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Spring is a busy birthday season for the Adventure Crew, so we partnered with our friends at Bretton Woods Recreation Center to throw an Amazing Adventure Birthday Party! We were looking for something fun for all ages in this unpredictable March weather and Bretton Woods accepted the challenge. An outdoor birthday party in DC during March might sound crazy to some people, but we have 5 reasons why outdoor birthday parties take the cake year round!
1. Adventure for Everyone
The opportunities for adventure outdoors are endless so it is possible to find something to fit varying interests and ages. Booking organized activities makes planning so much easier, but there are tons of free activities that would make a great birthday celebration with a little planning. If it’s hot the beach, bay or river are great places to host parties. In the winter, ice skating or sledding are fun ways to keep warm. Adventure Party packages at Bretton Woods include: Zip Line, Scavenger Hunt, Rocket Building, Team Sling Shot Games, Archery, Primitive Skills Crafts, Giant Swing, Go-Cart Building and Riding, Bird House Building, Tubing, Canoeing, Stand Up Paddle Boarding, Rapid Swimming and an Overnight Campout. The Zip Line Adventure Party was the best fit for us because it could accommodate a wide range of ages, was less weather dependent and promised 2 hours of outdoor fun! The Zip Line at Bretton Woods was designed to minimize fear and maximize fun! The physical construction of the zip line and execution of the activity by the staff creates a gentle and welcoming introduction to the Zip Line Adventure. Kids zip through the trees, over a small stream, to another platform and then return. After the kids all had their fun some of us parents took a turn. I am not sure who had more fun, the kids or the parents?!When you invite Mother Nature to the party there is built in entertainment!
2. Scenery does the decorating
Pinterest is filled with party inspiration that is inspired by or mimics the beauty of nature. When I was planning our Zip Line Adventure Party, the first thing I did was go to Pinterest for some pinsperation. After scrolling for a few minutes I wondered why waste my time trying to recreate the awesomeness of nature when we would be surrounded by it? Make decorations a snap and leave the backdrop to Mother Nature.
3. No Goodie Bags Needed
The Outdoor Education Director at Bretton Woods, David Ritter, says the key to successful outdoor adventures with kids is all in the presentation. It’s true about adventure, but also parenting in general. The pride and excitement children feel when they take risks and try new adventures is great for self-esteem and self-reliance. Parties can be overwhelming for some kids, but the benefits of outdoor activities can help counter that. We had several parents at our Zip Line Adventure Party who were shocked to see their kid’s willingly and enthusiastically do the zip line. Outdoor adventures have been shown to improve: conflict resolution, emotional stability, creativity, social skills, fine motor development, gross motor development, auditory processing, attention, self-reliance and self-confidence. You can ditch the goodie bags because the benefits of outdoor adventures are a great take home for each child!
4. Less is More in the Outdoors
Our Zip Line Adventure party began with a super easy set up! The Zip Line festivities were held on Anderson Hill which has a bonfire pit with seating, picnic benches, low ropes activities and the Zip Line. Bretton Woods offers buffet service to make your party prep even easier. We chose to keep things simple and offer hot dogs, s’mores and cake. Roasting hot dogs over an open fire was a huge hit! The kids all gathered around the fire and learned (sometimes through trial and tasty error) how to roast the perfect hot dog. The kids all loved being able to cook their own food. And since no bonfire experience is complete without s’mores we toasted marshmallows for s’more dessert. There is nothing better than a hot meal by the fire with friends.
5. Childhood is Magical
The overall feeling at our Zip Line Adventure party was joy. We have hosted some fun parties in the past, but there is something magical about allowing children to be wild in the wild. We watched kids ranging from 3 to 9 years old cooking food over an open fire, running around in the woods with friends and taking risks. The fun didn’t end with the party. There was a buzz on the playground Monday morning as friends recalled the amazing adventures from the weekend. An Adventure Birthday Party is an easy and fun way to ignite or foster a love of the great outdoors!
Book your next Birthday at Bretton Woods!
Bretton Woods Recreation Center is 285 acres of fun! The recreation center, which started in 1968 by the International Monetary Fund to serve the employees and families of international organizations and embassies living in the DC area, is located on the C&O Canal and Potomac River. The property has been cultivated for recreation and relaxation and in the past few years, Bretton Woods has expanded the adventure and youth activities.
We are excited to have this gem in our backyard and cannot wait to see what adventures await in the coming years at Bretton Woods! For more information on Adventure Parties download the ADVENTURE BIRTHDAY PARTY REQUEST FORM!
Bretton Woods Recreation Center
15700 River Road, Germantown, MD 20874
(301) 948-3357
info@bwrc.org
Priscella says
Bretton Woods is amazing! They have a phenomenal staff and every birthday party I’ve ever been to there has been fun for the kids AND parents!