Dinosaur Theme- 5 year old My son has loved dinosaurs since he could crawl, so we had to do a dinosaur theme when he turned 5.  We had a small party with 5 total children  including the birthday boy and his 3 year old brother. I also invited the parents of the children. We had 5 adults also attend with their child. The invitations were created on our computer using dinosaur and bone clipart. They stated "No bones about it (birthday child) LOVES dinosaurs!  Please join us for a prehistoric party on.... (party information)"  I had some Crayola model magic lying around, so we experimented with rolling it out very thin and used a cookie cutter to cut out bone shapes. Once dry, we then glued the bone shape at the top of the invitation. Very cute, easy, and the birthday boy loved being involved in the party planning and prep! For decorations, we purchased a large 4 foot tall inflatable dinosaur from Oriental Trading company to greet guests as they entered our foyer.  I also purchased smaller inflatable dino's to place around the house. I used some of my children's museum quality dinosaur replicas as centerpieces and decorations on the food tables. We have a large stuffed T-Rex that was on display in the living room as well. Beneath the 4 foot inflatable dinosaur in the entrance hall, I placed a "dino egg" for each child. Several weeks before the party, my children and I papier-mached 5 large balloons. Once dry, we painted them. I then cut a slit in each to place the party favors inside the egg. Each child received a stuffed dinosaur tail that would pin on their clothes and a dino mask-all purchased from OTC.  As the guests started to arrive, we greeted them beside our large mother T-Rex and ushered them into the playroom off the hall. Prior to their arrival, I had placed a sheet of dinosaur stickers and a scenic prehistoric page so each child could make their own dinosaur picture. The kids could make their sticker scene and then play with the toys until everyone arrived.  Once all guests were here, the birthday boy handed out the "baby dino eggs".  It was too cute to see all the little boys cracking open their eggs to hatch into baby dino's themselves! Our hungry dino's then headed to the dining room to load their plates for lunch. We served hamburgers/hot dogs, salad, fruit, raw veggies, chips n dips, as well as some finger foods. The children ate at the kitchen table while the adults took seats around the house to eat.  At each seat was a cup of either a wooly mammoth or saber-toothed tiger that each child could take home as well. Soft drinks and punch were offered as drink choices. Once the children finished their meal, we went outside for our first activity- the dig site.  A month before the party we made dinosaur mud with a recipe I found on the internet using coffee grounds and flour.  I purchased dinosaur skeletons from OTC, and my children and I covered the skeletons with the mud mixture.  It hardened and actually looked like rock.  We placed our Little Tikes picnic table outside along with the rocks we'd made and plastic chisels for each child. I think this was the highlight of the party as we watched all the children start to hammer away on their rock and discover there were dinosaur bones inside! We made enough that each child could do 2 and my husband also placed little brushes on the table, so the kids could brush into the small crevices just like real paleontologists.  The kids took their dinosaur discoveries home. We then headed to a different section of our back yard where my husband had hung our pull-string dinosaur pinata.  I had previously made up little goody bags of candy and inexpensive dinosaur toys for each child.  This kept the kids from getting too overexcited in a mad rush for items and also insured that everyone got equal amounts. Next on the agenda was opening gifts.  Afterwards, we had cake and ice cream. For the cake, my son wanted a stegasaurus. I used one 9 inch round cake cut in half, iced to stay together, and then placed cut side down on the cake sheet for the body. I used another 9 inch round to cut pieces in the shape of a tail and neck.  I then used the Wilton mini wonder mold pan for the head.  I assembled all of the pieces in the shape of a dinosaur resting.  I then used the Wilton star-method to decorate. My son wanted "a green stegosaurus with blue stripes, and red spikes." I started with creating the blue stripes going down the back.  I then filled in with green icing for the main color.  The spikes were created by melting red Wilton chocolate in an icing bag. I then cut the tip and drew my spikes of various sizes onto wax paper.  Popped them into the freezer for about 15 minutes to harden, and then placed them going down the back of the cake. I added black toenails, eyes, and tiny dots for nostrils. This was by far one of the best birthday cakes I've made to date.  I displayed it on the hunt board in our dining room where the food was set up. It served as a decoration in itself and received many ooohs from the kids and parents alike.  Once the cake was finished, the children played until the parents started to usher them home.  One of our best parties to date!