Survivor Island (13-14yr) Many Different Challenges

This was the year of the boy/girl party in our daughters school.  Looking to do something different than just the DJ/Dance where the boys still basically end up on one side of the room and the girls the other, we held a joint Survivor ~ Birthday Island party for three classmates at a local park shelter.  I realize this post is super long, but the level of enthusiasm was amazing and all the kids were really into challenges. Not a single kid refused to participate in anything nor did any of them say this is stupid or anything even remotely close.  I literally could not get to sleep after the party was over it was just soo much fun.   The party was designed for 32 kids (4 teams of 8) and took up every minute of the 4 hours scheduled. The age range was 13-14 (8th grade). We had 5 reward & 5 immunity challenges.  We held tribal council after every two challenges (1 reward & 1 immunity).  No one got ever voted off and all the games were team oriented and based on a point system.  

THE INVITATION:  I created a survivor styled logo in Power Point using basic shapes, word art & clip art and the font Bamboo.  The actual invite was a letter advising the potential castaway CONGRATULATIONS!  You have been selected to participate on this Season's Survivor ~ Birthday Island.  You should report for filming on date & time.  Wear Tennis Shoes & Don't be Late!  We rolled it up so the survivor logo showed, put it in a glass bottled filled with sand and tied a raffia bow around it.  The girls hand delivered each invitation (took about 3 hours).  They would ring the bell and one would say Congratulations, you've been selected  Then they would say Can you Outwit Hannah Outplay Megan Outlast Mikaylee?  Finally one would say The Tribe has Spoken as she put out the tiki torch.  We'd take a picture with the girls and away we'd go.  

ACTIVITIES/GAMES:  Arrival (45 Mins):  We had the girls & boys draw their buffs from different sacks to make the tribes even and sent them immediately to their designated islands where they were to come up with a tribe name/meaning and paint their tribe flag.  We had them make up their name from the girls names (Megan Hannah Mikaylee & Birthday). 

REWARD CHALLENGE #1 -  Shelter Me (15 Min) Each tribe was given a pile of materials (tarp colored rope various pieces of wood & cardboard) and 15 minutes to build a shelter that could stand on its own and all tribe members could get in. (Points: 20 points for completion) (Reward Can of Pringles & Bottle of Water to Share). 

IMMUNITY CHALLENGE #1 - Slippery When Wet (10 Min) Tribe members take turns racing out (quite a distance) to get a tribe colored water balloon and then back to where they would break it over a clear container.  First team to make a ping pong ball flow over the edge wins. Use food coloring in the bottom of the clear container so the water changes to the tribe color as it fills the container.  (Points:  15 (1st)/10(2nd)/5(3rd)/3(4th)) 

TRIBAL COUNCIL (15 min):  Each Tribe announces Team Name/Meaning Rules are Read for Tribal and score board updated. Each tribe sends a representative to vote for another team to lose 10 points.  Cannot vote for tribe with the Immunity Idol. 

REWARD CHALLENGE #2 - Bug Me (15 Min) Each tribe is given 10 minutes to melt a block of ice and get as many plastic bugs out as possible.  Cannot break the ice.  (Points 15/10/5/3. Extra 20 points given to any tribe member who will eat a live cricket  one per team this is where the extra 5 minutes goes) (Reward: Bag of gummy worms to share.)

IMMUNITY CHALLENGE #2 -   I'm Puzzled (15 Min)  4 Tribe Members from each tribe take turns racing out to find color coded puzzle zip-lock bags (which were taped in various hidden places on the jungle gym).  Once found they raced back to their tribal island where the 4 other players begin immediately assembling the puzzle.  First tribe finished putting their puzzle together wins. Other points awarded based on number of pieces put together. (Points 15/10/5/3).

TRIBAL COUNCIL (25 Min):  Same as before except we fed the kids here.  

REWARD CHALLENGE #3 - I know!  I know! (10 Min) Tribes are given white boards to write their answers on and are given 4 questions one at a time each in an individual sealed envelope.  On my go they opened the first question consulted over it and then one member wrote the answer and then raced to stand in front of their team flag where they revealed their answers. Give that team the next sealed question on the way back.  Repeat until all questions are asked/answered.  We used silly brain teasers like If you are in a dark room with a candle a wood stove and a gas lamp. You only have one match so what do you light first?  The Match (Points:  5 for each correct answer) (Reward:  Bag of Smarties to share).

 IMMUNITY CHALLENGE #3  The Web We Weave (15 Min) Each Tribe Member follows a string of yarn (of their tribe's color which has been wound around trees to form a giant spider web) to a tile (colored desert plate) which contains a math symbol.  Once they have it they race back to the start and tag the next member to pick up the yarn where they left off.  Once all the math tiles have been retrieved they must remember what order they retrieved them in to solve a math equation.  (6+2/4X3/3-7+6+5/2=3).  We used this one because there were three birthday girls but you can makeup your own.  They wrote the answer on their white board and raced to stand in front of their team flag when finished.  First team finished wins.  (Points 15/10/5/3). 

TRIBAL COUNCIL (5 Min):  Same as before.

REWARD CHALLENGE #4 - Feed Me  (20 Min)  We made a sign with the food's name on it and put it on the table.  The first four tribe members sat down.  We lifted the lid off of the covered platter to reveal the food which we put in cupcake liners.  The food/name we used was: Birthday Surprise (Cupcakes) for the birthday girls (we couldn't have them barfing at their own party).  Sea Cucumber Hearts (Whole Beets) Freshwater Oysters (Oysters) Pygmy Toes (Vienna Sausages) Eel Liver (Liver Pate) Anaconda Eyeballs (pickled onions) Cow Tongue (Spam) Atlantic Seaweed (Spinach)   (Points: 5 for each food eaten 3 for a really really good effort 2 for each food tried but spit back out). (Reward:  Giant Sized Hershey Bar to Share)

IMMUNITY CHALLENGE #4  Endurance (15 Min)  Each tribe picks a member to stand on a paint bucket filled with sand. Each decision whether to continue or get down must be made as a tribe.  First stand for 3 minutes and then offer laffy taffy to get down. Next stand for 3 mins holding 5 lb weights above head  - offer laffy taffy & cold pop (1 for each tribe member) to get down.  Next stand for 3 minutes on one leg holding 5 lb weight over head  offer laffy taffy pop and pickles to get down.  If you still have someone standing  5 minutes on one leg holding 10 lb weight with eyes closed. We didn't get this far.  (Points 15/10/5/3). 

TRIBAL COUNCIL (5 Min):  Same as above. 

REWARD CHALLENGE #5 - Something's Fishy (10 Min) One tribe member starts at the pond and fishes out a letter from their pond with magnetic fish poles.  They take that letter and race to their Tribal Island area.  Then the next tribe member goes fishing.  This continues until all letters are caught and then once the tribe figures out the word they write it on their white board and race back to stand in front of their flag (which are back by the pond).  The word we used was REWARD.  (Points 10 (1st) 5 for all other tribes who figure out the word) (Reward:  Bags of Goldfish Crackers).

 IMMUNITY CHALLENGE #5 - Knock Out (10 Min)  32 cans (8 of each tribe color) are lined up.  Tribe Members take turns using water balloons to try and knock down the opposing tribes cans.  Last tribe with a can standing wins. Points for 2nd-4th are also given in the order of cans left standing.  (Points 15/10/5/3)

FINAL TRIBAL COUNCIL(5 Min):  Same as all others.    While the votes were being tallied and tribal council was being staged for the finale we did birthday cake/ice cream. 

FOOD/CAKE:   We had hot dogs chips fruit kabobs and giant dill pickles.  We had water bottles and lemonade to drink.  For the cake we just made chocolate & white cupcakes and wrote in primary colors Happy Birthday Survivor Girls.   At this point the kids were soo hyped about the challenges that they couldn't have cared less if they ate or not.

PARTY FAVORS:   For a party favor we made each of the kids a t-shirt with the Survivor ~ Birthday Island logo on the front pocket area and I Survived Birthday Island! On the back.  We got the shirts for $2 a piece and used one pack of 12 Avery Iron-On transfers.  Remember to make your writing/logos in mirror image.  You can do this by pasting (Paste Special  Picture) it as a picture in Word or PowerPoint and then dragging it from left to right to its mirror image.  

DECORATIONS:  Everything was done in tribe colors (Red Blue Green & Yellow)  Buy cheap spray paint and spray the flag stands bottom of the pillowcases paint buckets ping pong balls etc.  If you can put a picnic table at each tribe's island (which was located a fair distance from each challenge) and cover it with tribal colored table cloths.  It turned out to be a great place to have them race to/from during challenges. We also put colored helium ballons on each picnic table and made signs for where each challenge would take place.  We covered every single picnic table in the shelter with butcher block paper and put raffia in the middle.  We bought our Immunity Idol from U.S. Toy (Item # HL88.  For the tribal flags we used plain white pillowcases and fringed them at the bottom.  For the flag stands we used pvc pipe (in the shape of a T) and put it in a small bucket w/cement.  We made the stands about 5 1/2 ft tall and the approx width of the pillowcase.  We had the tribes drag those everywhere.  Also we filled empty paint cans with sand and they doubled as our tiki torch holders at Tribal Council as well as the object the kids stood on during the endurance challenge. 

Be prepared for a tie breaker at Tribal. All but one tribal council ended up with two teams tied to lose 10 points (including the final).  We were not prepared for this and my solution was to do paper rock scissors for the tie breaker but one of the other moms broke out a container of worms.  Yes we literally pulled a warm out of the dirt in a container ripped it in half and said for each tribe to send somebody up to eat it.  Many times the tribes tied on eating the worm and so no points were lost.  I have to say this (and the food challenge) is the part the kids talked about the most.  They were soo proud of themselves for what they ate. Also with the food challenge don't tell them what food they are really eating (not even the birthday kids).  Mind over matter.  Even though the kids were gagging all over the place no one refused to do it and in fact when one kid barfed the next group of kids just picked up and sat down at the next picnic table eager to get their turn.  It was hilarious and we only had one comment from a parent (out of 30).  Afterwards you can tell them what it was they actually ate and that was even hilarious when they realized it's not really seaweed but spinach.  Mind over matter.     "