Having a Star Wars birthday party for your son or daughter?

We recently  did – and it turned out great! The hardest part of planning was coming up with a really fun indoor-only game to play with really rambunctious nine year old boys in a small house. After much pulling my hair out with unnecessary worry, I mashed up a few ideas that I found online, and out came an all new scavenger hunt that ended up being a lot of fun. I wanted to share it in hopes of one day saving someone else the same worry.

The object of the game is to find all of the Star Wars characters assigned to your team.

The items to be found were my son’s Star Wars action figures. These were scattered around the house in plain sight. The clues that led you from one item to the next was a quote by a character in one of the six Star Wars movies, and the challenge of the game was to figure out who said the quote and then go in search of that character, placed somewhere around the house.

We split the boys into small teams, gave them their first clue and had them return to us after they thought they had figured out the answers and found each character. If they were right, I set them off to their next mission. If they were wrong, I asked them to place that character back and try again. This was because each team had a specific set of nine action figures to find, and if one were to be carried around by an opposing team, it would prevent the other team from finishing their quest.

I wrote out the quotes on index cards and these were placed with the action figures. Use your imagination but usually the top side said something like “Congratulations you have captured/rescued (depending on if the figure was a good guy or bad guy) so and so. Your next mission is to defeat/find the person who said: …” Then the flip side of the card had the quote.

Quotes themselves were not difficult to procur. Simply google “star wars quotes” or try imdb.com — their site is really nice because you can search for individual characters in the films. That way it was easy to find the characters that we had action figures for, and voila, that part was done.

The winning team got their pick of the prize loot – Star Wars stickers and hand towels found at a party store – but after congratulations were over, they were off to help the losing team find their remaining action figures and the game continued with everyone helping out. That was definitely a heart-warmer.

My favourite part was when they’d come back to me with the answer to one quote, I’d often read the next quote for them in the best imitation voice I could. The dawn of recognition on their faces and the sprinting before I was even finished speaking… priceless.

so let’s have some fun and see if you guys know your stuff!
I’ll post the answers in the comments after you’ve had sufficient time to sweat it out.

Here is Team A’s collection of quotes:

1. I don’t want to hear any more about Obi-Wan. The Jedi turned against me. Don’t you turn against me!
2. Remember, concentrate on the moment. Feel… don’t think. Use your instincts.
3. What if he doesn’t survive? He’s worth a lot to me.
4. You know, I think that R2 unit we bought may have been stolen.
5. Listen to them, they’re dying, Artoo! Curse my metal body! I wasn’t fast enough!
6. Why, you stuck up, half-witted, scruffy-looking Nerf herder.
7. Monsters out there, leaking in here. Weesa all sinking and no power. Whena yousa thinking we are in trouble?
8. At last we will reveal ourselves to the Jedi. At last we will have revenge.
9. All who gain power are afraid to lose it, even the Jedi.

and Team B:

1. Look, Your Worshipfulness, let’s get one thing straight! I take orders from one person! Me!
2. You must join me, Obi-Wan, and together we will destroy the Sith!
3. Why do I get the feeling you’re going to be the death of me?
4. Try not. Do or do not, there is no try….
5. I listen to all the traders and star pilots who come through here. I’m a pilot, you know, and someday I’m going to fly away from this place.
6. Anakin Skywalker. I expected someone with your reputation to be a little… older.
7. I’m just a simple man, trying to make my way in the universe.
8. These aren’t the droids we’re looking for.
9. I was not elected to watch my people suffer and die while you discuss this invasion in a committee!

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