Last night’s opening ceremonies in Sochi brought back memories of a favorite birthday theme:  the Olympic party.  When Sam turned six he was passionate about both sports and geography.  He especially loved to draw flags, so an Olympic-themed party was a perfect fit.

The invitation was simple and bold:

The cake was a cinch to decorate:  five Olympic rings, served with patriotic plates and napkins:

We made pasta with a variety of sauces for dinner, which was both kid-friendly and internationally-themed.  For decorations, we hung a few sets of Olympic rings and Sam colored flags that he taped around the house:

Instead of orchestrating a zillion activities, I finally figured out that kids just want to play.  We threw a bunch of balls in the back yard and let the kids have at it.  It turns out the dads wanted to join in too, even though they did cheat a bit!

We did play a round of “Pin the Medal on the Athlete” with a life-sized cutout of Sam:

We also brought out some pillow cases for three-legged races:

After all the activities, we blared Olympic medal ceremony music.  The kids lined up and Sam presented each child with a medal and Power Bar.  The kids were mesmerized and the parents watched with pride.  It was a shockingly emotional moment for a children’s party.  I think the music in the background made all the difference!

This party was a great balance of free play and planned activities.  The gorgeous weather made all the difference, and Sam declared it a gold medal event!