Instead of traditional cards, why not send each of your guests a scroll? Simply write your invitations on high quality paper—the kind used for resumes is appropriate—and then roll each one into the shape of a cylinder. Send them in cardboard mailing tubes so they retain their shape.

Be creative with your wording, and turn your invitation into a proclamation. For example: "In honor of his birthday, King Patrick Johnson decrees the 21st of June an official holiday. To celebrate, all knights and princesses are invited to join him for an afternoon of merriment at his castle, 338 Meadow Drive, at the stroke of two."

Here ye, here ye: Although it may sound ambitious, it doesn't take much effort to convert your family room into a medieval fair.

• You'll need the following materials:
  Large cardboard boxes
• Posters, streamers and ribbons
• Poster paints and felt-tip pens

Paint the boxes with different colors of poster paint and allow them to dry. Cut out holes in the boxes to create booths for carnival-style games. Label your booths to help create the mood ('Maid Marion's Ring Toss,' 'Ye Olde Clothes Pin Drop,' etc.) Swag different colors of crepe paper from the ceiling to the floor and accent your booths with balloons or pictures of swords, dragons and castles.

At each booth, create a simple game of chance or skill to keep everyone in your kingdom occupied. Here are some ideas:

• Ring the Bottle—or in this case, the Chalice—is always a favorite. To set this game up, arrange three or four empty bottles on the floor. Provide your guests with three large plastic or cardboard rings, giving them three tries to ring one or more of the bottles.
• Coins on a Plate is another skill game that kids will enjoy. Set a plate on the floor behind one of the booths and give each guest five or six pennies. Have them try to toss the penny onto the plate. If you use an old plate or a paper one, consider marking it like a dart board or an archery board, so players receive more points the closer they come to the bull's eye.
• If you have a portable children's basketball net, set that up behind one of the booths. Provide an assortment of soft balls in a variety of sizes, and let your guests try making baskets. Of course, even with soft balls you may prefer keeping this activity outdoors!

If you do opt for a backyard party, you can set up your outdoor fun like this: tell everyone that the knights had to cancel their joust due to illness. The good news is, an alternate activity has been scheduled: the Medieval Games! And guess who are the athletes??

• Start off with a few rounds of 'The Joke's on the Jester.' To play, gather the kids together and let the birthday girl or boy choose a jester. Everyone, including the jester, puts on a blindfold. When everyone is blindfolded—and very quiet—the jester tries to tag another player. When the jester tags a player, that person becomes the jester. (Note: please make sure several adults are overseeing this game to make sure no one bumps into each other or falls down.)
• Then, move on to a different kind of tag game—'The Goose and the Feather.' Have your players sit in a circle, and tuck a large quill-type feather into the backs of their pants or shirts. Choose one player to be a fox who's hungry for a goose dinner. The fox walks around the outside of the circle and grabs a tail feather from one of the players. The goose must leap up quickly and try to catch the fox. If he catches the fox, he's saved and can go back to the circle. If the fox gets to the empty spot before the goose, the goose becomes the fox, and it's his turn to scramble for his supper!
• Next, ask your guests if they ever heard of the 'Princess and the Pea' fairytale. Tell them it's their job to deliver the pea to the princess' bed. Give them each a spoon and place a single pea in it. Have them race to a predetermined finish line. Whoever gets there first with the pea still on his spoon, wins!

• 4 small, round individual loaves of French bread
• 6 cups of beef stew, macaroni and cheese or any other casserole dish
• Foil

Ingredients:

• 1 cake mix, any flavor
• Sheet cake pan (9 by 13 inches)
• Rectangular piece of cardboard covered with gold foil
• 2 cans chocolate frosting
• Assorted colors of frosting tubes with decorator tips
• Chocolate coins covered in gold foil
• Sheet cake pan