How to Host a Dinosaur-Themed Birthday Party
Kids are obsessed with dinos. It's a known fact. Studies show that dinosaurs rank among the top 3 things that kids under the age of 10 are interested in. Perhaps it's the wide variety of species-there seems to be a dinosaur for every mood, from the placid brontosaurus to the insatiable T-Rex. Perhaps it's the media surrounding dinosaurs-with movies, TV, and books featuring colorful portrayals of the giant reptiles that once ruled the land. Or perhaps it's because dinosaurs fit nicely in that space between reality and imagination-we know a lot about them, we can delineate the time periods in which they existed, and we know their diets, however, no human has ever actually interacted with a living dinosaur. Whatever the reason, if you have a dinosaur obsessed kid, this is your sign to throw them the party of a lifetime-one that will be talked about for eons.
Dino-mite Treats:
No party would be complete without sugary sweets!
Dinosaur cookies-follow along with our step-by-step tutorials to learn how to decorate your dinosaur cookies. These can be made 1-2 days ahead so that you can be cool as a cucumber on the day of the party.
Dinosaur brownies & rice crispy treats: Our cookie cutters are also great for shaping rice crispy treats, brownies, and other bars. Stomp out any day-of stress with make-ahead brownies in the shape of a fossilized dino foot. Kids will roar with delight at T-Rex shaped rice crispy treats embedded with colorful M&Ms. Make any bar recipe a bit more fun with festive shapes.
Dino Egg Cake Pops: Use our easy cake pop recipe, and have fun with the colors! Experiment dying both the batter and frosting with Ann Clark food coloring gel. Place cake pops in a dish labeled "dinosaur eggs" and watch them get gobbled up!
Dinosaur Fruit: Birthdays aren't all sugary sweets-give the kiddos their daily serving of fruits the fun way with dino-shaped fruit. Watermelon, cantaloupe, and honeydew are particularly easy to cut into shapes using cookie cutters. This is also a fun project to do with your kid!
Dinosaur Sandwiches: If you're serving sandwiches, cut them into dino shapes using cookie cutters! The sharp steel edges will easily slice through bread and cold cuts to make fun shapes.
Swamp Juice: This is sure to be a hit with the kids who love anything icky. Simply mix up a batch of lemonade and add a few drops of green food coloring to turn it a brilliant green.
Dirt Cake: Instead of the stress of baking a cake the night before the big day (we all know how that goes) opt for something simpler that will be a hit with the kids. Make traditional dirt cake with oreos and chocolate pudding. Portion into individual clear cups. Add "dino poop" in the form of M&Ms at the halfway point and at the top of the cake. Top with a dino cookie or dino candy and you're done!
Dinosaur Activities:
Pin the Tail on the Dino: In this take on the classic pin the tail on the donkey game, kids are blindfolded and then must pin the tail on the dinosaur. Pro tip: use painter's tape for the tails you give to the kids. It is safe and will be easy to remove if an errant tail makes it onto a painted wall.
Tricera-toss: Paint a triceratops onto a sturdy piece of cardboard or plywood. Use small cones to create the three horns of the triceratops, and make rings out of glow-sticks. This simple party game will keep kids (and adults) entertained for hours!
Dinosaur Dig: Create an archeological site in your kid's sandbox or in a large tote with sand or rice. Hide plastic dinosaurs in the sand, and offer all of the archeological tools needed to conduct a dig-shovels, toothbrushes, and magnifying glasses.
Dino Egg Hunt: Dust off those plastic eggs that find their way from your attic every Easter. Host a dino egg hunt, hiding mini dinosaur figurines and packets of "dino eggs" (aka M&Ms) in the plastic eggs.
Dino Spoon Race: Another twist on a classic. Make dino feet out of tissue boxes, which adds an additional challenge to the game. Run a traditional spoon race -this is as fun to watch as it is to play!
Whiplash: Attach a dino tail to all participating kids. Purchase cups in colors that match the dino tails, and place colored plastic cups around the yard, bottom up. Kids have to knock down the cups matching their tails with only their tails-no hands or feet allowed. Whoever knocks down all of their cups first wins.
Decorations:
We've all scrolled through Pinterest and seen the gorgeous, picture-perfect decorations that some parents create for their kids' birthday. Below are some simple decorations that you can create with minimal effort and crafting.
Dino party hats: Fold a piece of construction paper in half vertically. Cut a zig-zag pattern, leaving a rectangular tab, in the construction paper. Staple or tape these dino spines to your party hats for instant dino-fication of your party.
Signs: Denote veggie trays from dino nuggets with signs that say "carnivore" and "herbivore." This also creates a great teachable moment with your dino-obsessed kid.
For additional decoration, go wild with potted plants, rocks, colorful balloons, and banners. Create a little Cretaceous oasis in your backyard. Don't stress too much about the decor-with all of the fun activities and tasty treats you have planned, your party is bound to be dino-mite.
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