Life and Motherhood: A Science Birthday Party!

I've been meaning to post some pictures from Colin's science themed 6th birthday party! It was so much fun!!

While we tried to steer Colin in the direction of having his party at a location other than our lovely home (because it's on the small side and because it just seems easier to have it somewhere else), what he really desired was a birthday party, at home, with a science theme.

And because he's so cute, well, we just couldn't say "no"!

Also, my in-laws are scientists (a huge WIN when your kid wants a science party). Lucky for us, they were totally on board for helping to make this party a success!

My father-in-law started the party with a science show. It was such a hit! My absolute favorite part was how when a cool reaction would happen, the children would yell, "It's magic!" and without missing a beat, my father-in-law would correct them. "No. It's SCIENCE!"

I also got a kick out of the fact that none of these kids had any idea that they were in the presence of a man who speaks all over the world and whose contribution to science has literally changed lives.

After the show, the kids broke up into small groups and moved station to station doing experiments and making sciencey stuff (a technical term), to take home.

Here's how the stations broke down:

Station 1: Flubber (Jessica's station).

The recipe, if you're interested, is so easy!

You need:
3/4 cup cold water
1 cup Elmer's glue
liquid food coloring (we used green)
1/2 cup hot water
1 teaspoon borax

Steps:
1. In one bowl, mix together the cold water, glue and a few drops of food coloring.

2. In another bowl, mix together the hot water and borax, until the borax is completely dissolved.

3. Slowly add the glue mixture to the borax mixture. Mix it all up and pour off any excess water.

Station 2: Lava Lamps (Chris's station)

Here's how they did it,

You need:
Small water bottles
2 tablespoons of water
Enough vegetable oil to fill the bottle, the rest of the way to the top
5 drops of your chosen food coloring.

Steps:
1. If you are using water bottles that are full of water, pour out the excess water and leave about two tablespoons of water in the bottom.

2. Pour in the vegetable oil until the water bottle is filled up again.

3. Drop in the food coloring of your choice.

4. Tighten the lid!!! Another option would be to actually glue the lid shut. Trust me, you don't want oily water spilling everywhere if your kid decides to loosen the cap. :)

Station 3: My father-in-law helped the kids explore electricity with batteries and lightbulbs. He helped them form a circuit by using two wires, a D volt battery and a 2 watt light bulb. The kids loved this!

Station 4: Germination. My mother-in-law guided the children in planting seeds, that they could then take home and watch both the roots and the leaves grow.

Here's how she did it,

You need:
Small plastic cups
Coffee filters
Seeds (we used pumpkin, radish and another flower seed)

Directions:
1. Put the coffee filter in the cup
2. Place the seeds in between the coffee filter and the cup, on the sides (not the bottom)
3. Wet the coffee filter slightly
4. Keep wetting the coffee filter daily and watch the seeds sprout!
5. Once the seeds sprout, transfer them to a small pot if you like.

The stations ended up being very successful in terms of keeping the kids happy and occupied, while passing time.

Next, we had cupcakes and opened gifts. It was organized chaos, in a mostly good way, haha.