For school-aged children, there may be nothing like a Mad Scientist Party, especially as school gets underway and kids are back in science class. It will be a fun party theme that holds their attention, and could even be educational. If your child is interested in the wacky side of science, seriously consider this theme!

Invitations:
Using large size test tubes with a rubber stopper, print all of the party details on a small piece of paper that can be rolled up and placed into the test tube. On the outside of the tube, write in permanent marker, “Inside contains the Mad Scientist Secret Formula for Party Fun!” These will have to be hand-delivered or mailed in cushioned envelopes.

Decorations:
• At the entrance to the party, make a sign welcoming them to Dr. X’s Mad Lab!
• In the party room, make it look like a high tech lab using the colors of silver and black.
• Using black construction paper, cut out question marks, mathematical formulas, etc. and place around the party room.
• Have green slime on the tables and around the room.
• Fill different sizes of jars with colored water. Inside, place plastic eyeballs, hands, noses, plastic animals, etc.
• At the tables where the Mad Scientist experiments will happen, place face masks, magnifying glasses, test tubes, etc. to make the area look authentic.
• When the kids arrive, provide them with white coats, and have them create a nametag. Don’t just have them use their own names, but make up a mad scientist name, i.e. “Dr. Insanity.”

Activities: You can either have the kids do the activities together, or rotate throughout the party room to different lab stations to complete the different mad science activities.

Make Green Ooze! 3/4 cup cornstarch, 1/2 cup water. Mix together. Add green food coloring to look like Slime.

Static Electricity: (balloons, aluminum soda can) Blow up balloons and rub them in the kids’ hair to make it rise. Set soda can on a hard surface so it can roll. Use one of the rubbed balloons and move it closer to the can. Does it move the can? Will the rubbed balloon stick to a wall?

A Shocker: Need one per child: 1 penny, 1 lemon, 1 paper clip. Cut a slit 1/4 inch in to the lemon to fit the penny, then another for the paperclip, close to but not touching the penny. Let the kids touch their tongues to each of the metals.

Falling Coin: 1 glass, 1 index card, 1 coin. Place card over glass evenly. Place coin in center. Flick the card end with your finger to send it flying. What happens to the coin?

Suck an Egg into a Jar: 1 hard boiled egg, peeled and at room temperature,
1 narrow top jar (baby food jars work well), hot water. The egg will not fit into the jar on it’s own. Fill the jar with the hot water for 2-3 minutes. Pour this out and set the egg on the opening. The egg will end up inside the jar.

Osmotic Celery: Cut celery stalks and set them in glasses of tinted water. The stalks will absorb the color and then the kids can eat them!

OUTDOORS ACTIVITY:

Volcano Eruption: Make a volcano from a soda can, set on a tin pan, and form papier-mâché around it. Leave the hole in the top open. Dry and paint browns and greens. To make the volcano erupt, place baking soda in the can then pour in vinegar, tinted with food coloring.

Rocket launch: Fill a small plastic film canister with one teaspoon of water. Quickly add one Alka-Seltzer tablet, put the lid on, and place the canister on the floor with the lid side down. Wait about 10 seconds and then your rocket should fly into the air.

Games:

Atom Burst: Tie two balloons to each of the kids’ ankles. Have them run around trying to burst the atoms. The last kid with a “live atom” wins!

Mini-Molecules: Take very close-up pictures of everyday items around your home. During the party, have the kids use their magnifying glasses to figure out what they are.

Scientist Scramble: Muddle up the names of famous scientists, and have them work them out properly.

Menu:

Serve snacks in clear bowls and name them madly, i.e. electric chips, magnetic munchers, etc.
• Serve electric dogs, i.e. hot dogs.
• Serve green Kool-Aid. Place plastic critters and body parts into the punch for extra madness!

Goody Bags:
Send the kids home with a facemask, test tubes, green slime, goggles, magnifying glasses, magnets, etc. Alternatively, send them home with test tubes filled with candy like M&Ms.
Have a fab mad party!

It is almost time for the new school year to start. This means brand new shoes, sharpened pencils, fresh school supplies and cool book covers. As a kid, I lived for this time of year. Call me crazy, but I was happier in school than with all of that summer time on my hands. So, for me, I think time to celebrate this new beginning. If you are thinking along the same lines and want to celebrate this time of year with your kids, check out a few of the ideas and resources below:

If you are going to have a proper party with some friends, hand-deliver a fresh apple with a little tag attached that gives the details of the gathering. You could also cut out red apples or pencil shapes and provide the details as well. Those could be easily mailed off.

For decorations, have a chalkboard or white board out. Place a desk in the party area filled with books, school supplies. Make the party room look like a mock classroom. If there are specific school colors, decorate with balloons, streamers, and a school banner with these colors as well. Apples on the party table would also be excellent.

For the activities, make it a combination of word and mind games and gym class. Play Bingo, Trivia Pursuit, 20 Questions, Word search, etc. Also, play Simon Says, Red Rover, Dodge ball, Kickball, and Twister. Hold some relay races. A particular themed race would be to have the kids get ready for school filling their back pack and lunch bag, and then racing to one end and back for the next kid to do the same in line.

If there are older kids around, you may want to pop in a video like Ferris Bueller’s Day Off – fun and easy for this age group.

For crafts, have the kids make bookmarks and/or book covers.

Food ideas are easy: pack school lunches. Small sandwiches, string cheese, a pack of goldfish crackers, apple or banana, and a little candy bar.

If you are going to hand out goodies, send them back to school in style. Purchase paper gift bags, fill with tissue, and add lots of school supplies like pencils, notebooks, erasers, locker mirrors, sticky pads, and gel pens.

ABCDEFG….

It’s that time of year when kids are heading back to school and learning their ABCs and 123s. Alphabet and initial parties offer a unique birthday party theme for you to throw your child. Many people like this theme for a first birthday party. As long as you have some older children attending, up to 4 years of age, these activities will be fun and engaging.

Invitations:
Cut out the initials of the birthday child and either make the cutout be the invitation and provide all details on the letter, or place the letter onto white card stock and inside provide all of the party details.

Use alphabet stamps to decorate the front of the invitation, perhaps spelling out the birthday child’s name.

If a first birthday party, take a picture of your child playing among alphabet blocks and put this on the front of the invitation.

Ask the kids to wear bold, bright colors to the party.

Decorations:

Pick several primary colors as the color scheme of the party and go to town. Purchase helium balloons in these colors and have them all around the party room. Spell out the name of the birthday child and the party guests on the balloons. If you don’t have enough balloons, you can use initials only. You can give the balloons away to the kids at the end of the party to take home.

For a table centerpiece, try and find big wooden ABC blocks and attach a few balloons to each of the wooden blocks.

Cut out the letters of the alphabet, as many as you can, and post them all over the party room. Teacher resource stores will also have the alphabet letters already pre-made and you will just have to cut them out.

Spell out alphabet signs to greet the guests when they arrive, i.e. “Elizabeth is Two! Hurray!”

Crafts:

Cut out letters of the alphabet and have the kids decorate them.

Have pre-cut foam in the shape of alphabets and have the kids stamp their names on big sheets of paper.

Provide kids with a white T-shirt with an iron-on alphabet letter for their initial. On the back of the shirt, have the kids make a handprint with wearable paint. This can be a part of the goodies they take home.

Use wood block ABC’s as stamps, and have the kids make art creations with them. They could also make birthday cards for the birthday child with these same stamps.

Have the kids make ID bracelets using alphabet beads.

Party Activities:

Hire a face painter to paint letters on the kids’ faces, and/or paint their names.

Hold a book exchange. Have the guests bring a favorite book of theirs to give to another party guest. Have the kids sit in a circle, and play music, and let the kids pass their books around the circle. When the music stops, this is the book they get to keep! You could do this several times before stopping.

Play charades, and have each kid act out a word that starts with a letter of the alphabet. So, if it is “B” ~ it could be for a bear ~ and the child can act out a bear and the other kids will have to figure out what he is.

Make little alphabet letters and stick them all over the house on things that begin with that letter, i.e. G is for glass, so stick a “G” on glass, and have the kids find all of the letters and shout out the letter and what it stands for.

Menu:

Serve any type of sandwich you like, and cut them out with alphabet shapes.

Serve alphabet cereal, little goldfish crackers, carrots, and fruit as additional snacks.

Serve gelatin cut out in alphabet shapes in a variety of flavors.

Bake sugar cookies and cut them out in different alphabet letters You can ice them yourself, put them into clear cellophane bags, and tie with a pretty ribbon as a goody item or have the kids decorate the cookies and enjoy eating them right at the party as another activity.

Serve Oreos on a Stick: place a Popsicle stick into an Oreo cookie, and dip the cookie into melted chocolate. Let it dry and then use an icing tube to write different letters on each one. This can also be a take-home goody, just wrap it in cellophane with a ribbon and add to the goody bag.

Make regular cupcakes and frost them. Top them off with the letters of the alphabet. Spell out the birthday kid’s name.

Goody Bags:

Find out each child’s name before the party, and decorate a brown paper bag using their initials. You can do this with markers and/or stickers. Inside the bag include alphabet stickers, iron-on patches with their initials, Alphabet coloring books with a small box of crayons, magnetic letters, a wooden block with their initials, etc.

Zappos Moms confess their Stress, fustrations, and excitments for "Back to School" time!

Interview with Heather C (Parent of Jakob)

As a parent, what are the biggest challenges you encounter when preparing for back to school?
Trying to get my son to go to sleep earlier. He still wants to stay up to 11 to watch the end of wrestling!

What are the kids most excited about when it comes to returning back to school?
Wearing all their cool new school clothes & shoes. Purchased from zappos.com of course! Check out Jakob's fave shirt!

What are the most predominant kids trends for the season?
Bright colors, skate shoes, skinny jeans

What are the top 5 most important items to equip your child with for back to school?
Cool shoes, book bag, shirts that no one else has, plenty of supplies & trying to get them pumped to learn!

What is your favorite part about back to school?
The first day. It always makes me cry!

What is your fondest back to school memory?
Well it's only been 2 years for me, but the stories of how his day went are priceless. The other day I asked how his day went and his reply was "Wow, I had a rough day". It's like “Really dude, you're in first grade!”

Zappos Moms confess their Stress, fustrations, and excitments for "Back to School" time!

Interview with Dee C. (Parent of Alyssa & Chris)

As a parent, what are the biggest challenges you encounter when preparing for back to school?
One of the biggest challenges for me this year was timing. With a daughter starting 6th grade and a son starting Kindergarten, it was tough. Running around and trying to buy the right thing for each. With a busy work schedule that is not always possible. I must admit, I did do a lot more shopping online than I have ever before. It is so convenient and it doesn't hurt that I work at Zappos. We really do have some great choices.

What are the kids most excited about when it comes to returning back to school?
The kids??? What about the parents? This question should read….What are the parents most excited about when it comes to Back to School!

What are the most predominant kids trends for the season?
For my 4 year old….skate. For my 10 year old daughter….fashion. The trends for kids in my neighborhood is mixed. We have such a array of fashion trends happening and it is great to see. Girls are very trendy with bling and denim skirts and printed leggings or more casual with cargo pants, converse and tees. Some boys are wearing more rocker style jeans with a very slim fit, tees and sneakers. The trend has definitely gone away from the bagger jean, and that is great! Can't forget your ever so faithful athletic style. This will always be strong no matter where you go. It is comfortable and yet fashionable.

What are the top 5 most important items to equip your child with for back to school?
Folder with a strap, water, money, trendy backpack and a watch…..For my daughter, she insisted on getting a folder with a strap so she didn’t have to carry it all across the school. A trendy backpack to carry her stuff home in…because backpacks are not allowed during school hours anymore. Money is very important because Junior High snacks and food are so expensive now….or I am just getting old. I'm sorry but $5 a day really takes a hit in Mom's purse buying budget. hahaha Oh and I can't forget the watch. Now she has no excuse to call and check in late.

What is your favorite part about back to school?
I save on childcare!!! It really brings a tear to my eye…..childcare costs are ridiculous!!! (Worth it…but ridiculous!)

What is your fondest back to school memory?
My little boy started what he calls "Big Boy School." It was great to walk him into his new class and find his name on the little short table with the little chair. All you saw was flash after flash in the room. Mothers and fathers snapping away as they watched their little man or little lady coloring. His teacher ever so nicely kept saying…."Ok Mom and Dad, it's probably time for you to say your good-bye's…..bye…." as she gestured for us to leave with her hand. You know we stayed! hahaha… End Scene….roll out the tears.

Zappos Moms confess their Stress, fustrations, and excitments for "Back to School" time!



Interview with Sara W. (Parent of Jordyn & Zach)

As a parent, what are the biggest challenges you encounter when preparing for back to school?
“This year, the fact that my daughter started high school!! haha Oh lord… Well honestly the biggest challenge for me is getting them back in a routine and waking up early!”

What are the kids most excited about when it comes to returning back to school?
“Their social life?! haha They get cabin fever during the summer so they always want to go back to school.”

What are the most predominant kids trends for the season?
“I think there are a lot of trends and it just depends on the child's style. My daughter, for instance, will only wear black, white or red because I'm assuming you're not cool otherwise? I just don't know. Skinny jeans!!! I would say the 'skate' trend is always huge, especially in high school! Urban is big.”

What are the top 5 most important items to equip your child with for back to school?
“Mace, Lunch, Shoes (enter zappos!), Backpack and Bicycle“

What is your favorite part about back to school?
“Get OUT of my house!!!!!!! Every parent knows that”

What is your fondest back to school memory?
“Aaaaw, ok I will be serious on this one. My son is my baby and I was retarded and cried his first day of Kindergarten! I think a lot of parents do that!? My daughter always had this beautiful, long, curly hair and when she started 1st grade, I chopped it all off for picture day which was right after school started. That day ended up being September 11th and so I was trippin on wether to send her to school or not! But she looked so cute I sent her anyway and forever have her first grade school pictures taken on that day. “

"It's the hap-happiest season of all." At least that's how parents feel. Kids on the other hand are looking at the calendar in complete horror. It's almost here. It's finally time to send the kids back to school. Admit it, you're about to burst with anticipation. Of course, even if you're a stay-at-home parent, you must also admit that meal time is about to change. There will now be after school activities that leave you running all over town. At least once or twice a week, you're going to scratch your head and wonder what on earth you're going to make for dinner. That's when a well-stocked pantry will come in handy.

A well-stocked pantry should have everything you need to prepare a meal in a matter of minutes. Even after soccer and piano practice, you should be able to stuff your family's bellies full of a delicious meal. This means having items like pasta, canned vegetables and fruit, pasta sauce, canned meat and fish, condiments, bread, baking supplies and spices. With these ingredients on hand, even a healthy meal is easy.

Take It On the Go Tuna Pasta Salad
Serves four

• 1 pound whole wheat pasta, your favorite shape
• 2 cans of solid white albacore tuna
• 1 green pepper, diced
• 1 red onion, chopped
• ½ cup green olives, sliced
• 1 cup fat-free Italian dressing

1. Cook the pasta and toss with the other ingredients.
2. Serve with whole wheat rolls.

With all the after school activities going on, your kids will need a boost of energy. A well-stocked pantry will have everything you need to prepare a healthy trail mix.

Healthy Chocolate Trail Mix
Serves four

• 4 cups of granola
• 1 cup of dark chocolate chips
• 1 cup of walnuts
• 1 cup dried cranberries

1. Mix the ingredients together thoroughly.
2. Portion out into zip-top bags for easy serving.

Even though the next few months will be crazy, that doesn't mean you can't put a homemade meal on the table. Slip on a pair of fashionable sneakers and enjoy the great back to school season.

Do you have any back to school lunch ideas? Comment below!