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.

Find the Party Road Rally
You'll need to coordinate with parents to pull off this unique party.

Set a secret location to have the party, then map out several courses to the chosen location. On the day of the party, leave a set of clues in appropriate places along each course.

Divide the guests into groups, provide each with a treasure map, and designate drivers to take them on a road rally. The treasure maps will lead each group to their first clue, which will have information on where to find the next clue, and so forth until they figure out the secret location of the party. Be sure to tell the drivers the destination just in case clues get botched!

Glow in the Dark Party
Use glow paint on the invitations. Decorate with green and purple plates, tablecloths, and cups covered with glow-in-the-dark stickers. Serve neon-green drinks with glow straws. Outfit guests with glow necklaces or glow sticks. Play Flashlight Tag and Hot Potato with a glow-in-the-dark ball, make glow bracelets with glow beads, paint nails with glow paint, and/or draw designs on black paper with milky pens. For older children, rent a black light for a glow dance party.

About the Author: Birthday in a Box was founded by mom and businesswoman Laurie Wrigley in 1996 with the goal of making it easy for parents to host personalized parties that are affordable, fun and educational. The Birthday in a Box online store allows moms to shop for all their party supplies in one place.