Come As You Are Party

This party requires the birthday child to keep a secret …her guests are about to be kidnapped!

Call guests' parents a few weeks before the party to let them in on the plans. Find out where each guest will be found at the appropriate time. (Times will have to be staggered to allow for the pickup of each guest.) If you're having a sleepover, parents will need to pack a bag and let you know where it will be.

On the day of the party, pack a few drinks, snacks, and party hats, and drive to each location, picking up the guests one at a time. The fun builds as the group gets larger.

Once your guests are all kidnapped, try some of the following fun party ideas:

For an inexpensive home party, girls might like having a brunch, dancing, playing in a pool, making cool crafts, or watching a favorite movie.

Boys may like playing a game of Flashlight Tag after dark—with bases illuminated by glow-in-the-dark light sticks—or Squirt Gun Paintball. To play this great game, have the guests put on white T-shirts (to easily determine hits) and divide them into two teams. Give each player a squirt gun containing colored water (red for one team and blue for the other). The idea is similar to "Capture the Flag," but a warrior must go to the opposing team's POW camp if he gets hit.

For a special birthday, such as turning 13, or a sweet 16, try one of these cool kidnap ideas:

• Take guests to an amusement park for a day of rides.
• Go to a nail salon for a makeover and top it with a special lunch.
• Spend the night at a hotel, playing in their pool and watching videos. Be sure to let the hotel know you'd like a room away from other sleeping guests!
• For a really big surprise, rent a limo to pick up the guests.