I’ve never been great at birthday parties. Usually, I slap together an event with a loose theme and some character plates chosen by the kids and then order a few pizzas. I was prepared to do exactly that this summer when I was asked by my science-loving kiddo to throw a “science birthday party” with a very vague description of what that actually was.
So, I got to searching “science birthday party” online. And, you know what I found? There are almost no science themed birthday plates or accessories that make sense for a young child. Luckily, my family loves a challenge, so they convinced me it would be a great idea to throw together a science themed party with absolutely no party store help. No “science” plates, no themed tablecloth, no activity kit to order. 
My goal was to throw such an amazing party that it would hopefully get me off the hook for throwing any of my kids a party for the next 5-10 years. I’ll let you know how that goes, but in the meantime I’m going to show you my take on a science party and share some printables I made up. 
Step #1: Decide what makes a “science party”
The one bit of information I was given about what made a science party a science party was that it had a banner where science items were arranged to look like letters. Alright then, I can do that. 
But, that still didn’t sound very science-y. To make this a real theme, I was going to need a plan and stick with it.
For food, I went with a pie theme {or, rather Pi theme} and had pizza pie and fruit pies instead of traditional cake. We had a veggie tray, juices, cheesy chips, and treats for the kids, including crystal-inspired rock candy and rainbow lollipops for the kids to take home. 
For favors, I had notebooks for the kids to record their science observations in, magnifying glasses, flying helicopters, and rainbow colored crayons that all nested together. Of course, we had safety glasses for the kids as well. 
Step #2: Party activities
To keep the kiddos busy at the party, we planned some science stations that we could have kids participate in. These were the most fun for me to plan and the bonus is that I got to order fun science supplies online that we can use over and over again. 
Geode cracking party activity
Each child was suited up with safety goggles and then given a geode, and old sock {to help contain small geode shards from scattering}, and a hammer. With heavy parental supervision, they place the geode in the sock and then use the hammer to strike the geode to crack it open. We got our geodes on Amazon fairly inexpensively, and they did the trick nicely. They weren’t brightly colored, but they were a pretty white crystal and the kids were super excited to see the formations inside the geodes once they were open. 
Perfume chemistry party activity
Using the My Perfume Maker kit, we gave each kid an opportunity to make their own signature scent in a roll-on topped bottle. To start our perfume making, each child filled their bottles almost to the top with water from glass beakers. 
Then, we had the kids smell each scent and add drops of their chosen scents to the water however they would like. 
I gave suggestions based on the included recipes in the My Perfume Kit, but also let the kids make the final call. When the kids were happy with their perfumes, I placed the roll-on tops onto the bottles, screwed the cap on, and then let the kids customize their bottles with water-proof stickers. 
The roll-on bottles were bought on Amazon and perfect for little kids who have a tendency to over-spray perfume or spill open top bottles. If you can't tell, these roll-on perfumes were super popular. 
DIY science beaker piñata party activity
My awesome step mom got really excited about the science theme and she had tons of ideas to make the party awesome. Her craziest idea was by far the DIY science beaker piñata that she planned on making all by herself before the party. Seriously, how cool is this? 
This baby was clearly hours and hours of work and a lot of trial and error, but everyone agreed that it was very worth it and helped solidify the science theme. Plus, the birthday girl was beyond excited. 
The breaking of the piñata was one of the highlights of the party and all the kids went crazy for the science trinkets and candy she had placed inside. If you’re wondering, this piñata was seriously sturdy and the kids all got to take some swings at it. It wasn’t until the older boys got at it that it cracked and eventually broke. I’m going to call that a rousing success. 
Water balloon races party activity
We used the new Bunch of Balloons packs to make a pile of water balloons perfect for carrying on spoons, tossing back and forth, and testing out different trajectories for reaching targets across the yard. When all the science experiments were done, it was time for the water balloon fight, which was one of the party highlights for all the kids. 
Beautiful bubbles party activity
We bought a bubbles kit from our local bookstore that claimed you could make huge bubbles with just some household cleaning supplies, and I knew we needed it. It involved mixing, stirring, and then following fairly simple steps to make huge bubbles, so it seemed science-y enough. Plus my kids, like all kids, love bubbles, so it seemed like a great activity for kids in between stations. You can find the bubble kit we got on Amazon as well. 
Bugs up close party activity
We knew some stations would take longer than others, so we planned a table full of bugs, both living and some that have been found deceased. We placed magnifying glasses on the tables as well as some viewers that show you a bug’s view of the world for the kids to play with. We also ordered some prepared slides that the kids could view in this kit.
Step #3: Fun science experiments
Naturally, a science party should have experiments. We brainstormed and came up with a few tried and true experiments we could try. Top of the list was the Mentos and diet soda geyser and the expanding foam experiment. 
For the Mentos geyser, we used a kit from our local toy store. 
For the expanding foam {or elephant's toothpaste}, we needed 1/2 cup hydrogen peroxide liquid {we went to Sally Beauty Supply and got 30 Clear, a more potent form of hydrogen peroxide for the foam to be even more intense}, 1 Tbs of dry yeast, 3 Tbs of warm water, 1 Tbs liquid dish washing soap, 8 drops of food coloring, and safety equipment. It wasn't explosive by any means, but it was still pretty fun. You can find the details on Science Bob.
Step #4: The details
The last step in planning the party was the fun stuff, and for that I utilized PicMonkey. I made H2O drink labels, the special requested birthday banner, and descriptions of the food for the party table all using the photo program and my trusty HP printer. 
Want to print some H20 labels for your own science party? Warning, water contains Dihydrogen Monoxide 🙂 Click the image below and print the PDF. Then, cut the labels apart and tape onto the water bottles. 
The party ended up being a huge hit, and the kids still talk about all the fun science stuff we did. Honestly, that's the biggest win as far as I'm concerned. Getting little kids thinking science is fun at such a young age sets them up for enjoying it as they get older, and that makes me very happy. 
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So adorable!
Looks like everyone had so much fun. What a cute theme!