A great theme party for school age boys would be to have a search for the treasure chest.
Start the party theme off with a great invitation letting them know the treasure hunt is on!On the party day, as the children arrive tie pirate bandanas on the guests heads and give them something pirate like, perhaps an eyepatch to set the mood.
Consider face painting or temporary tattoos to help set the pirate mood and pass the time as the guests all arrive.
Consider putting together a CD of pirate music from or Irish shanty type jigs to play low in the background, after all these are pirates!Make copies of the CDs for additional favors if you want.
After all the guests have arrived and they have their pirate adornments, its time to start the games.
Perhaps a walking the plank relay is just what the captain ordered.
Split the guests into two teams and have two "planks" prepared using 4 bricks each and a 2x4 plank of wood.
At one end have the starting line.
At the other end, have a small table with a bowl of jelly beans and an empty cup.
Give each child a spoon and a cotton ball.
One by one the children will walk the plank holding their cotton ball on their spoon in their mouth!When they get to the other side, they will take their spoon and dump their cotton ball into the cup.
Then they need to scoop up a red jellybean (out of a bunch of all colored jelly beans) and put the spoon back into their mouth.
To complete their part of the relay they must walk back across the plank and then eat their jellybean.
Once they eat theirs the next person goes.
When the last person eats their jelly bean, the team is done.
Continue with other games or activities until you are ready to have refreshments, then it's time to find the hidden treasure chest! Give the party guests an oversized treasure map that takes them on a scavenger hunt to find the chest.
Finally, have them find the treasure chest - I would recommend that the best place to have it end up being is where you plan to serve refreshments.
Have the table set up in complete pirate style with jolly roger flags, pirate table ware and accessories, and of course a huge "x" on the top of the table with treasure chests of golden coins, Mardi Gras beads, and other shiny baubles in the middle as a centerpiece.
Blue Koolaid with ice cubes containing frozen Swedish Fish or Shark Fruit Snacks look awesome with any kind of pirate/ocean cake.