Posts Tagged ‘birthday party’

Amoeba Cake

Monday, November 25th, 2013

amoeba-cake

Amoeba cake?! You’ve got to be kidding me! That doesn’t sound very appetizing… But my son wants to be a microbiologist, so guess what kind of cake I made him for his birthday this year? You guessed it: Amoeba cake.

Before I explain how to decorate the cake, look at the cool invitation we made for his amoeba birthday party:

amoeba-invitation

How to Decorate an Amoeba Cake:

  1. Bake a rectangle cake. Make it whatever flavor you want.
  2. Cut a piece of cardboard larger than the cake and cover it with foil, taping down the edges underneath.
  3. Sprinkle flour on a cutting board. Grab the rectangle cake while it is still hot and up-end it onto the cutting board. With a knife, cut the rectangle into an amoeba shape.
  4. Pick up the cake and place it on the foiled cardboard. Put it in the refrigerator for an hour or two.
  5. Stir some blue food coloring into the white vanilla icing. Ice the cake.
  6. Grab some candy to represent the organelles, and decorate the Amoeba cake. We used a peppermint patty for the nucleus, round mints for the contractile vacuoles which pump water out of the cell, and M&M’s for the food vacuoles.
  7. We outlined the cake with chocolate frosting. You can do this cheaply by putting the frosting into a Ziplock bag, and snipping off the corner. Then squeeze the frosting out like toothpaste.

amoeba-boxYour Amoeba cake is now complete and ready to eat! Enjoy!

As a side note, my daughter made an amoeba box out of construction paper and tape, with an amoeba colored on the outside of the box. She created some bookmarks for her brother’s birthday and put them inside the box. Isn’t the box cute?

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#6 Magic Trick Set

Friday, December 10th, 2010

magic-trick-set

A magic trick set is a fun gift to get children. All of my kids have enjoyed performing magic acts. Sometimes we perform the magic tricks at a birthday party, and other times we visit the elderly to cheer them up with magic tricks. Here are some tips for your children to have success:

  • If your child is young, read through the instruction book and choose the easiest tricks that your child can’t mess up. Mark those with pencil.
  • Have your child practice the tricks in front of his brothers and sisters. Help him add flair and confidence to his presentation.
  • Get a top hat and cape, if possible.
  • Make sure to have all supplies ready and laid out on a table with a black sheet over it. We like to put the magic tricks in order. Make sure to have at least five tricks to perform.
  • Give lots of applause at the end of the magic show, and have your child bow to the audience.

Hopefully these tips will help you to have success with your kids, performing fun magic tricks!