disk is found by the opposite team, it should be discreetly put back in its hiding spot.)

*Mysterious Traitor: For this Bionicle party game, you'll need blindfold, disk from Great Disk Hunt game (see above), paper clip and a set of keys. The objective of the game is for Toa Nuju to determine who the traitor is.

Invite the children to sit in a circle. Get the birthday child to be the first Nuju. The Nuju must put on a blindfold and sit in the middle. Using a paper clip, attach a set of keys to the disk. Set this in front of the blindfolded child.

Silently select another player to be the traitor. This player's job is to sneak up on Nuju, take the disk away as quietly as possible, and tuck out of sight.

After the disk has been taken, give Nuju three tries to guess who the traitor is. (Let Nuju know when it's OK to do this.) If Nuju guesses correctly, the traitor becomes the new Nuju. If Nuju guesses incorrectly, a new traitor is selected, and the same Nuju plays until he guesses correctly. Set a time limit, making sure that every child has had a turn to play at least one part.

*Sculptured Field: Pile up lots of Lego pieces in a designated area and invite Bionicle party guests to build Lego structures. Take pictures of the kids with their creations, and include copies in the thank-you notes that you send out after the party.

*Knowledge Towers: Before the Bionicle party, tape several sheets of letter-size paper together so they form a long, scroll-like sheet. Write each letter of the alphabet along the left side of the sheets, and draw a blank line next to every letter. Then attach it to the wall.

At game time, invite players to take turns thinking of Bionicle names that begin with letters A, B, C, etc., and fill in the corresponding blanks. Set a time limit of 10 minutes. Award prizes if kids get 15 right, 20 right, etc. (Check Bionicle Official Website for Bionicle words and names.)

*Toa Challenge: Set up an obstacle course consisting of Toa's elements.

For water, guests must shoot down an empty milk container with a squirt gun. For air, they must jump over a red material folded into varying width. For fire, kids have to walk on a balance beam across "lava." For stone, they need to carry a bucket filled with stones. For earth, they have to find a Lego piece hidden in a sandbox. Finally, for ice, children have to throw one ice cube into the target.

Invite the guests to run and complete all the challenges, one by one, as others cheer them on.

*Pin the Mask on Bionicle: Before the Bionicle party, draw a large image of Kopaka that looks like a poster. Cut a "mask shape" out of colorful construction paper for each child. Put a double-sided tape on the back of each mask.

At game time, blindfold guests one by one, spin them around, and get them to "pin" their masks on Kopaka where they belong.

*Lego Spoon Race: Divide the kids into two teams. Line them up at one end of the play area. Give first players on each team a spoon with a Lego piece on it to carry to the other side, around the chair and back to the line.

After completing their leg, players must pass the spoon with Lego piece to the next player in line. (If they drop a piece they have to pick it up and continue from that point.) The team to finish first, wins. (Ideally, play this game outside.)

*Metru Nui Goal: Before the Bionicle party, set up two poles as the goal and have an older boy act as a "goal keeper." (Have him wear a mask, shin guards, elbow pads, etc. for protection.)

Provide each child with three disks (mini Frisbees) to throw past the guard from a distance. Give small prizes to all the players.

*Kanohi Art: For this Bionicle birthday party game, you'll need decoration materials (pipe cleaners, feathers, sequins, felt pieces, cotton balls, etc.), paper plates, scissors, selection of colored construction paper, markers, plastic spoons and glue.

Invite the guests to create Kanohi masks of any design they wish. First, kids must hold paper plates in front of their faces while a helper marks where the eyes and mouth should be. Next, they need to cut out holes (with adult help) and decorate masks with colored markers, construction paper, sequins, pipe cleaners, etc. Lastly, glue the back of a clean plastic spoon to back of the mask, for a handle.

Lego Birthday Cake:

*Bionicle Cake: Bake a rectangular or round cake according to cake mix package directions. Get a picture of Bionicle and cover it with a piece of waxed paper. Next, trace an outline with a tooth pick and frost sections of the cake accordingly.

Lego Birthday Party Food Ideas:

*Metru Nui Pasta: For this Bionicle party recipe, you'll need macaroni, pepperoni slices (for Vakama from the "Bionicle 2: Legends of Metru Nui" movie), mozzarella-stick slices (for Nuju), black olive slices (for Whenua), round garlic crackers (for Onewa) and spaghetti sauce.

Cook macaroni according to package directions. Heat spaghetti sauce, then pour it onto macaroni and toss with mozzarella, pepperoni and olives. Serve with garlic crackers on the side.

*"Diskwiches": Create sandwiches using the birthday child's favorite fillings. Make disk shapes out of the sandwiches by placing an upside-down glass on top (or using a biscuit cutter) and pushing it through every layer. Remove disk shape from glass and serve as perfectly round diskwich.

*Vahki Veggies: For this Bionicle party recipe, you'll need a variety of veggies (tomatoes, carrots, cucumbers, red peppers, olives, etc.) and salad dressing. First, cut up cucumbers, carrots and red peppers. Thread veggie slices onto wooden skewers, along with cherry tomatoes and olives. Pour salad dressing into bowls for dipping.

*Toa Disk Cookies: You'll need sugar cookie dough, white icing, food coloring and toothpicks.

Roll out cookie dough and cut it into circles using an upside-down drinking glass as a cutter. Bake according to directions, then cool.

Divide white icing into bowls. Use food coloring to create different "Toa" colors for the frosting. Lightly frost one cookie and, using a toothpick, trace out a Toa. Use a picture of Toa disks (party stores sell placemats with Toa images) as a guide. Once you determine correct amount of frosting for the best design, decorate all disks.

*Bula Berry Cones: For this Bionicle party recipe, you'll need 6 cups raspberries, 6 cups blueberries (and/or black berries), 1/4 cup frozen tropical juice concentrate and 3/4 cup water.

Freeze berries (in a single layer) on cookie sheets. Then mix frozen berries and juice concentrate with water. Blend in food processor until nearly smooth. (You might need to divide into portions to process well.) Freeze a few hours until firm (keeps up to 2 days), or serve immediately. Scoop into cones.

*Pizza
*Hotdogs
*Ice Cream
*Popcorn

Lego Birthday Party Drink Ideas:

*Liquid Protodermis: Purchase a light-colored drink (e.g., white grape juice) and add 1-2 drops of blue food coloring to each glass. Stir and serve.

*Sodas (in various colors)