Use Your Noodle Party
By Shelly Radic 

Invitations
Use a permanent marker and write the following on one side of an uncooked lasagna noodle: Who wants you to Use Your Noodle at her birthday party? Clue 1: She’s turning …; Clue 2: She loves …; Clue 3: Her favorite food is…. On the noodle’s other side write the party information.

Decorations
Question marks and head silhouettes cut from colorful poster board, and bowls or jars of uncooked pasta.

Food
Serve pasta with sauce, brainy veggies and dip, and ice cream question mark cake. (Soften ice cream and shape into a question mark. Cover with candy sprinkles. Refreeze.)

Activities 

• Noodle Sculptures. Place uncooked noodles in different shapes and colors, sculpting clay, pipe cleaners and glue on a covered table. Provide a large, heavy duty paper plate as the base for each guest’s sculpture. Award a ribbon prize for each sculpture.
• What’s in the Spaghetti? Fill a large bucket or bowl with cooked spaghetti and mini M&Ms. With eyes closed, have guests each take 30 seconds to search through noodles for candy. Mix in candy as needed between turns. 
• Noodle Toss. Provide each guest with a foam pool noodle. (Write names on noodles with permanent marker.) See who can toss their noodle the farthest. Then try throwing noodles through hanging hula hoops. 
• Noodle Races. Divide into two teams and line up both teams at one end of a large open space. Place foam noodles at the other end. Each player must run and get a noodle, run back to team and then “weave” noodle under and over teammates before the next player can go. 
• Use Your Noodle Treasure Hunt. Hide a treasure chest filled with small prizes. Hide picture clues, attached to uncooked lasagna noodles around party area so they lead to the hidden treasure. 
• What’s in the Bag? Hide familiar objects inside sealed brown lunch bags. Allow guests to feel the bag and ask three questions before using their noodles to figure out what’s inside. 
• Riddles. Divide guests into two teams. Ask each team to answer riddles, giving one point for each correct answer. Search the internet or the library for simple riddles suitable for older preschoolers such as “I like being on top and sound like cat, I sit on your head and am called a HAT.”

Party Favor 
Foam pool noodles, treasure chest prizes, small riddle book.