Sawyer’s Vintage Detective Academy 6th Birthday Party

Hi Friends! Last week was Sawyer’s Vintage Detective Academy 6th Birthday Party. It was such a blast! 15 little 6-year-old gumshoes used their best detective skills at the Detective Academy to earn the most elite of titles, Special Agent. The kids got so into it! It was such a fun afternoon!

A huge thank you to Funny Party Hats and Rosebud Chocolates for sponsoring this party. Although I was given resources to create this party, all of my opinions and feelings about (how fun and creative) these brands’ products are is completely 100% my own. Also, this post contains affiliate links. For more information, see my disclosures, here.

At the start of the party, as all the little party-goers arrived, they first had to get suited up for all of the detective fun ahead. First they received their personalized Academy Identification Card, as well as their hat and pipe. Their first activity was to find a magnifying glass hidden in the backyard. Then, once they found it, they needed to have their student ID photo taken for the back of their Academy Identification Card. I used my Instax Mini camera and it worked so well! The kids loved watching their photo appear and it was the perfect size to fit into the back of their identification cards.

The kids were thrilled to “dress the part” and really become detectives. Funny Party Hats supplied the hats, magnifying glasses, and pipes. I would highly recommend their products! The quality was excellent and the hats were the perfect size for our little detectives. Also, the magnifying glasses were very well made and truly magnified everything. Funny Party Hats has such a huge selection of items. Definitely check them out for your next celebration!

Along with their detective gear, the kids also received their detective “briefcases” at the beginning of the party so they would have a place for all of their papers from the activities as the party went on. Also, inside their briefcases were invisible ink pens and a “Sleuthing Notes” notepad.

So once everyone was geared up and ready to go, we started our Detective Academy training. I explained to all the gumshoes that to be a detective you must use your 5 senses. To hone our skills, we centered our activities around each of the different senses. Our first training exercise was composite sketches!

Vintage Detective Academy Birthday Party—Training Exercise One:
Composite Sketches (sense of sight)

For this training exercise all of the detectives paired off in groups of two and sat directly across from each other. Each gumshoe drew a composite sketch of their friend, trying to be as descriptive as they could in their artwork…with eye color, hair color, etc. Then, once all of the drawings were complete, we all tried to guess who each person was, based on the drawing.

Vintage Detective Academy Birthday Party—Training Exercise Two:
Fingerprinting and Code Animals (sense of touch)

Every good detective needs to be familiar with fingerprinting! For our next training exercise we did fingerprinting and created code animals. The kids loved coming up with their own secret code animal based on using their fingerprint. I designed this sign to give some examples of possible code animals but most of the gumshoes got quite creative and came up with their own!

Vintage Detective Academy Birthday Party—Training Exercise Three:
“Your Nose Knows!” Scented Balloons (sense of smell)

This next training exercise was a huge hit! We all tested our sense of smell with the “Your Nose Knows!” scented balloons activity. Before the party we gathered a few kitchen spices and items and put a small amount in each balloon and then blew them up. We used coffee grounds, lemon extract, cinnamon, cocoa, peppermint extract, apple pie spice, and cumin. The scents permeated through the balloons and made for a really fun guessing game. The gumshoes smelled the balloons on one side of the yard and then had to run across the grass and whisper their guesses in my ear. They really loved this activity! (Tip: Make your scented balloons the day of the party so they retain the most scent.)

Vintage Detective Academy Birthday Party—Training Exercise Four:
“Don’t Touch The Lasers!” Agility Training (sense of touch)

This was another definite favorite of the afternoon—our “Don’t Touch the Lasers!” Agility Training course. For this activity, all of the detectives had to try to crawl through the laser (strings) without touching them. As you can see in the photos, they really loved this fun, imaginative game!

Vintage Detective Academy Birthday Party—Training Exercise Five:
Cake and Treats (sense of taste)

At this point in the party, all of our detectives had worked up an appetite so it was time for cake and treats! Rosebud Chocolates provided the most amazing chocolate creations. They made custom “Special Detective” chocolate badges and chocolate mustache pops. Their chocolate was as delicious as it was beautiful! I was so blown away by their gorgeous craftsmanship and creativity! When I first designed the invitation for the party I sent it to them and they brainstomed and created the chocolate badges to match the theme. I am so incredibly impressed by this mother/daughter team! Please check them out for your next celebration. You can also follow along with more of their beautiful creations at their Instagram account, here.

Sawyer’s beautiful birthday cake was made my the amazing Danielle of Nizhoni Bakery. If you are in Pittsburgh, you must check her out. Not only is she incredibly talented and her cakes are gorgeous and delicious, she is also such a sweet person. She also made the adorable fingerprint, top secret, and confidential cookies. I was so happy to have met her! We connected over Instagram a while back and I love following along with all of her amazing cake and cookie creations. Check her out, here!

 

During our “coffee break,” along with the cookies, birthday cake, chocolate badges and mustache pops, we also served fruit and “Detective Academy Coffee” (chocolate milk).

Simple file folders with each detective’s name stamped on the top made for such a fun place setting. I also added some stamp graphics that I designed that said “case evidence,” “top secret,” “classified,” etc.

Vintage Detective Academy Birthday Party—Training Exercise Six:
Stories and Rebuses (sense of hearing)

While the detectives were enjoying their treats they also tested their sense of hearing with some fun detective books and rebuses.

I can’t forget to mention our Red Hots candies sticks of “dynamite.” These little treats were also a big hit!

Vintage Detective Academy Birthday Party—Training Exercise Seven:
“Hot on the Trail” Silly String Tracking (sense of sight)

Our final training activity of the party was our “Hot on the Trail” silly string tracking. In this exercise, each detective had to stay on the trail as best as they could with their silly string—tracking the footprints to solve the case. The kids LOVED this one too! They were so serious as they were trying to stay “hot on the trail”—haha! The determination on their faces is priceless! So sweet! This activity was a blast!

All 15 of our gumshoes graduated Sawyer’s Detective Academy with honors! They each earned the most elite of titles, Special Agent…and they were given the badge to prove it!

 

 

Happy birthday, Sawyer! We love you so much, buddy!

I hope you enjoyed seeing all of the details and fun from our vintage detective academy birthday party! You can find all of the printables from this party in my Etsy shop. If you create this celebration, I’d love to see it! Please tag me @justaddconfetti on Instagram and use the #justaddconfettiprintables hashtag.

Again, a huge thank you to Funny Party Hats and Rosebud Chocolates for sponsoring this party. Although I was given resources to create this party, all of my opinions and feelings about (how fun and creative) these brands’ products are is completely 100% my own.
All party printables are available in my Esty shop here: Just Add Confetti Etsy Shop
Detective hats, magnifying glasses, and pipes: Funny Party Hats
Chocolate Special Detective badges and mustache pops: Rosebud Chocolates
Detective birthday cake and cookies: Nizhoni Bakery
Photography by the amazing and talented, Jenni, of Rose Photography
Special Agent badges: Party City

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