Forty years ago today, Commander Neil Armstrong accomplished the first moon landing. With his initial step, Armstrong's infamous phrase "One small step for man, a giant leap for mankind…" resonated throughout the world. Armstrong's much anticipated journey to the moon had launched a major interest into the fascinating world of outer space. Today, little ones are still eager to explore what lies beyond the realm of the earth and its atmosphere.

    What better theme for a children's birthday party? Start with a space themed invitation. Hello LIttle One's "Solar System" birthday party invitation is perfect for such an occasion. Next, think of where you would like to hold your party. Many science museums, children's'  museums and discovery centers offer their sites for birthday parties. Some even hold overnight parties. A few that do are the William Staerkel Planetarium at Parkland College, Illinois, The Science Factory-Children's Museum & Planetarium in Eugene, Oregon, and the McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center in Concord, N.H. Check these out for specifics or search for ones near you. Alternatively, your home could be the perfect place to host the party and lots of fun to decorate. First, play some space music. Star Wars and Star Trek sound tracks would create an outer space atmosphere. Available almost everywhere, glow in the dark stars would transform your ceilings to the night sky.  Planets could be colorful helium balloons or spray painted Styrofoam balls of different sizes hung from the ceiling. A space ship could be made from a large cardboard refrigerator/appliance box. On the flip side, an alien ship could also be made using the same idea.

    In addition, a space party offers many party activites: making individual space ships from small cardboard boxes (cereal, oatmeal, food boxes), paper towel tubes, Styrofoam shapes, aluminum foil and paint, musical chairs using space music, alien masks making, blind folded solar system board (where children pin planets on the wall around the sun) and find the most moon rocks (spray painted rocks hidden). If a night time party is an option, the night sky offers a natural scape to fascinate all party goers. Lying out on a blanket, each child could try to find specific star constellations. And of course, trivia outer space games are always fun.

    Where there is a party, there must be food. The menu could begin with Individual Moon Pizzas, Constellation Dipsters (Chicken Nuggets), Alien Fruit Punch (punch with frozen sherbet balls floating and alien gummy worms), a Moon, Sun or Alien cake, and planet cupcakes (these could be decorated by the guests to resemble a planet). Other snacks  could include Starburst candy, Milky Way and Mars bars. Go for it! Outer Space has no boundaries!