Although it is an older series of books and cartoons that children enjoyed over 10 years ago, these books and cartoons are still a big hit with children today, too. A classroom full of kids go on wacky field trips in each adventure with their fun-loving, if a bit strange, teacher Miss Frizzle. Make your next child’s birthday party this kind of wacky adventure by creating a “The Magic School Bus” theme!

Commercially made party supplies, like cups, plates, napkins and decorations are not available for “The Magic School Bus”, but that is not a problem. With books and videos about dinosaurs, volcanoes, the ocean and outer space, you can choose any of those thematic party supply offerings to fit into your “The Magic School Bus” theme. Truthfully, any colorful party supplies would fit just perfectly into your party plan. You can also visit Scholastic.com to get some great invitations to send out for your party!

To start out your party, you can always have “Miss Frizzle” come to visit your guests. With another adult’s help, go to your local costume store to rent this costume. You can easily make your own, as well, with a wild, red-haired wig and a thematic dress of some sort. While there, Miss Frizzle can tell of all her wonderful adventures in her fabulous magic bus.

After the visit, you can always get the guests to sing the song “wheels on the bus”. Those who don’t know the words will quickly catch on and sing along. While singing, have the guests all make a craft dealing with a bus, like “Magic School Bus” coloring pages (found on various websites), a school bus out of an egg carton (found at dltk-kids.com), or school bus magnets (found at OrientalTrading.com).

Now you can play some fun games. Pin the Wheels on the School Bus would be a great, thematic version of Pin the Tail on the Donkey. Making a bus out of a large piece of yellow poster board is not difficult. Miss Frizzle says instead of Simon says will work great as an activity, too.

As the final activity, find a book that the guests really enjoyed. For example: when Miss Frizzle and the gang go back to the time of the dinosaurs. Take the dinosaurs from that episode and create a game. Get a big jar, fill it with plastic toy dinosaurs or dinosaur shaped erasers, then have every guest try to figure out how many are in there. The person who guesses closest wins the jar and can either take it home or share with the other guests!

Food can be easy at a “Magic School Bus” party. Since the stories normally take place during the school day, you can have lunch bags prepared for each guest! You can have sandwiches, cheese curls, apple juice boxes and cookies, to name a few things. What you put inside the lunch bag is up to you, depending on what your guests will enjoy.

To quiet them down after all the excitement, why not play “The Magic School Bus” DVDs? Or you can read one of the dozens of books, which also come in big book format for large groups! Either books or movies are a relaxing, calming activity that will prepare the kids to be picked up.