Night at the Museum Slumber Party! Where History Comes Alive!
Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian is about to hit the theaters this summer with another great adventure which you already know is…
Where History Comes Alive!
This is the (literal) theme of these Ben Stiller movies, and the first movie is: “Night at the Museum.” Imagine the delight of moviegoers when they actually see the history come alive, like Attila the Hun and his compatriots, the Roman soldiers, a scene from the wild West, and “Rexxy” the Dino looking for his bone! This is going to be a great movie outing with your nephews and nieces and their friends (recommended for 10 years old and up) - it is a real winner. Watching the movie, you realize what a great sleepover party theme this would make!
Let’s face it, sleepovers take place at night, and if you delve into this movie packed full of history with imagination, you could easily base your next sleepover on this movie and have a party hit!
If you are looking to host a “Night At Your Niece or Nephew’s Museum” here are some ideas to get the creative ideas flowing:
Welcome Sign! Hang a large sign welcoming your niece or nephew to the Museum along with posters of dinosaurs, wildlife, plants, etc.
Welcome Visitor Badge! When the
kids enter the slumber party, check them into the “Museum” giving them
a “Welcome Visitor” badge, as well as a small bag full of play keys,
small flashlight, bubble gum, cap, etc. This bag can serve as goodies
to take home with them.
Designate different areas of your home as different areas of your museum. For example. the African Jungle (place pictures of animals in here, stuffed animals, and hang streamers in multiple colors of green to give the affect of a jungle scene.)
Set up miniature figurines! These can signify different historical scenes, e.g. Cowboys and Indians.
The Golden Tablet! Have a large golden tablet hung high and centrally in one of your rooms. This is the tablet that will make your slumber party come alive, as in the movie. When everyone has arrived, turn the tablet over, to begin the slumber party!
Relay! Hold a relay race, where the kids are “Rexxy” and have to find the bones hidden in your home. Make these out of heavy white cardstock, cut out into bone shapes.
Read a story about the Cowboys and the Indians in the Wild West. If you have a group of children attending your nieces' and nephews' slumber party, have one group of kids build a teepee out of sheets and other items around your home to hide in, and one group make cowboy hats to search out the Indians, who may be hiding in the teepee or elsewhere. Essentially, this is Hide and Go Seek, but with the twist. Have the kids take turns being cowboys and Indians.
Speak in Attila the Hun language. In the movie, Ben Stiller begins to make inroads with Attila and his gang by speaking their lingo…have the kids make up their own language to discuss something. See if you can guess what they are saying!
Time to Dance! At the end of the movie, the animals and wax figures are all dancing up a storm together. Turn up the music and dance the night away!
If you watch these films, there are lots of ideas to bring history alive through targeted activities that you can explore with your guests as “History Comes Alive” at your next slumber party.