Obstacle Course Birthday Party

The first one's easy. Kids scamper through the rungs of a wooden ladder (sanded to prevent splinters then painted a cheery red) laid flat on the ground.

Kids shinny under a table hidden inside a ground-hugging cloud of balloons. Dangling from yarn taped to all sides of the table, the balloons wobble and bump as kids pass through.

Everybody likes to hang around this guaranteed crowd-pleaser. If kids get a good running jump and keep knees high, they are likely to clear the inflatable wading pool. Several big knots tied in the rope's end make it easy to grab.

Kids set a good pace and, using all the swagger they can muster, get across the two-by-four balance beam in no time.

Kids are handed three sheets of newspaper and must place one beneath every step they take. This is the perfect event to place at a tricky turn in the course.

Stand colorful foam pool noodles in gallon buckets weighted with sand (or soil or stones) and set up in a zigzag pattern. Fill a wagon with small water balloons. Kids must pull the wagon around the outside of each bucket without spilling any balloons.

Lay out eight plastic hoops in a straight line. Kids step into each hoop, lift it overhead and drop it behind as they move forward. (Reset the row before the next person's turn.)

Kids sit on the grass, bend their knees, lean back, and lock their elbows, then "walk" as straight and fast as they can. This activity is great silly fun for the last 8 to 10 feet, when kids are rushing to the finish line.