By Shelly Radic

Invitations: Decorate black construction paper cards with glow in the dark star and planet stickers. Use an opening line of “Touchdown at Peter’s Space Station”, ask guests to “dock their space ship” at the party location, and to “call the Mother ship to RSVP.”

Decorations: Blue, silver, and black balloons and streamers, star garland, glow in the dark stars, a solar system mobile.

Food: Cosmic pizzas (Cheese pizza, topped with moon and stars cut from pepperoni slices and American cheese slices), space ship cake and frozen rocket pops.

Space ship cake: Purchase or bake a loaf cake. Place cake on foil-covered cake board. Cut two three-inch triangles from one short end to form point of rocket. Place the triangles on either side of the uncut end of cake to form wings. Frost entire rocket with white icing. Pipe the letters USA along the middle of the rocket. Add licorice whip flames coming out of the bottom wings and silver candy sprinkles to outline wings. Place star stickers or cookies around the rocket cake.

Costumes: Astronaut helmet. Collect clean one-gallon plastic milk jugs for each guest. Cut out the handle area to form a face shaped opening. Spray paint white or silver. Line edges around face and neck with silver duct tape. Add an American flag sticker on one side and use a permanent marker to write NASA on the other side.

Activities:

• Make Rocket Ships- Provide one empty paper towel tube for each guest. Wrap and glue foil around the tube. Cut an 8” diameter circle out of blue shiny paper, with a slit cut along one radius. Twist and glue the circle into a cone-shape and glue to top of tube. Glue red streamer flames to fall from bottom. Decorate with planet and star stickers.
• Hunting for Stars- Hide small colored star stickers all around the room. Assign each guest a color to find.
• UFOs (Unidentified Funny Objects)- Collect several objects (a sipper cup, jump rope, hair brush, zucchini, egg beater) and place them in brown bags. Ask guest to feel inside each bag and guess what the object might be.
• Ring the planet- Place several balls on the floor and ask guests to throw a hula-hoop over them.
• Rocket racers- Cut out several planet shapes and put them around the party area. Ask guests to run to the “blue” planet, hop to the “orange planet, etc.
• Read Little Bear by Elsa Holmelund Minarik (the chapter “Little Bear Goes to the Moon”)- Be sure guests are wearing their astronaut helmets.

Favors: Glow sticks, planet stickers, astronaut ice cream pellets.

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