(This articles continues our discussion on how to set up your own Family Adventure Nights. To learn more about what FANS are and their back story, read our Introduction to the series here: Family Adventure Nights – Introduction)
First we set the mood…and by mood, what I’m really talking about is the overall atmosphere for the space you’ll be in during your FAN which includes decorations, sounds and so much more.
The most effective FAN will transport your family to another location and possibly another time. This is not always a small task. If I had enough money to buy super cool props, then I’d probably have the money to whisk my family away to REALLY visit these exotic locales. Instead, we had to utilize good ideas, work smart and often times use a little (or a lot) of elbow grease.
We’ll focus on the sights, sounds, textures and even smells of far off places. It’s important to consider that the goal is not to copy what we did, because your resources may be different. For most of our FANS, we lived in Central Ohio and I had to do a lot to create a tropical island feeling (especially during the Winter months.) You might live in Southern California or Florida and have access to resources that I longed to have access to for the same locale. The lesson to be learned is that you can have amazing atmosphere within your budget, accessing your own resources.
The goal in atmosphere is to create a space that will transport your family someplace else. This does not mean overloading the room with decorations and props, as you may be tempted to do. We can never forget the primary goal…to transport your family there. There are several techniques to contribute to this including (but not limited to) the following:
1. Remove the familiar. Sometimes we can’t be transported because there are too many familiar things around us. For example, covering that TV or bookshelf with fabric or plain wrapping paper can do a lot to transform a family room into an exotic bazaar or marketplace.
2. Utilize props and decorations strategically.
3. Incorporate sound. Sometimes you’ll want sound to be the focal point in a game or adventure. Other times, sound can be simple and effectively used in the background to strengthen the feeling of your location.
4. Use lighting or shadows.
5. Move furniture to unfamiliar locations.
6. Create a portal. This idea works for any FAN theme and can be extra handy if you don’t have many decorations. A portal can be made once and stored for future use, making it a popular option for many. Get your hands on any materials you can (i.e. boxes, spray paint, etc.) to create an arch or anything similar in shape for your kids to walk THROUGH on their way to the Family Adventure Night space. Having something to walk through, with a FAN waiting for them on the other side, can really help them to ‘get there’ mentally.
When creating atmosphere, keep a single place in mind. Let’s compare a Family Adventure Night to a theme party. Initially, they might both sound the same in approach. For example, let’s compare a pirate FAN and a pirate theme party. For the theme party, use: pirate themed plates and cups, a treasure chest cake, a parrot shaped pinata, cookies shaped like gold doubloons and cool looking treasure maps on the walls. It’s perfect for a party, but will be unsuccessful to set a FAN atmosphere, especially with older kids.
Here’s why…
In a FAN, you’ll transport your family to a specific location at a specific time. Although there are several locations for a pirate themed FAN you could choose, none includes the party ideas mentioned in the above paragraph. For example, let’s say I want to take my family to an island in the Caribbean to look for lost pirate’s treasure. We’d have coconuts and bananas for dessert, not cake. There would be tropical flowers and leaves on the walls as decorations. There wouldn’t be any pirate themed plates or cups. We’d use pie tins or giant leaves. Pirates don’t eat off pirate themed plates and eat doubloon shaped cookies.
Your area doesn’t have to look exciting, it has to make it easy to imagine being physically there. For example, a dungeon cell doesn’t sound impressive, but a few PVC pipes painted black, some loose straw, a few sound effects and darkness will transport your family to a French dungeon waiting for their turn at the Bastille.
Got the idea? Don’t decorate according to the theme. Instead, create a specific space to BE in, that’s as true as you can make it. It may take a few minutes to set in, but when it does, the experience is better.
BE RESOURCEFUL
Being resourceful is your greatest tool. Online resources can present a lot of ideas making you think “Wow, that would be awesome, but where in the world am I going to get a two-ton elephant?” It’s important to shift the thinking a little (or a lot) when it comes to creating your desired atmosphere. First take a personal inventory. Do you have any unusual items in your garage, basement or attic that would fit into any of the themes? It might take a little digging, but time dedicated to going through a few dusty boxes in the garage can yield a wealth of items you can use for your atmosphere as well as your adventures. If you find items your children are not familiar with, BONUS!
Next ask friends, family and coworkers if they have any themed items you might be able to borrow, especially those that might have migrated to your country. Sharing your list of themes will help them think through what they might have. I’ve found that once you start spreading the word about what you are doing with your family, others will get excited and enjoy contributing when and where they can. As you think about where you’d like to take your family, begin making lists of items you have or could borrow from friends and family. You may be surprised by what they dig out of their garages and basements. One person might have pieces of a suit of armor while another might have tree skirts for a luau. Sometimes it’s just that one item that you can use as a centerpiece on your table that ties your entire locale/theme together!
It’s worth noting that sometimes your FAN location will be dictated by your resources. If you are planning a pirate themed FAN then you might choose between a city square, tavern, pirate deck or deserted island depending on the space that you can most effectively create.
Another trick is to utilize natural surroundings when they are most effective. We always had a meal in our FANs and going outdoors sometimes proved to be challenging…but it was perfect for other adventures. If we are hunting Bigfoot, then a camping meal in the woods at the park is perfect. Think about unique parks and locales where you live and keep note of how to use them. Also, look for rivers, lakes and friends’ backyards unfamiliar to your kids. The latter allowed me to set up a cool scene in a private space, away from the public. Again, bonus points for finding places unfamiliar to your kids.
The bulk of your FANs will probably be in your home, though. You might require a purchase or two. As a FIRST response, visit your local thrift store or garage sale. You can find amazing varieties of items to fit all sorts of different themes.
PVC PIPES — The Best Small Investment You’ll Ever Make for FANs!
It may seem scary at first, but before this paragraph is finished you’ll envision the concept in all it’s Family Adventure Night glory! Visit the plumbing section of your local major hardware store. There you’ll find long white poles made of PVC plastic. They make joints in a wide variety of shapes that can be used like Tinker Toys (for those that are old enough to know what those are.) The poles are only a few bucks a piece and the connectors are less than that. Once you have them, you’ll find you can do AMAZING things with them. Using the poles and connectors, you can create a cube to go around your table (or through your table if you have a large table) or walls for Egyptian and Aztec temples! They go up easily and come down even easier. By cutting different poles to different lengths you have a wonderful variety of options available to create any kind of structure you need — needing only to hang fabric or paper to act as ‘walls.’ Around the table it’s great to hang decorations or fabric on. You can tape, nail or drill right into the poles, leaving your home walls untouched. Over the years I’ve collected quite a collection of poles that I’ve spray painted to match different scenes. For your starter set, consider painting them black to go with every theme. If you are considering doing several FANs, you’ll be able to re-use them over and over in a variety of structure shapes!
To read the next article in the series, FAMILY ADVENTURE NIGHTS – ATMOSPHERE PART II, click HERE.
To read the previous article in the series, FAMILY ADVENTURE NIGHTS – INTRODUCTION, click HERE.