Outer Space
Rockets, planets and a sky full of stars, for small astronauts.
Best for ages 3 to 9
Space is a theme for the curious child, and it ages well: a three-year-old loves the rockets and a nine-year-old wants the planets in the right order. Build it on a midnight blue ground, with nebula purple and the orange of a rocket’s exhaust.
Turn the lights down for an hour and glow-in-the-dark stars do most of the decorating. A cardboard box rocket makes the photo spot, and a “mission briefing” at the door, with each guest’s name on an astronaut badge, starts the party with everyone in character.
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Start here
Decorations
The table
The cake
Going home
Games and activities
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15 minutes
Glow star hunt
Hide the stars, turn the lights off and send the astronauts out with flashlights to collect them.
You need: Glow-in-the-dark stars, flashlights, a darkened room
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10 minutes
Planet toss
Throw each planet into its orbit. The further the bucket, the more points.
You need: Balls of different sizes, buckets labelled with planet names
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10 minutes
Moonwalk relay
Put on the space suit, walk slowly to the moon and back, and pass the suit to the next astronaut.
You need: Oven mitts and a big hat for each team