When kids reach that age where the lure of outer space exerts a greater pull than Earth’s gravity, it’s time to plan a space theme birthday party. Use this guide to plan how to make space theme birthday party invitations, decor, and goody bags and to plan space theme games and mood music.
How to Make Space Theme Birthday Party Invitations
For the homemade invitations for a space theme birthday party, cut out paper rocket shapes. Or, make a round invitation with rings to represent Saturn or a make the shape of the sun or a moon for your birthday party invitation. Here is some cute text for the invite:
Astronauts!
Join us for an interplanetary journey to celebrate [child’s name]’s birthday.
Blast off is at [state time in military lingo, e.g., 0100.] sharp.
The launch pad is located at [your address].
Splashdown at [state party end time in military lingo].
How to Make Space Theme Birthday Party Decor
Making your own decor for a space theme birthday party is simple. Cut stars from shiny, silver craft paper. Cut out card stock circles to make planets. Cut out a big yellow sun and an orange moon. Tape these to the wall or hang with string from the ceiling.
Those who are really ambitious might hang all the planets of the Milky Way solar system from the ceiling at their space theme birthday party..
How to Set the Mood for a Space Theme Birthday Party
To set the mood for a space theme birthday party, use out of this world background music. You can go for the serious mood music like Holst’s The Planets or opt for the whimsical Purple People Eater by Sheb Wooley. Another suitable choice of music for the space theme birthday party would be the Star Trek Theme Song. The pop group the B-52s is also known for including space references in many of its songs.
Space Theme Birthday Party Activities
Children attending a space theme birthday party will be thrilled to set off rockets in their own space race and participate in a space mission to retrieve a comet..
Astronaut Space Theme Birthday Party Space Race
This is a rocket activity that can be used safely at a birthday party with young children. It is certain to be the highlight of the space theme birthday party. With the digital age, getting the supplies for this activity is not as easy as it once was, but it’s worth the trouble. Gather enough clear plastic film canisters so that you have one for each child. These must be clear- the black and gray ones won’t work. You will also need a package of construction paper. Finally, you will need one-half of one effervescing antacid per child per rocket race.
Step 1: Make Rockets for the Birthday Party Space Race
Have each child open his film canister and place it open end down on a table. Save the cap. Have each child wrap a piece of construction paper around the canister- cut off any excess, so that it is only wrapped around once. Tape in place- do not place any tape over the opening of the canister. The height of the rocket body will be higher than that of the canister. It does not matter how tall the rocket is, so if children orient the paper differently to wrap their rockets, don’t worry about it.
Cut a circle of construction paper that is larger than the diameter of the canister. Cut a piece shaped wedge from it. (think Pacman™) . Pull the open ends together to form a cone shape and tape. Tape this nose cone to the top of the rocket.
If desired, cut four small triangular stabilizers and tape them at the base of the rocket.
When each child has a completed rocket, let the birthday party pace race begin!
Step 2: Shoot off the Rockets, the Space Race Is On!
Take the children and their rockets outside. Designate a launch line. Instruct all children about rocket safety: so that no one gets hit with a rocket, it is important that all of the children wait until you say “Launch the rockets!” before launching their rockets. It is also important that the children immediately step back a few feet from the launch line after placing his rocket there.
Now you are ready to launch the rockets. Line the kids up at the launch line. Have each child hold his rocket upside down, so that the open canister is face up. An adult will fill each canister 1/3 full of water. This next part has to be done quickly. Each child should hold the cover to the canister in one hand while holding the upside down rocket in the other. Tell the children you are going to give them some rocket fuel but not to do anything with it until you tell them to do so. Give each child ½ of an effervescent tablet. Now explain that when you say, “Launch the rockets!” each child will do 4 things, very quickly. First, he will place the tablet in the canister. Second, he will fasten the cover on the canister at the speed of light. Third, he will turn his rocket upright and place it on the launch line. And, fourth, as soon as the rocket is on the launch line, he will step back 2-3 feet. You may want to draw a step back line for very young children.
Countdown- 5-4-3-2-1, Blastoff! Or, instead of “Blastoff!” have the children shout “Happy Birthday!” It usually takes 5 to 10 seconds for the rockets to fire. Watch them go and see who wins the space race. This activity can be repeated (and the children will likely demand it) several times before the rockets start to deteriorate. You may want to have a couple of extra rockets on hand. This activity is a guaranteed birthday party crowd pleaser.
Space Theme Birthday Party Comet Retrieval Mission
For this space theme birthday party game, you will need two space claws, two buckets, and the same number of rocks as children. Line kids up in two teams for a relay race. Place a bucket next to the start line by the first child in each line. Give the first child in each line a space claw. Line the rocks on the ground at the pick up line. At the start signal, have the first child in each line run to the pickup line and pick up a “comet” (rock) with the space claw and carry it back to his team’s bucket. The team which collects the most comets wins. If the number of comets is equal, the first team to complete the comet retrieval task wins.
How to Serve Space Theme Birthday Party Food
Space theme birthday party food will add to the out of this world atmosphere at your space theme birthday party.
Astronaut Ice Cream for the Space Theme Birthday Party
Instead of serving regular ice cream at your space theme birthday party, buy and serve freeze dried astronaut ice cream. This is available at space museums and military surplus stores.
Rocket Cake with Smoking Engines for the Space Theme Birthday Party
For a special cake for your space theme birthday party, make a rocket shaped cake with “exhaust” flowing from the engines.
Make a sheet cake and cut into the shape of a rocket with three engines. Frost. Place the cake on top of an overturned cardboard box. Cut an opening into the side end of the box where the engines are. The opening should fit disposable mini plastic food containers. Cut one round hole the diameter of the straw into the box under the cake near the engine area and another one in the lid of the mini food container for each engine.
Cut the top off three bendy straws so that they will fit up into the bottom of the cake from underneath the box (through the hole in the box) and out at a right angle to the side edge of the cake where the engine bottoms would be. The straws should remain inside the cake, so only a small hole shows at the engine bottom.
Fit the other end of each straw through the cover of a disposable mini plastic food container.
Keep the birthday cake hidden until it is time to serve it at the birthday party.
When it is time to serve the birthday cake, take the bottoms of each disposable mini plastic food container and place small pieces of dry ice inside. Half fill each container with water. Do not touch the dry ice with your hands. Follow handling instructions that come with the dry ice. Quickly, place the container of dry ice into the box under the cake and fasten the lid. The straws will direct the flow of “rocket exhaust,” (which is actually carbon dioxide vapor and harmless) into the rocket engines.
It is a good idea to try this trick in advance so you are comfortable with it by the time you hold your space theme birthday party.
Once the birthday cake has been presented, remove the container with the dry ice and place it in a safe place, inaccessible to the children. Make sure the children know not to look for or touch the dry ice.
How to Make Space Theme Birthday Party “Goody Bags”
For “goody bags” at the space theme birthday party, send each child home with a candy filled rocket.
Each rocket requires one cardboard paper towel roll and a circle of white card stock or shiny silver craft paper (the circle should be somewhat larger than the diameter of the tube) with a pie shape notch cut out of it (again, think Pacman™). You will also need sheets of yellow, orange, and/or red tissue paper for flames.
To make each nose cone, pull the ends of the circle together to make a cone to fit the top of the paper towel roll. Tape the cone together with clear tape.
Spray paint all of the paper towel rolls silver or white to match the nose cones and let dry.Alternatively, wrap white or silver paper around the paper towel roll and secure using tape or a glue stick.
Glue the nose cone to the top of the rocket body with quick dry glue and/or double sided tape. When it is secure and dry, fill almost full with small candies. Arrange two or three sheets of tissue paper to stick out of the end of the rocket to look like flames.
Since kids will undoubtedly love the space race rocket launch, why not type out the instructions for making and launching the antacid powered rockets and tie them to the rocket so kids can repeat this birthday party activity at home?
