by Looking to throw a mesmerizing mad science birthday party guaranteed to wow your kids? There are so many fun mad science related things you can incorporate into your party from interactive experiments to decor and party favors. This was a perfect theme for our 7 year old son. Let’s get started!
Kids love to dress the part of a mad scientist. Upon arrival, have the kids pick up their mad science lab uniforms (these can also count as the party favors):
- White Lab Coat
- Silly glasses or Safety Goggles
- Jelly Bean or Pop Rocks filled test tubes
- Syringe Writing pen
- Atom lollipop
- BioHazard Specimen bag (to collect piñata candy or hold other party favors)
- Atom shaped bouncy ball
While they wait for others to arrive, have some fabric markers available so they can personalize their lab coats with names and/or pictures.
Mad Science Birthday Party Activities
Such an important part of the science party is the planned science based activities! Providing hands on interactive science experiments is a sure way to win over your kids. Depending on how involved you want to be, there are 2 ways to handle activities.
- 1. Plan, set-up & conduct your own science experiments (see below for some easy experiments) or
- 2. Hire an outside company to entertain and wow the kids. There is an awesome nationwide company called Mad Science and they do not disappoint. They provide hands-on, interactive experiments for about 60-90 minutes while you get to relax & enjoy the party. And the kids usually get to make an item such a slime or putty (which they get to take home). One of the best parts is you don’t have to worry about planning or cleaning up any experiments!!
If you chose to plan your own science experiments, here are some mesmerizing mad science ideas:
- The Mentos Geyser – drop a few mentos into a 2 Liter bottle of soda. Use different colored sodas (grape, strawberry, 7-up, Mountain Dew, orange, dt. coke) to create rainbow colored geysers. This experiment gets quite messy, so perform it outdoors. Tips: 1.)use fresh soda, don’t remove the caps until you are ready to drop in the Mentos. 2.) set the liter bottle between bricks or build a box for it to keep it from tipping over. 3.) do this experiment last as its messy
- Giant Bubbles – best to buy a kit
- Gas Filled Balloon Creation – Fill an empty plastic water bottle with 2 tablespoons of vinegar. Using a funnel, fill a standard sized balloon with a tablespoon of baking soda. Without spilling any of the baking soda out, carefully place the balloon opening over the mouth the water bottle. When ready to do the experiment, have the child hold the balloon upward, causing the baking soda to dump into the bottle with vinegar. Hold the balloon tightly on and watch the balloon inflate!
- Make Slime – 1 oz of white Elmers glue + 1/4 cup water (mix together) then add 1/4 cup of borax (continue stirring – popsicle sticks work great). Once it’s too hard to stir, have children knead with their hands. Adding glitter & food coloring is optional.
- Create your own Molecule structures (depending on the age) – have the children assemble their own structures using toothpicks and either gumdrops or marshmallows. Award a prize to the tallest most stable structure.
- Instant Snow – order Insta-Snow from Steve Spangler Science. When you add water it grows.
- Build an Erupting Volcano – easy to buy a kit, you will need your own vinegar and baking soda (as its not included with the kit). Have the birthday child make & paint the plaster volcano in advance of the party.
- Make Oobleck (1 part water + 2 parts cornstarch + food coloring (optional)). Have some storage containers available so the children can take home
- For another activity- not experimental though: Piñata – we found a piñata shaped like a star and added the chemical elements for Helium & Hydrogen. If you want to DIY, see this inspiring mom’s post about how to make a test tube piñata.
Mad Science Birthday Dessert Table
- Rock Candy Swizzle Sticks in assorted colors
- Science shaped sugar cookies. These can be homemade or purchased from a specialty baker on Etsy or a local cookie maker. If you have the time, try our perfect sugar cookie recipe & use the Fox Run cookie cutter set.
- “Radio Active slime” (blue or green Jello filled petri dishes, add gummy worms and refrigerate). Use this cool elements themed washi tape to secure the lid to the dish
- Mad Science birthday cake. I found this picture on Pinterest, printed and made into a cake topper. Unfortunately I don’t know who to credit for it.
- Mason Jars filled with peanut m&ms or “Atoms”
- For drinks: Use plastic beakers with silly straws and fill with lemonade or punch
Mad Science Birthday Party Decor
- Periodic Table balloons
- Science themed tableware supply packs
- Dry ice filled plastic cylinders & beakers with dye colored water (dry ice can be purchased at most grocery stores including Walmart, Safeway & Costco)
