hatching dragons

Yesterday we hosted 7 fifth grade boys for my youngest's 11th birthday party. My son goes all out in the planning of his parties and they have been somewhat elaborate in the past (see last year's Pirate Party and the previous Harry Potter Party!)

 This year he went with a dragon theme which was very fun! As you can see, the cake was decked out with plastic dragons and gold coins that went home with guests. We had the movie "How to Train your Dragon" playing in the background as guests arrived and during the party.

The craft activity is everyone's favorite so a lot of planning goes into that. We decided to make Hatching Dragon Eggs, based on a craft that my aunt had made using eggs, plastic lizards and concrete mix.

 First we washed, dried and saved egg shells from a few breakfasts last week. I covered the table with newspaper then gave each guest a plate with a plastic lizard, egg shells and a piece of cardboard tube.

 The idea is to fill the egg with mixed concrete then stick lizard "parts" in the crack to create the appearance of a baby dragon hatching. The boys had great fun cutting up the lizards (go figure) while my husband and I mixed small batches of concrete to fill the eggs. It was pretty messy but any drips onto the egg shell were easy to wipe up with a damp paper towel. The boys set their eggs onto the cardboard tube stands while the concrete set. It took about 15 minutes for them to harden, so the kids washed up and had pizza while they waited.

Then it was time to decorate! They drew scales, swirls and other details with metallic Sharpie paint pens and added self-sticking gems to make them look more magical and ornate. I didn't anticipate this, but some kids also decorated the stand. I love how they all turned out! Afterward my husband took the boys outside for a dragon egg hunt (plastic easter eggs filled with candy and trinkets) in the park behind our house. We lucked out again with the weather this year and it's so helpful to get the kids outside to run around a bit! Back inside, they had cake and gift time while the movie wrapped up.

As much effort as they are, these parties a great way for my son to be creative and share his love of making things. As a family, these parties are all-hands-on-deck as we each have our role in making them happen. Every year I wonder if this will be the last time he'll want this type of party. He's getting older and I know they won't last forever, so I try to enjoy them as much possible.