As children get older, it can be increasingly difficult to think of original ideas for birthday parties. They may have grown out of some activities they enjoyed when they were younger. If you're inviting boys and girls, it can also be tricky thinking of something that will appeal to both.

A science party is one option well worth considering. Not only will it fascinate both boys and girls, but it guarantees to keep youngsters hooked for the duration of your party. Even better, if you don't want to hire a venue, you can probably host a science party at home.

The party planning stage of your science party begins with the birthday party invitations. At Putty Print, we can ensure your guests will know what to expect, with our fun and personalised science party invitations. You might also want to request that guests come dressed as mad scientists for the occasion, with the obligatory white coat and crazy hair!

A science party is incredibly versatile, in that there are lots of ways you can engage youngsters, making it both educational and fun. You can choose to hire a company that organises science parties, and most will be happy to do this in your home, or you could get some science experiment kits from craft and toy shops or science museums, and host it yourself (providing you strictly follow health and safety procedures).

At a science party, guests could learn how to make slime and perform optical illusion tricks. They can also discover the power of static electricity, the magic of bubbles and balloons, chemical reactions, tricks of light and other mad-cap experiments. Youngsters can get involved with activities and experiments as amateur science boffins, and you may want to incorporate party games within this theme, such as a test tube relay game or a periodic table treasure hunt.

When it comes to food ideas, there are plenty of options based on the science theme, such as proton pizzas, fruit molecules, brain pasta, jelly in petri dishes and beaker-shaped cookies. A test tube filled with sweets is the ideal party bag treat to take home.