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I gave an Atomic Party for Andrew’s 12th birthday. It was a two-and half-hour blast, educational, hands-on, somewhat messy, memorable science party that was not centered around food. In fact, we almost didn’t have time to eat!
Planning an Atomic Birthday Party
Pinterest was helpful in planning an atomic birthday party, but I soon discovered how easy it was to get carried away. I wanted the focus to be on the experiments, yet I was excited about all the great ideas I discovered. It didn’t take long to realize that more and more detail could always be added so I finally cut myself off and kept food and decorations simple.
Creating Atomic Yummies
The day before the party, Andrew helped me pour Jell-O into petri dishes. We added sprinkles for bacteria which bled coloring on to the Jell-O surface, creating a mold effect. I ordered a science beaker cookie cutter by Ann Clark and made cut out beaker cookies.
Finally, we made a two-layer white cake with 7-minute frosting and sprinkled edible sparkle snow glitter on the top.
I had a chemistry flask filled with nuts and the small beakers filled with M and M’s were to be used for a science lab.
Decorations for an Atomic Birthday Party
Andrew picked out his own science decorations. We ordered a birthday banner, napkins and party gift boxes for our attendees. I came across these cute mustache straws that I couldn’t pass up. Of course, who can have a chemistry party with out the Periodic Elements Table?
Organization was key
More than the food and decorations, the science experiments were the best part of the party. For my own sanity, I created a lab area where everything I needed for the science labs were organized and ready to be used in order of the agenda. A roll of plastic tablecloth was in reaching distance so that when the table became too soiled, the cloth could be quickly removed and changed. We were all having so much fun that food was forgotten.
Our Atomic Birthday Party agenda:
- Welcome and Plasma Ball play.
- Energy Stick to make human conductors
- Diet coke and Mentos Explosion
- Pin the carrot on the snow man.
- Elephant Toothpaste
- Make Glacier Goo
- Lift-off M & M logo
- Dry Ice Experiments – Play in the fog, make CO2 bubbles and finally turn a favorite juice into a soda.
- Dry ice juice-turned-soda served with birthday cake and other treats.
- Open presents
- Finish with Milk art.
Full lab experiments and science explanations, except for “Pin the Carrot”, can be found on the Science Lab section of this blog. As an adult, the explanations are interesting. The children attending the party might not take time to listen to the ‘whys’ of science and that’s okay, because experimenting is fun and they have no idea that they are learning at the same time!
Plasma Ball Fun
What’s an Atomic Birthday Party without a Plasma Ball? I had plasma balls on the table which immediately attracted Andrew’s guests. I suggest having a ratio of two guests per ball. Kids are naturally attracted to the electric currents that the plasma ball produces. I explained how and why the ball worked but didn’t go into much detail because the children were learning by doing and asking their own questions. We also used various household items to see what items conducted electricity.
Electric Conductor Labs
The subject of electric conductors were a good lead-in to discover how we could make a human conductor chain using an energy stick. We stood in a circle and held hands. Each youngster got to take the energy stick and hold it with the person next to them. The electric current from the energy stick passes from body to body and will make the energy stick light up and play music. As soon as someone dropped hands the current would be broken, and the stick would stop working. Andrew’s guests asked questions and devised different methods to see if the energy stick would still work. We stood in a circle finger to finger and then tried it sock to sock. Each youngster got to hold the energy stick with the person next to them.
I like labs that children can do on their own with minimal supervision and I also wanted a lab that could go home in the children’s party boxes.
Glacier Goo
Glacier goo, was a hit at our Atomic Birthday Party. I use it in my earth science classes to teach glacier movements. The goo can flow like a liquid or break like a solid dependent upon how you use it. Our guests chose their favorite liquid food color, mixed their own Glacier Goo and then enjoyed displaying them. Check-out the complete Glacier Goo Lab for some family fun!
At this point, we took a break and had some old fashion pin the tail… I mean pin the carrot on the snowman.
Exploding Diet Coke with Mentos
The problem with December birthdays is that it is too cold to stay outdoors for long. But we did brave the elements for one lab and discovered what Mentos will do when added to a Diet Coke. I purchased different brands of Diet Cokes and we did our own testing to see which Diet Coke would erupt the highest. The geyser tube helped with controlling explosions. I let the children load the Mentos into the tube. I added the tube to the diet coke, pulled the pin, and ran! Some of our explosions were higher than our roof. The best explosions were created from the Cocoa-Cola brand diet coke while the generic brands produced an explosion, they just weren’t as dramatic.
Elephant Toothpaste
Back inside, we did a few jumping jacks to get warm and my helper had already set the table set to make elephant toothpaste. I used small empty water bottles placed in plastic meat trays for this experiment. Hydrogen Peroxide was already in the bottle and the children chose their favorite food coloring to add to the bottle along with a few drops of dish soap. In a small cup they stirred a package of brewer’s yeast in warm water. Then the squeals of delight started when they added their yeast mixture to the colored, soapy, hydrogen peroxide. The yeast acts as a catalyst to remove oxygen from the hydrogen peroxide. In turns, it creates lots of foaming, overflowing bubbles.
Note: If you really want an explosion use 6% Hydrogen Peroxide. This was not something I wanted to do inside the house. Stronger Peroxide would be a lot of fun if you have the opportunity to have an outside party.
Dry Ice – An Atomic Birthday Party Favorite
By this time, the party animals were starting to ask about cake, but we had one last mission and that was to take a natural juice and turn it into a fizzy soda. Dry Ice is always a hit with adults and children. After explaining safety measures, I took the dry ice and placed it into hot water. Children love the billowing clouds of carbon dioxide vapor.
After playing with the clouds and popping C02 bubbles, we added dry ice and a container of grape juice into a kettle. It smoked like a witch’s brew until the the dry ice had evaporated. The children discovered that the CO2 reaction turned their grape juice into a grape soda! Now we had something to drink with our snacks and cake.
Milk Art Science Lab
Andrew opened his gifts and then we had one last experiment with food coloring called Milk Art. By this time, the parents had arrived, so they were able to observe this colorful lab. Each child received a plate of whole milk and 4 liquid food coloring dyes. Starting from the center they placed drops of food color from center to the edge of the bowl. Four different colors in four different lines. I gave them a small medicine cup of Dawn dish detergent and a Q-tip.
The children were instructed to dip the Q-tip into dish detergent and then placed it in the center of the plate. The molecules from the dish detergent creates an undercurrent that causes the colors to swirl and mix together. Even after removing the Q-tip, the color-mixing action kept going. Some plates looked like miniature, over-flowing volcanoes.
Party Favors
Our party guests took home their glacier goo in a baggie and a Science Party Box prepacked with the following goodies:
- Small, four-piece box of chocolates
- A tangle free parachute toy (Great for explaining gravity and air resistance)
- 3 glow sticks
- A Frozen ink stamp
- A box of bang snaps
- We added the Glacier Goo made during the party
Our entire party took three hours. I had as much fun as the children and the time flew by.
Start Out Very Organized
If you chose to have a science party, it’s important to have the labs set up ahead of time with supplies organized according to each experiment. Pre-planning and an assistant will make the agenda flow seamlessly between labs. It is also wise to tell your party attendees to wear old clothes!
Having an Atomic Birthday Party? Share your ideas or experiences below!
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