Dinosaur Days
(Preschool, Elementary)

Boys and girls at this age love learning about dinosaurs, so take them back in time with a party fit for a dinosaur! Cut out giant green footsteps and have them leading up your walkway into the front door. When kids arrive, get them busy drawing "like cave people" on butcher paper you have covered the walls with.

Make fossil bones out of clay or construction paper to hide around the yard. Present a small prize to the child who uncovers the most bones. And draw a big dinosaur on poster board (leaving off a spike, tail or bony plate) and have kids play "Pin the Spike on the Stegosaurus." Small plastic dinosaurs and speckled candy eggs (you can say they're baby dinosaur eggs) make nice party favors. Winn-Dixie has party loot bags in the gift wrap section, along with cards and wrapping paper.

Of course, the main attraction will be the delicious, green dinosaur cake. Cook your favorite cake recipe in a 13 x 9 x 2 inch baking pan. Be sure to line the pan with waxed paper and grease it as well, for easy cake removal. Cut by the pattern below (or your child's favorite dinosaur), assemble and enjoy! If you don't have a large tray, wrap a sturdy piece of cardboard with foil and place the dinosaur cake on top of it.  Use the diagram above as a guide to cut and assemble the Cake-o-saurus.

An Active Addition To Your Prehistoric Party:
Strawberry Volcano

• 1 1/2 gallons Prestige Vanilla Ice Cream, slightly softened
• 6 packages frozen strawberries or raspberries
• Sugar

Chill a large, deep mixing bowl or wok. Rinse it with very cold water, but do not dry it. Pack the ice cream into the bowl and place it in the freezer until very firm. Thaw the berries and run them through a blender. Sweeten the puree, if necessary, and refrigerate. At serving time, unmold the ice cream on a larger platter or pizza pan. Scoop about 1 cup out of the top of the mold and pour the strawberry or raspberry purée into the "crater" until much of the "lava" runs down the sides of the volcano.
Serves 12.

 
It's A Splash Birthday Bash
(Preschoolers, ages 3-5)

Weather permitting, this is great summer fun for your little one. Have him/her make invitations by gluing cotton balls on blue construction paper to create a "cloudy day" effect. Inside cards, tell kids to wear their swimsuits. Now get ready for the wet set. Have a wading pool filled with plastic toys set up for splishing and splashing.

Blue plastic wrap draped across the outdoor table (tied with a few ribbons) will give you the wet look. Use what you have on hand-a few colorful umbrellas on a table will provide a "high and dry" spot for presents.

A Great Way To Quench Thirst On A Hot, Sunny Day
Pink Puddle Punch

• 6 cans (6 ounces each) frozen pink-lemonade concentrate, partly thawed
• 6 packages frozen, sliced strawberries, partly thawed
• 6 cans (6 ounces each) frozen orange juice concentrate
• 8 quarts ginger ale
• 4 quarts soda water
• ice

In each of two large punch bowls, combine halved amounts of all ingredients. Stir until frozen lemonade and strawberries soften and break up. Add ice and serve. Makes about 4 gallons.

To make a rainbow cake, simply decorate any cake, homemade or packaged, with frosting. Then use colored jelly beans, different-colored frosting (tint white frosting with food coloring) or colored coconut to create a rainbow. Serve with ice cream or sherbet.

Tip: To tint coconut, dilute a few drops of food coloring in a small amount of water in a bowl. Add coconut and toss with a fork until coconut is evenly tinted.

Small plastic beach buckets and shovels, plastic sunglasses, squirt guns make great party favors. Be sure to have sunscreen and plenty of towels on hand.

• A good rule of thumb: The number of children invited to the party should be equal to the age of your child. (For instance, if your child is turning five, it's wise to invite no more than five children to the party.)
• Also, parties for youngsters should be kept under two hours.

 
Animals On Parade
(Preschoolers, ages 3-5)

Invite kids to bring their favorite stuffed animal to the party with them. Have a pet parade, and let each child tell about his/her animal. Have blue ribbons already made up and fill them in at the party so each child has a "winning" animal. Titles should be for the fuzziest, biggest, smallest, cutest, most different, happiest and so forth.

Think of animal cake designs. Use the illustrations below for ideas. Pass out animal crackers for party favors. And don't forget blowers and party hats...set one at each place setting.

Dog Cake Bake favorite cake in 13 x 9 x 2 inch pan. Cut as follows, assemble and decorate.
Elephant Cake Bake favorite cake in two 9-inch pans. Cut, assemble and decorate. Use cookie for ear, peanut on end of nose.
Cat Cake Bake favorite cake in two 8-inch round pans. Cut and assemble. Decorate with gumdrops and licorice.

 
All-Star Party
(ages 5-12)

If your child's into sports, this is just the thing. Tell the kids to bring their gloves, and head off to a nearby baseball diamond for a short game.

Then it's back to the house for cake and ice cream. Decorate with hats, pennants and streamers in team colors or red, white and blue. Turn a round cake into a large baseball. If you're running short on time, just stop by Winn-Dixie's Deli-Bakery. They'll make your idea come to life! Baseball cards are a natural party favor. Think of other ways to adapt this theme for basketball, soccer or football.

 

 
Teen Scene
(ages 12-15)

Kids this age enjoy slumber parties or sleepovers. Music and movies are the chief entertainment. Rent several videos and load up on snacks. Be sure to have a good supply of soda to go with these munchies. Pop up plenty of popcorn. Chips and dips, cheese-drenched nachos, and pretzels will go over big. For dinner, it's pizza, hot dogs or hamburgers. The morning calls for plenty of doughnuts, bagels with cream cheese, eggs and sausage, milk and orange juice.