Mad About Science

My Maggie is over the top MAD ABOUT SCIENCE!  For months there has been some sort of experimental concoction adorning my kitchen or driveway, or back porch.  This girl is always finding a way to mix something up.

As you can imagine, I was completely thrilled {and not shocked in the least} when Maggie chose a Science Party for her 7th birthday party this year.  Especially after Jack had teased me with the notion for many previous birthday celebrations.  I finally had a kid who wanted to do this!  To no surprise, my mind has had years of swirling this idea around.  It was finally going to come to life.

The best part was Maggie and I were totally on the same page about how we wanted to execute this event.  She wanted Science centers...I did too!  She did not want a Science demonstration by an outside source...neither did I!  She wanted lots of vibrant colors...I did too!  And she wanted messy fun...I couldn't have imagined it any other way.

So here is peek at what happens when you celebrate a 7 year old Science Style... {first a look at the party and then I will be back with a second post of the scientist at work!}

Maggie and I both wanted huge pops of color.  I decided the best way to make those colors pop was to use black as the backdrop {literally}.  I added a black tutu skirt to my growing collection {just can't seem to throw a party without one of those} and found a few printables on Etsy which fit with my vision perfect. 

It's near impossible to get the full picture here.  I was dealing with a beautiful {but also annoying ray of sunshine}.  I vowed to grab this same shot later, but things happened, i.e., the party started, kids were everywhere, oh and my camera broke.

So do your best to imagine this scientific black table with neon colors.  So Scientifically Super!

With Halloween being so close to Maggie's birthday, I was able to find all kinds of things to relate to Science that were actually intended to be spooky.  Some of which were these beakers I found at Michaels.  These little touches just thrilled Maggie.

We had a late afternoon party which meant I filled the kids up with snacks as opposed to lunch.  The menu consisted of...

Test Tube Treats {found the tubes at the Dollar Store and filled them with Mini Trix cereal}

Popcorn Molecules {bags are from the Dollar Spot at Target}

Nuclear Worms {petri dishes are from Steve Spangler Science-filled with green Jello and gummy worms}

Lab Frogs {gummy frogs from Dylan's Candy bar}

Atoms {jelly beans}

and at least one healthy snack, Fruit Particles.

With that many sweets, there was really no need for anything else, but....what's a Birthday Party without cupcakes?

On the cupcake table I put a few more beakers for decoration.  My girls loved adding color to the water before we set them out.

I opted for white icing cupcakes and found the perfect Wilton sprinkles to match the party.

The Lab Juice was, of course, green.  I threw in silly straws from the Dollar Store.  It just felt like the perfectly MAD touch to me!

Upon arrival, all the girls checked in at the Science Table.  Here they got their official "Professor" badges, safety glasses, and lab coats.  I made the badges and ordered disposable kids science glasses & lab coats from Amazon.

They were then directed to the Science Kit table.  Here they chose a Science Kit and decorated it.  This helped with crowd control until all the guests arrived and we could begin a sane rotation through the Science Experiments.

Each Science Kit contained a journal {found them in packages of 8 at the Target Dollar Spot}, an Experiment checklist, and a pencil.

And yes, they actually took notes in their journals after each experiment!

I offered foam letters and Science stickers for the kids to decorate their kits with {both are from Amazon}.

There were four experiments for the girls to rotate through.  I gave very explicit instructions on how to rotate to each experiment, how to take Scientific notes, and how they could keep the materials in their kits to take home BEFORE I set them free.  

It actually worked beautifully {and if I'm honest, I was thinking this could have gone a lot of ways}.  And I might need to mention, I did have an adult manning each station...this was a must!

The first experiment was Blow It up.  I found colored water bottles at the Dollar Store and orange and green balloons at the Target Dollar Spot.  The kids used baking soda and vinegar to blow up a balloon.  They were amazed! 

Oh and all the station chalkboard signs were also found in the Target Dollar Spot.  I added the experiment name with my Cricut.

Next up were the Lava Lamps.  I ordered small clear plastic bottles with lids from Uline.  We used  vegetable oil, food coloring, and Alka Seltzer to create a Lava effect.  Seriously, another huge hit!  I could have never imagined the fascination this experiment would bring.

The grossest experiment by far were the Insta-Worms.  The kids were over the moon for this Experiment.  All of the ingredients with the directions can be found at Steve Spangler Science.  It is an amazing resource.

And finally, was Slime Time.  What is a Science Party without a little green slime?  This was by far the easiest experiment to execute, thanks to the materials from Steve Spangler.  None the less, the kids adored playing with their slime.

I ordered containers from Oriental Trading to contain the slime so each scientist could take it home.  I added stickers as an ode to Maggie turning 7!

For favors each Scientist took home a book of very do-able at home Science Experiments and a Test Tube Experiment.  These are normally pretty pricey little experiments, but I was able to get a huge tub from Steve Spangler for a reasonable cost.

Now, take all that Science Set Up and add 20 girls!  I'm telling you it was....MAD!  But, in the best way.  The kiddos honestly did amazing and I couldn't have imagined this party running any smoother.

More pics of the Mad Scientist to come...