I usually go all out for Q’s birthday. I love to pick a theme, or the theme picks me. This year, Q picked the theme–space. So, I was tasked to plan a party that was outta this world.

With the help of the perfect venue, we threw a space-themed birthday party for Q that had plenty of planets, space treasures, moon rocks and intergalactic magic. The best part of it all was seeing the smiles on my daughter and her friends’ faces. I had tons of goodies planned, including a moon rocks treasure hunt and feeding the “space creatures” at our celestial venue. But despite my event planning skills (which include agonizing about the weather right up until the start of the party) I’m always reminded the magic of the unexpected is always what makes a great party.

If your kid is into all things planets and stars, here’s how you can plan a space themed party at home:

— Pick colors and materials that reflect the stars and planets–dark colors for the night sky, glitter for stars, purples and reds for planets, etc. We used lighter pinks and pastels to still give it a girly feel.
—Order your child an astronaut helmet. Trust me. I bought this one from Amazon and it’s great quality and large enough for most young kids. No helmet? Order space themed stickers and have your kids bring their bike helmets and decorate their bike helmet with the stickers.

—Dress the part! I ordered NASA t-shirts for the whole family to wear. If your child’s really into the theme, why not sport a NASA jacket or astronaut costume?

—Create a moon rocks treasure hunt! Place candy in clear spheres and cover the spheres in aluminum foil to make moon rocks. Hide the rocks around your home or party space, and watch the kids scatter to find the treasures!

—Offer space themed snacks like Moon Pies and planet-shaped macaroons and star-shaped sandwiches or fruit using cookie cutters or stensils.

—Fill goodie bags with space themed toys and (if you choose) candy, such as Milky Ways, Mars and Starbursts. My goodie bags has more toys than candy, like space themed stamps, bracelets and small rocket-shaped flashlights. I found these parachute men online and they were a huge hit with the kids. They fly best when launched from an incline or hill to the floor below.

Thanks to Greenland Bubble Glamping in Cabarete, Dominican Republic for making the day awesome!

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