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For his first birthday, my younger geekling had a flaming robot. For his second, he chose Angry Birds. This year he was committed to celebrating his third trip around the sun with Star Wars. Here’s how we did it:
The cake There’s so much to love in Star Wars, it’s hard to commit to one character or scene for a cake, so why not hit as many as possible?
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Yve probably seen an R2D2 trash can, or a child’s costume made from one. A party needs a trash can, so why not? I started with a black trash can, taped off two areas at the bottom to be “blank” where there should be space under him (rather than build legs onto the trash can). I spray painted the bottom white, the top silver, and painted in the details.</p>
<h to the Death Star</st
Ycan find instructions all over the Internet for making papier-mâché Death Star piñatas, but the basic idea is simple. Blow up a balloon. Cover it in papier-mâché (dip newspaper strips in a flour and water glue mixture). Paint. I used the silver spray paint from R2D2’s head to coat it, then taped of sections with painter’s tape. I covered the remaining areas with spray adhesive and sprinkled black sand over them. (The sand is incredibly cheap at your local craft store.)</p>
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idn't think foam lightsabers could take down a piñata, but papier-mâché has nothing on the determination of preschoolers. <p><tsabers that won’t kill a toddler</st
Aof course, you need something to bring down the Death Star. Pool noodles and duct tape are your key to cheap, safe lightsabers. If you fold a pool noodle in half and press the bent spot just a bit with a knife, it will pop in half cleanly. (You may have to sometimes saw a bit through part of it.) Add duct tape for a hilt and electrical tape for details, and in just a few minutes, you have enough lightsabers for every kid in your party to be a tiny fighter.</p>
Idn’t think the foam would be enough to destroy the Death Star, but never understimate small children with fake weapons. They were determined and indeed broke the piñata with nothing else.</p>
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m lightsabers alongside the favors made from Target Dollar Spot Star Wars goodies. <p><ks</st
Mirthday boy really wanted an ice cream sundae bar, so we set that up with Star Wars cookies made quickly and easily with the <a hiams-Sonoma Star Wars cookie cutters.</a>idn’t bother to frost them since they were all going inside Darth Vader’s head. The cutters leave a reasonable character impression in the cookie.</p>
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Iso made pretzel stick lightsabers by dipping them in colored candy melts and wrapping the bases in foil.</p>
<l want more?</st
Fmore ideas, see Jennifer D’s posts <a hUltimate Star Wars Party: Original Trilogy Only Please</a> <a hTo Throw A Star Wars Halloween Party</a>>
