Just before October slipped away from us, we managed to squeeze in a party for Noey. He was rather disappointed when I told him that his party had to be postponed but he accepted it as I promised him that it would most definitely happen.
As the haze started to ease, we set a date for the last day of October. When party day rolled round with clear skies all around, I don’t think anyone was more relieved than I was!
It’s late but Happy Birthday Noah!
This year’s party was planned with a Transformers Rescus Bots theme in mind. Like most boys, Noey loves Transformers. I decided to go with the Rescue Bots because I personally like them more than the actual Transformers. Primarily because they focus on educating children about hazards and safety, but also because I think they look nicer and more child-friendly! (Hey, I’m just a Mum, what do I know about Transformers, right?)
Transformers also seemed like the most appropriate, because of this:
Half of the group – red for Autobots – all suited up!
This years’ party was a Laser Tag Face-Off at Tag Team Inc!
We had our first taste of laser tag at Tag Team Inc at the end of last year and Noey enjoyed it so much, he’s been asking me to go back for him to have another go. I decided that his birthday was as good a time as any for some shooting action! I checked out various laser tag venues but in the end, I still felt that Tag Team Inc was the best option for several reasons:
1. Availability of a large indoor arena. Tag Team Inc has Singapore’s largest indoor laser tag arena, with two playing zones — the smaller Mystery Room (indoor and air-conditioned) and the Battle Zone (indoor but open-air). This translates into there being plenty of space for the kids to run around while still being in a confined space! I thought this was fantastic as parents then didn’t have to worry about the children wandering off or getting lost. The fact that it is indoor also means that play can continue, rain or shine.
2. Suitable for young kids. Tag Team Inc is the only laser tag arena that caters to kids as young as 4 years of age. A couple of other venues had age limits of 7 and 8 years. I needed the party to be able to cater to younger kids too, like Mei. The Mystery Room is ideal for young children but as it has the capacity for only 10 players, I opted for the Battle Zone instead, which has the capacity for 20 players. This arena is the larger of the two and is more suitable for kids around 6 to 7 years old, but as long as you can hold a gun, you are welcome to give it a go. My little girl certainly did!
Girl with Gun. Woohoo!
3. Presence of a large viewing area. There is nothing better that parents enjoy than to see their kids having fun. I appreciated the fact that with the Battle Zone being open on one side, the parents of the children attending the party could easily watch their kids playing and take the pictures that they wanted.
4. Missions led by friendly facilitators. The birthday party package provides for one-hour of playing time during which the players embark on 3-4 missions with different game objectives, led by Tag Team Inc facilitators. I liked that play was directed in this manner and the kids were not just left to their own devices to shoot randomly for an hour! There were also at least 3 facilitators present throughout the party to help the kids suit up, direct them and help them reload their weapons and generally make sure they were ok.
5. It’s super fun! Of course, the most important factor is the FUN factor. This I could attest to as I had had a go myself late last year. It was a real adrenaline rush!
Unsurprisingly, I received a very enthusiastic response when the invites went out. On the day of the party, a bunch of rather excited kids descended on Parkland Green ready to do battle!
Did the kids have a good time? You bet!
Listening to the opening briefing on how the guns work.
The equipment for the day: Cobra.
Getting suited up before rolling out!
A huddle before the face-off.
Boys ready for action.
Fire! Sometimes with a little help from Mummy.
Attack!
Sniper Noey on the lookout.
Getting an ammo reload at homebase.
The Red team wins the first round and they are pleased!
But the Blue team wins the second!
Water break.
Thirsty boys!
The final score: The Reds won two missions and The Blues won two missions. So everyone was happy, including me!
Birthday boy was presented with a souvenir tea towel. Thanks Tag Team Inc!
Aside from the laser tag, the other great thing about the venue is the HUGE OPEN FIELD right outside Tag Team Inc. You would think that the children would have expended all their energy running around during laser tag, but give them a field and a ball and they start running again!
Time for some impromptu footy.
I had to persuade everyone to tuck into some food — bee hoon, fish balls, satay and some really good otah which I ordered from Lee Wee Bros. It was my first time ordering from them and I was very pleased with the food, save that I ordered WAY too much bee hoon and had to take home a whole extra tray of it. The otah was a hot favourite with the parents while the kids attacked the chicken wings and satay.
After food, it was time for cake.
Bumblebee wishes Noah and Happy Birthday!
I wanted an unfussy cake and was very pleased to stumble upon Naomi Kitchen. I took a leap of faith in ordering Noey’s cake simply on the basis of looking at some samples of their piping work. What sealed the deal was the fact that delivery could be arranged. I held my breath after placing my order but heaved a sigh of relief at the final product. It looked great! I had sent them images of what I wanted and they reproduced Bumblebee and the “Happy Birthday Noah” shield on the cake really nicely. I made autobot candies (from candy melts) and added them to the cake myself to dress it up a little. I thought it all came together rather nicely.
When it came time to eat it, everyone gave the cake the thumbs up. I ordered the chocolate truffle with crunchy pearls and was happy that the chocolate sponge was really light while the pearls added a nice texture.
You are seven!
Everyone had a great time as was evident in all the sweaty smiles. Many of the parents told me that it was their kids’ first taste of laser tag so I was really glad that they enjoyed it. Even Noey’s Godpa (who could not resist getting in the fray) had a good time and told me that he had to come back another round another day. Of course, what made it worthwhile was the huge grin my son wore throughout the party that told me he had had the best time.
It was an added plus that it was one of the easiest parties I’ve ever organised!
Happy birthday Noahbot! (His shirt, both their shirts, in fact were personalised with iron-ons I created. Printable iron-on paper ftw!)
With that, I’ve officially got a 7-year old on my hands! Happy birthday, my little man. Stop growing up so fast, please?
*Our heartiest thanks to Tag Team Inc for sponsoring Noey’s birthday. We had previously visited and attended parties there and knew that the team would do a wonderful job — which they did!
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