CSI Birthday Party

Who are you…Whoo…Whooo…is CSI a part of your TV viewing on a weekly basis? With the show taking place in Las Vegas, NY, and Miami, chances are if you want to watch it, you definitely have the opportunity! Recently, I was asked by a friend’s soon-to-turn 13 kid to write a party plan for CSI-themed party? It disturbed her mother a bit that she was asking for such a party, but there you go!

A CSI party would be an excellent party theme for the tweens and teens…it would be especially good if you held it over 3-5 hours so the kids have time to solve the crime that you stage…or that the kids stage.

OK, Molly, here are some ideas to help you plan your CSI party:

1. For the invitation, send your guests a small kit of tools for helping to solve your CSI. There are many tools used on the show, and you can pick from their official list. Some other ideas include: plastic tweezers, rubber gloves, a small magnifying glass, small makeup brush, small tube of white powder (i.e sugar). Attached to your bag of tools, have a little notecard with the party details attached. Relate that a team of CSIs are convening to learn about the latest techniques in solving modern-day crimes. Remind them to bring along their bag of tools in order to use them at the training!
2. At your home, decorate by making the party area look like a CSI lab…have a table placed with a white cloth over it. Microscopes, jars filled with vinegars and plastic body parts, etc. can be scattered around the room. Make it look very sterile, clean, and empty. Set up chairs in the area for the kids to use while in lab.
3. Make a “Welcome to CSI Lab” sign by the front entrance to the party. Make sure to play the famous music to get everyone in the mood.
4. You don’t necessarily have to have an official party table for this gathering. Ordering pizza and serving soda pop will do the trick toward the end of the gathering. Let them eat in and around the crime lab.
5. If you would like to blow up balloons and streamers, make them black, brown, dark green, etc. in keeping with the gritty colors of the job.
6. When the kids enter the party, i.e. the lab, make sure to fingerprint each one. Place this on a badge with their name beside it. They will wear these badges throughout the party for their ID.
7. Once in the lab, have everyone take out their tools. You may want to have plastic body party and fake blood around the lab for the kids to work with. Check out the list of procedures that are done with CSIs and choose a few to explore with the kids. As an example, have evidence laying around that the kids must pick up with their tweezers to examine.
8. While the kids are busy in the lab, have an adult volunteer, scream, and plummet to their “supposed” death! This will have the CSIs completely taken off guard…they thought they were going to explore the world of CSIs in the lab, and have no idea that they are actually going to investigate a mock murder!
9. Race into the room to see what has ensued. Stage a murder scene with the room looking disheveled, fake blood oozing from the person, a knife or plastic gun laying around, etc.
10. The kids must now use some of the techniques they learned to employ what has taken place. Make sure they all put their plastic gloves on before entering the crime scene. You may want to hand out small notepads and pencils for their note taking as well.
11. During this process, have them collect evidence. No need to move the body, have the kids examine it in the room, and come up with a list of suspects.
12. You will need extra helpers at this time who can play the role of murder suspects. They each must have cause for the crime that the CSIs must try and determine before interviewing each suspect.
13. Have a couple of CSI volunteers interview the suspects. (So there is one team investigating the crime scene and another team investigating the suspects.)
14. This is the heart of the party, and the conclusion is the successful meeting of the minds, i.e. the evidence supports that one suspect is guilty.
15. The conclusion of the party is taking the suspect into custody, and cleaning up the crime scene.

The party can be organized in many different ways. but to really make this a hit, I wouldn’t let the birthday kid know that an actual crime will take place…that would be a complete surprise for everyone. So, the set-up of the lab, the tool kits, the CSI crime lab can all be planned with your birthday kid. On your own, gather other adults or other older kids, who are interested in staging a murder in a different area of your home or in your yard, if a nice day…you can set this up with a stabbing or a shooting, etc. When the victim screams, the kids will know that they truly are CSIs for the day!!

Have the kids take home their tool kits as their party favor. You can also make up T-shirts with CSI on the back of the shirts that would be something they can wear during the party, given out when they get their badges, and then taken home as an additional favor.

For treats, make cookies in the shape of footprints. Also, a magnifying glass or question mark cake would make an excellent CSI party treat! (Make an oblong cake, and a 7 inch round cake. Place the two cakes together and ice with black and white frosting.)

The kids will love this party! Remember: make sure to give lots of time for the party. This could even be a great slumber party idea too!