SPACE PARTY For my daughters 12th birthday party we celebrated space travel. We made a space shuttle "USS JESSICA" out of a large appliance box.
We poked holes in the ceiling to let in light and made glow in the dark stars with fluorescent paint inside the shuttle with a control panel painted on the wall. We put the space shuttle in a small room in our basement and installed black lights in place of our fluorescent tube lights in the overhead lights. We began the party with a discussion on space travel and John Glenn. Then the thrills began. We had dry ice in a cooler, opened the lid and turned on the black lights. Two Guests entered the ship, all other guests stood outside and shook the ship as the space shuttle broad- cast from John Glenns first trip to the moon was played on the boom box (found on internet). It was thrilling for every guest. Each guest got a shuttle ride and each guest experienced the atmosphere outside the shuttle. The dry ice (pellets) provided a perfect atmosphere. (An adult must supervise the cooler as dry ice be dangerous, it cannot be touched.) For safety, you could use a portable humidifier. A strobe light would add to the take-off! If your a computer guru, you could run the actual event on the computer while having the party. Following the shuttle rides we sampled dehydrated foods and then enjoyed cake and ice cream. Then we passed around a funnel bottle that illustrates how tornadoes are formed. Last, we opened gifts. The mixed company (boys and girls) loved this party. Party bags included rocket pops, pop rocks, a space pencil, moon balls and a thank you card. Party supplies included space shuttle card announcements, thank you cards, party bag items, a tornado funnel tube with two one liter bottles, a volcano cake, at least one black light, drinks, a large appliance box, dehydrated food in small packages, and fluorescent materials.