Around the World Party

Take guests on a trip around the world. Let kids try a variety of games and activities from other countries, and stamp their passports as they complete them. Serve fun foods from different countries -- mini pizzas, eggrolls, and eclairs -- and finish the party with globe shaped cake. Find a favor with foreign flavor, so they can bring a taste of the party home with them.

For this mammoth globe cake, start with a semicircle of styrofoam, hot glued to a heavy cardboard base. Stack three cakes -- a nine-inch cake, a nine-inch cake baked in a pie pan, and a six-inch cake cut into a curved shape -- on top, with generous frosting and several wooden dowels placed vertically through the cake to stabilize it. Frost the whole cake blue, then trace and cut out map shapes from green fondant, "gluing" them to the cake surface by brushing them with a small amount of water.

Take basic cake pops, dip them in blue candy melts, then use a small brush to paint on the continents in bright hued candy melts. You can get the recipe here.

Set up a smorgasbord of special treats from around the world, and encourage even picky eaters to try something more adventurous. Load your menu up with finger foods to make it easy for guests to nosh. Try mini pizzas, eggrolls, chicken satay, empanadas, tea sandwiches, and eclairs, then fill in with a few of your favorites.

Deck your table with everything a world traveler needs. You can decoupage hot-air balloons, planes, and stamps from various countries on to small suitcases or an old globe. Tiny trinkets that represent world destinations, such as the Eiffel Tower, the Statue of Liberty or other places you've roamed can be added to the mix. Old maps can be used as table coverings, or cut into placemats.

Head out to the backyard and let guests try their hand at a new game. Check out the rules for 10 cool games that are popular with kids from Armenia to Somalia.

Create little passport booklets that you can stamp as guests complete the various activities. The first stop is China, where kids try to pick up jelly beans using chopsticks. With a layover in Tanzania, the kids play safari on a leaf-covered jungle gym. The final stop is France, where each passenger will paint a Monet-inspired masterpiece.

Try stores like Pier 1, World Market, or even Oriental Trading for fun trinkets from one of the party's destinations. Small wooden puzzles, worry dolls, or finger puppets all make great favors. Luggage-style favor tags fit the traveler theme.