My son is turning 8 and we are going to have a "mad science" party at our house! I think it will be fun, we are looking for fun experiments and activities for the kids to do. Wondering if anyone has any cool ideas for the activities and cake. We are thinking of the diet coke/mentos, the hard boiled egg into the jar trick, maybe making some slime. For the cake I was originally thinking of an erupting volcano. But then I started thinking about maybe individual "brain" cakes. I thought maybe somehow I could put like gummy worms or something inside of them so they could "dissect" them while they eat. I wasnt sure how to go about the brain cakes. I would like them to be a bit bigger than a cupcake, but I am not sure what to bake them in. I dont know that I want to individually carve 10 cakes.

I am open to ideas about the activities or cake! thanks

omg, i can't find it now, but i think it's a recent edition of 'family fun' magazine that has a mad science themed party & shows how to make a beaker cake w/cotton candy as 'smoke' and it's really different!

just a note: last year i spent nearly a week making candy/food for a halloween party for my 7 year old daughter. i used latex gloves & green chocolate to make hollow monster fingers, complete with purple pudding piped inside them.. and a skinny pretzel stick stuck in the middle as bones... i made a sausage dip which i called vampire vomit & had chocolate dipped & decorated frankenstein rice krispie treats..

i went ALL OUT.

and the kids wouldn't touch the dip... or the monster fingers without MUCH coaxing. I thought they'd LOVE the gross out factor, but evidently even with kids there is a line ;o)

btw: if you go to family fun . com, go to recipes, holiday & seasonal, then birthday cakes, the cake is the NEW! Fantastic Flask cake!

*goodluck*

lol! It's tragic when you go to all that work and the kids are freaked out! Actually I saw the Family Fun magazine and that is where i got the idea for the party! I am really excited about it! I guess I will try not to make anything too gross then. Thanks for the tip

I've seen molds for "brain" chocolates, I wonder if there is a cake pan? What about individual "body" parts of cake that the kids could put together to make a creation? Kind of like Igor did with spare parts? Nothing too freaky mind you so as to not freak them out, but how fun to be a mad scientist and "PULL THE SWITCH"

A number of years ago we bought skull shaped cups (oriental trading co.) filled with angelfood cake and strawberry sauce . worked out great - also used dry ice in the slime green punch!

can you put dry ice directly into the punch? I know not to put it into their cups, but it can go right into the punch bowl?

cool ideas! thanks!!

I am thinking of going to the craft store to see if wilton has a mini egg shaped pan this time of year? for the brain shape?

I think it was the familyfun website, but for halloween I made brain cupcakes...I know you said bigger than cupcakes, but have you seen how much cake gets thrown out after a kids party? You could use the jumbo muffin pan though. Maybe tint the batter green or fill the cakes with purple pudding as suggested above,. definitely do the diet coke/mentos...we've done that beofre and the kids love it. You could also make a big batch of green jello and put disgusting things in it gummy worms etc, let the kids put their hands in it to pull out a little figurine or something(obvs the jello is not for eating)

We had a mad science party for our son around the same age as your's. We actually hired the company, Mad Science, and it was a blast! I made a mad scientist cake. I believe it's on my photos. I think it was made in an older Wilton clown cake pan.

that's true, I don't want a lot of it wasted. My good cake in the trash! oh no! Well I am going to check out to see if there is a mini egg pan. If not, I may do the cup cakes or perhaps just one big cake.

That's a cute cake, Michelle! Any tips on the activities (that we could do ourselves?)

Let me see if I remember.....

They did something where they mixed two liquids in a 2-liter pop bottle and made a kind of wave/tornado thing out of it. The boys thought that was neat. Gosh, it must have been more than just three years ago now. He must have been younger than your son. I can't remember! I'll have to dig out the photos and see if I can get any info from them. I took a lot of pictures if I remember right, but then again my memory isn't what it used to be! There is the traditional baking soda and vinegar volcano. Can you ask a science teacher at your son's school for some ideas that are age-appropriate?

oh well dont go to too much trouble if you can't remember. I think I have narrowed it down to 4 activities unless I find something better.

Making slime
The diet coke geyser
the hard boiled egg drop into the bottle-thing
make lava lamp

plus of course the cake! And I think I'll have them dress up and do goofy hair.

Hi! So much fun! We did science last year!
Maybe a ball pan with a huge frosting tip to make the 'brain' look?
Post your pics afterwards!

very cool! thanks for all of the tips and ideas!

Found this in my 'ideas' file - looks like fondant pressed through an extruder (I use my cookie press )

I think I saw that one! It is very cool...on top of my list!