Birthday party #3
Theme: Backyard science
Your child is hooked on every science TV show going, and he's famous -- or infamous -- for the "experiments" that he likes to carry out in the kitchen and the bathroom. So what kind of birthday party are you going to throw for your in-house Einstein? A backyard science party, that's what!
Location: Outdoors -- backyard
Age: Nine- and 10-year-olds
Invitations: Come up with fabulous invitations that hint at the weird and wonderful experiments that birthday party guests can expect to partake in at the Truly Amazing Backyard Science Birthday Party Bash -- if they dare! After all, it's not everyone who has what it takes to stare down a volcano or to do battle with the dreaded green goop...
Decorations: Think weird. Real weird. Then hit a local science shop and load up on colourful, eye-catching posters and props. Remember, the weirder, the better.
Food: Give your menu a "mad scientist" twist. Serve your guests their juice or soda in plastic beakers and give everything you're serving a crazy new name, like "experi-burgers" for what's on the grill!
Fun and games: And now for the reason the party guests came to the party -- the wild and wacky science experiments. They want to see stuff go fizz, boom, bang!
• Backyard Volcano: Everyone's seen this experiment -- and everyone wants to see it again. Take a clear bottle with a slender neck (a small plastic pop bottle works well) and place it on a cookie sheet or inside a large bowl. Using a funnel, drop enough baking soda into the bottle to cover the bottom with a layer about 3 cm thick. In a separate mixing cup, combine 1/2 cup of vinegar, two drops of dish detergent, and a couple of drops of red food colouring. Pour the soapy red mixture into the bottle using a funnel. You'll soon have "lava" erupting out of your homemade volcano!
• Super suction lips: Use a piece of modelling clay to seal the opening to a pop bottle so that there's only room for the straw to fit in. Then try to drink out of the bottle. Because you're preventing any new air from getting inside the bottle, you'll need to have super suction lips to get anything up the straw.
• Goop. Is it a solid or a liquid -- or something in between? Find out for yourself by whipping up a batch of this ooey-gooey stuff. Mix water, cornstarch, and a few drops of green food colouring together on a cookie sheet. (You'll know you've achieved the right consistency when the goop is thick enough to push with a spoon and yet runny enough to slip through your fingers when you try to pick it up.) Totally weird!
Loot bags: Hit your local science shop to scoop up items like a child-safe magnifying glass, a gyroscope, and other fabulous (and inexpensive) loot bag treasures. Talk about finding your way to loot bag nirvana....
Etc.: Think about turning your backyard science party into a costume party, too. It's yet another way to crank up the fun factor.
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