Last year, instead of the traditional birthday party for my daughter, we held a massive scavenger hunt.
I'll tell you a little how ours went and try to offer some more suggestions for you: Everybody came and gathered around, talking, eating, and playing video games.
I stepped outside for a minute and used my cell phone to call my daughter (she was still in the house).
I told her to look in the refrigerator and then hung up.
She's ten years old, so she's old enough to understand when something fun is up, and she played along famously.
The first clue - in the refrigerator, obviously - pointed to a destination outside, where a few parents and I were already waiting with smiles on our faces; most of the kids had never taken part in a scavenger hunt, so they were very excited and didn't really know what was happening yet.
As more and more clues were discovered, their excitement grew and they were now running from clue to clue, laughing and squealing as little girls and boys tend to do.
Some were hidden in trees, some were inside the house in drawers and cupboards, and some were even buried in the garden! My daughter's friends still talk about that scavenger hunt party, and we already have another one planned for her next birthday.
I think it really was a hit with them, and it was nice to do something somewhat "original" rather than the typical birthday party! Now: time to start thinking of something REALLY creative for next year...