Days of the Dinosaurs Party

Here are some ideas for making your own invitations to convey a dinosaur theme:

Give your dinosaur hunter
a Jurassic birthday.

• Use kids' stationery that is decorated with dinosaurs or fossils. If you live near a natural-history museum, chances are the gift shop has a unique selection of dinosaur cards.
• Have your child draw a picture of a dinosaur, caveman, erupting volcano, and jungle. Scan it into your computer (or take it to a local printing shop to scan it for you), and size it to fit onto card stock. Print the party information inside in bold block letters.

• Make no-sew caveman costumes for guests. Buy inexpensive animal-skin-print fabric (for a summer party) or fake fur remnants (for a winter fete) and thick rope or cording from your local fabric store. Use your child for a pattern; cut pieces to be about twice the distance from child's head to knees. For furs, cut a hole in middle so it drapes down front and back, trim and tie with a rope at waist. For animal prints, drape and tie over one shoulder (like a toga) and secure with rope at waist.
• Play Flintstones music. There is also a great children's singing duo called Trout Fishing in America (that's really their name) that has some very funny dinosaur songs. Their tapes can be found in upscale book and music stores.
• Use chalk to make dino prints and caveman drawings on the driveway or path to your door. If you can't use chalk, then try making some construction-paper prints.
• Hang large pieces of butcher paper and let guests make "caveman" drawings with chalk or markers. Be sure to protect the floor underneath the artists.
• Decorate with big rocks and ferns. You can use wide green crepe paper to cut out fern leaves if you don't have access to live ones. Large paper bags can be taped closed, slightly crumpled, and painted with grey, black, and white streaks to resemble boulders.
• Make a working volcano (see Crafts page). Put dry ice in center to create the effect of steam escaping.