A dinosaur party is sure to be a hit with little boys. Be sure to have a dinosaur cake, dinosaur goodie bags, and dinosaur-related activities for the kids to play.
Little boys love dinosaurs, so it's not surprising that so many mothers get requests for dinosaur-themed birthday parties. Luckily, it is actually quite simple and fun to organize a dinosaur birthday party for your little boy and his buddies. Here are some must-haves for your pre-historic celebration:
Decorate a Dino
Arts and crafts are a big hit at parties for children between the ages of four and eleven (the perfect age range for a dinosaur party). Supply the kids with some simple and inexpensive materials to decorate their own dinosaurs with. First, make cardboard cutouts of dinosaurs - just make the basic shapes - a few long necked Brontosauruses, some Tyrannosaurus Rex shapes, some winged Pterodactyls. Make twice as many cutouts as you have guests, just in case kids make mistakes and they want to start all over. Provide the "artists" with finger paints, glue, buttons, rhinestones, pieces of fabric, ribbons, googly eyes, and any other small decorative accents that catch your eye when you visit the crafts store. Let the kids have free reign to decide how they want to decorate their dinosaurs. If the weather permits, take this activity outside to cut down on the mess. If you have to keep it inside, make sure to line the arts and crafts area with garbage bags or newspaper so that you don't have paint and glue to scrape off the tables and floors when the party's over. Make sure to buy fast-drying glue and finger paints so that the kids can take their creations home with them without ruining the upholstery in their parents' cars!
Pre-Historic Goodie Bags
A kids party without goodie bags is like a grilled cheese sandwich without the cheese. To keep with your dinosaur theme, fill the bags with dinosaur-related treats. Some items that you could include are dinosaur stickers, dinosaur-shaped erasers, dinosaur playing cards, or dinosaur-shaped cookies. You can find many of these items at a party supplies store, and you can make the cookies yourself with dinosaur-shaped cookie cutters.
Fossil Finding
A pretend archaeological dig is sure to be a hit with your dinosaur-loving partiers. If you are able to be outdoors, fill a sandbox up with sand, and hide your faux fossils in the sand. To make your fossils, buy pretend bones or even cheap dog bones. You will need three fake bones per guest. Color each guest's three bones a different color before burying them in the sand. Tell each kid what fossil color to look for, and then give them small shovels to dig with. The first kid to find all three of his fossils wins (of course, you should let everyone keep playing until they're all winners). Give a small prize, such as a book about dinosaurs, to the winner.
Dinosaur Cake
A dinosaur party isn't complete without a delicious dinosaur cake. Dinosaur cakes are actually pretty simple to make. Simply make a sheet cake in the flavor of your liking (the size of the sheet cake you make depends on how many guests you will be feeding). If you make a white cake or vanilla cake, you should add green or blue food coloring to the batter before baking the cake - little boys love that kind of stuff! Once your cake has baked and cooled, carefully cut out a dinosaur shape with a sharp knife. Set the scraps aside (you will use them in a minute). Next, make a white frosting, adding food coloring in the color of your choice. Break up the scraps of cake into crumbs, then add the crumbs to your frosting and stir well. The result will be a textured look to your frosting, adding to the dinosaur-like quality of your cake. Frost the cake, and then use store-bought writing icing to draw on the facial features and any other markings you would like to add. If you don't have the time (or desire) to make a dinosaur cake on your own, just order one from a bakery or get a dinosaur ice cream cake.
