Construction Zone Party

CAUTION: PARTY ZONE

Can you build it? Yes, you can!

When Michael Ozanich asked for a “Bob the Builder” party to mark his fourth birthday, his parents built a celebration inspired by the construction of their new Selah home.

photo by ANDY SAWYER -- Click for more photos

The family’s not-yet-finished basement — with its exposed framework and concrete floors — set the scene, decked out with a roll of yellow caution tape.

When the kiddy crew arrived at the construction site, a hard hat and tool belt were waiting for them to get to work (partying, of course).

A stack of boxes and a wrecking ball were the hit of the party, so to speak. In fact, the wrecking ball (a volleyball wrapped in black plastic, suspended from the ceiling) was such as smash that Michael’s mom Aimee tells us she left it hanging for over three months.

INVITATIONS: Using her computer, Aimee made invitations with clip art of hard hats, bulldozers and construction-themed word play: Foreman Michael is turning four! Can you help him build a fun foundation for his next year? We will be breaking ground on Jan. 23. Your shift begins at 3 p.m.

ACTIVITY: Before the party, Crew Boss Brent (a.k.a. Dad) made kits for the kids to build their own tool boxes. Then, with a little help from the boss man, the crew hammered together their boxes and personalized them with paint.

TOOL BOX TIPS

Find directions to make your own tool box at lowes.com. Look in the How-To Library.

Or, purchase wood craft kits online for about $8-10 each at ssww.com or woodcraft.com.

• Create a Work Zone Obstacle Course: Crawl through a box, balance across a 2-by-4 and steer a wheelbarrow through traffic cones.

• To provide a safe space for little ones, tuck a box of building blocks or Legos in a corner.

CAKE: No construction required here. This one’s super easy — dish up a heap of mud (actually a mound of brownies, tossed with some gummy worms.) Dig in!

FAVORS: Stock the tool boxes with a couple of real tools from a dollar store and they’re set to go.