My daughter celebrated her 7th birthday with a cooking party. For Invitations, we bought wooden spoons used for cooking, and attached a recipe card with the party information tied with a ginghan bow. It said to dress child in messy clothes and step by step on how to get to the party like tke child, dress child, place in car, drive to cooking school. Leave at party baking and cooking till well done and pick up. It was very similar to baking or cooking directions. Then we made aprons with vintage cooking fabric like eggs cooking and diner signs. Each child got an apron as well as a cook's hat. Lent to us by a cooking school. As the children arrived, they told each other jokes, as long as they included a food item. Example is why did the boy drop his lovely dog? Because he was a hot dog! It was hard at first but it got them thinking and it started to get real funny. After everyone arrived, they sat down in tables in the living room set up with plastic covers , measuring cups, rolls of paper towels, and music playing in the back. First up the menu was presented....An Italian meal" So for starters the children divided in buddies and made an italian salad followed by garlic rolls which were put into the oven while they kneeded the pizza dough. After doing they were then told to group up with one other group making them four. then they didvided the pizza into 1/4 and each decorated their side. (good math strategy)by using any ingredient they wanted which were spread out on the tables. They included cheese, pepporoni, sausage, ham, veggies, etc. After words, the pizza was  put into the oven. As the Pizzas were cooking, the children ate their rolls with the salad while they had to try to design the most yummiest and  nastiest pizza they would find on Mars. Each child had to write it on a round "pizza" paper, and put in a box to share for later. Then the pizza's were done and the kids ate. Then they wanted to share their creations o each child grabbed a "Pizza" from the box and shared it with the rest, then the children had to try to guess who wrote it. Many new what each other really liked like one loved cheescake (even had one for her birthday) so that was the clue to pinpoint it to her. This was cool project because they noticed how they really new each other (mostly from the same class)and as far as the worst included worms, mud, or even fish which they new it had to be their friend who refuses to eat when they serve fish sticks at school. Then they had a cake shaped in a pizza decorated with differnt color of frosting for the items on the pizza. As their goodies to take home, they took home their aprons, and a jar filled with the recipe of how to make pizza dough. i also had a neigborhood pizza place give complimentary personal pizza coupons (as long as parents order a pizza fr themselves) this way they get buisness advertisment and I don't spend the money on the items! Many of the kids are now copying the parties with other types of foods like mexican and BBQ it is a real cool eating experience!