How to Throw a Child's Cooking Birthday Party

Trying to find a party idea for your child's next birthday can be quite perplexing. If you want to plan something that is both fun and educational, throw a cooking birthday party. Positive reinforcements are created once the food is tasted. Read on to learn more.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Invitations
• Party favors
• Nearly-complete chef's hats
• A copy of "How to Make Stone Soup"
• Cooking pot and utensils
• Ingredients for meal
• Bowls for soup and salad ingredients
• Paper cut into slips and labeled
• Hat or other container
• Party game supplies

Plan the Menu

1. Use three recipes that can't go wrong: stone soup, salad on a stick and ice cream sundaes. Elementary school age children will enjoy eating all three, and can help make them.

2. Find a rock and thoroughly wash it for stone soup. The rock will just be a prop, of course, so choose a large and decorative one. River rock can be purchased at many landscaping and garden supply stores.

3. Purchase ingredients for the recipes. Base stone soup on your own favorite vegetable soup recipe. Buy kabob skewers for the salad on a stick, as well as a variety of salad ingredients that can be threaded on them, such as olives, celery, cherry tomatoes, carrots and lettuce. Get a few kinds of ice cream and any toppings you want to use. Buy or make a birthday cake.

Make Chef's Hats Before the Party

4. Cut a 26-by-31 ½ inch piece of white poster board into strips to use as the band for the chef's hats.

5. Use 3 sheets of 20 by 30 inch white tissue for each chef's hat. Stack the sheets and fold them in half the long way so the tissue is now 10 inches tall.

6. Attach the folded sheets, slightly overlapping, by gathering the 10-inch end and taping it to the band. When all the tissue has been taped, paper clip the band inside out and gather the ends at the top of the tissue, taping them together.

7. Clip the excess, turn right side out and paper clip together to the size of the head of the child.

Throw the Party

8. Send out invitations. A clever invitation can be a postcard with a facsimile of a recipe card on the back showing the when and where of the party.

9. Give out party favors. Some inexpensive party favors could be small plastic measuring cups with candies inside. Include a copy of the book "How to Make Stone Soup" for a memorable favor.

10. Assemble the chef's hats for the children when the party begins. You can have the hats almost complete and have the children help complete them at the party.

11. Read the story "How to Make Stone Soup" to the children. Show the stone for your own stone soup during the story. When the story is done, ask the children if they think that the stone was a necessary ingredient. They should say no. Don't add it to the soup.

12. Prepare slips of paper that each has the name of a vegetable or the word "meat" on it. Place them in a hat and have each child draw a slip. Have the children add whatever ingredient they've drawn to the soup. Have the vegetables and precooked meat in bowls, chopped small enough for swift cooking and ready to add to the stone soup.

13. Play themed party games like "Pin the Hat on the Chef" while the soup is cooking.

14. Gather the children to make salad on a stick when the soup is ready. Give them the kabob skewers and encourage them to add any vegetables to their salads. Serve the salad on a stick with a variety of dressing. Ladle out the soup into cups. After the meal, have them make their own ice cream sundaes to be served with cake.

Tips & Warnings

• Make certain that the children wash their hands before they handle food.
• Have the vegetables and precooked meat in bowls, chopped small enough for swift cooking, and ready to add to the stone soup.
• Ice cream sundae ingredients can vary from M&M's to squirt on chocolate sauce. Use your imagination.
• For older children, try a "How to Eat Fried Worms" party. Use the book as a party favor and have spaghetti or other wormy foods to go with the book.