9389

Astronaut Training -3yr- Astronaut, Astronaut, Alien

September 2004

Karen in Dumas, TX, USA

Special Mention

For my son's Third Birthday party we had an Astronaut training party.  He had so much fun that when we moved from the NASA area, he missed seeing the rocketships. Of course, he missed his friends and family.  His pop-pop (grandpa) works for NASA. To make us both feel a little less homesick, I threw another Astronaut Training Party just for fun. 

The last time we went back to the NASA area I picked up Astronaut T-shirts for our new friends, so I asked them to wear these shirts to the party.  Invites were simply white construction paper cut out in the shape of rocketships with 3..2..1.. Blast off into out of this world fun. Launch date and time.

When guests first arrived, we had several crafts and the kids really did enjoy participating in each one.  We made paper airplanes (rocketships) and later made a game of throwing and catching paper rocketships.  I had small feltboards with space themed felt cut outs of planets, stars, comets, shooting stars, alien ships, astronauts, and rocketships for them to make space scenes.  We used clothes pin "tongs" to pick up and then paint "moon" rocks.  We made universes in a jar using baby oil, glitter, food coloring, water, & beads. We made paper plate flying saucers again to be used in another game. 

Finally we made the NASAkids.com rocketship using film canister (clear) rocketships.  We placed star and astronaut stickers all over them and took them outside to launch at the end of party.  Fill up 1/2 to 3/4 of the way with water and add half of alka selzter tablet. Close lid & place on ground with lid side down.  Wear protective eyewear and step back.  I set these off since the oldest child was only five.

Decorations an old blue plastic tablecloth with colored construction paper planets and stars posted on one wall. I still had space posters and NASA stickers from my childhood so I brought these out & placed them around. We also had leftover inflatable stars, moons, astronauts, and spaceships already hanging in the playroom. Red, white and blue streamers and balloons and space themed coloring pages that my son colored & posted were also visible everywhere.  My son and I turned the hallway into space using sheets on the wall and balls to be used as asteroids, meteroites, and moon rocks. 

Actititives were also abundant.  I let the children free play with space related toys such as blocks, legos, space toys.  I also made up a batch of alien slime (flubber) and took my son's alien doh-doh island (playdoh) set & used the aliens for the kids to play with it.  Since the party was an astronaut training party, as the guests arrived, I handed out white folder stickers with a star sticker on one corner and astronaut (name) in the middle. Each child was given his or her sticker (badge) and told that they would receive another star on the other side once training was complete. 

Then after crafts and free play we had an obstacle course for them including tunnels, tents, trampoline, punching bag, balls, etc.  Then we had some simulations for them.  The first was zero force - being spun around in a space ship (swivel chair).  We tested their lung capicity with a bubbling blowing activity.  I divided the kids into 3 groups and they alternated between playing mission control with an old computer, a child's computer, and calculators; practicing driving with remote control cars, and moon walking on an old bed that I keep in the playroom for them to jump on.

 We do have a Walmart bounce around, but the weather was drizzly.  To calm the kids down some we went to the Sea of Tranquality and rested. LOL.  I wanted to use the 4 wheeler for a Mars Rover, but the weather was yucky, but I did cover my infant son's stroller with tin foil and converted it into a lunar rover.  The kids took turns riding through the hallway.  First we gave them a helmet to wear and a fanny pack to use as an airbag.  Inside the pack was candy to help fuel them on their trip.  The other children then became aliens and chased us through the moon hallway as I pushed and rocked the stroller.  The kids loved it!  If the weather was nicer we would have also played on the deck outside which has steering wheels and periscopes attached. 

For games we had a tin foil rock hunt using a flashlights,  Astronaut, astronaut, alien, and pass the space pack (fanny pack with candy inside).  Once all the tasks had been completed, each child received his or her second star and were now astronauts. 

Time for lunch.  I told the kids that a Talctium had supplied me with Talctium Taquitios all the way from Talctia.  We drank tang of course and then had intergalaxtic cupcakes.  Strawberry to resemble mars with chocolate icing to resemble space.  Star sprinkles topped it off. 

A party is not complete without a gift bag, so using ziplock bags I gave each child an Astronaut kit which included bubbles, milky way bars, starbursts, star stickers, homemade playdoh in fillm containers (martian dirt) and flubber (alien slime) again in film canisters, a lollipop covered in tin foil to look like a spaceman, red, white, and blue (after 4th of July) hersey kisses, and a flare gun (after 4th of July firecrackers).  I included space trivia and space shopping lists.  Turns out astronauts take many of the same foods and items we take into space - even some of the foods keep their original packing ie. tin foil hersey kisses and other tin foil candy bars. 

Before the kids left, the weather finally cleared up and we launched our rocketships (I did this for them as they watched).  I wore red, white, and blue and my four year old wore a white T-shirt with NASA logo.  My infant son had a white romper with matching logo on the front and with Houston, we have a problem sticted on his rump.  LOL. Both kids and adults had a great time and are still talking about it.  They all think that they are astronauts now.  T

he best part about the party was that it did not cost me a cent to put together.  I just used items that I already had.  Even if you did not have these items handy or leftover, the party can easily be done for under fifty dollars. I am sure that I left something out.  Even thought there was a lot going on, all the kids enjoyed it all and I actually had lots of time to visit with my friends. Happy Planning - Space Parties are the Best!!!!

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